LEAD

The Economic Survey 2020-21, tabled in the Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday, has forecast India's FY22 real GDP growth at 11 percent. The nominal GDP growth is estimated at 15.4 percent.

This year's Economic Survey captures the impact of COVID-19-induced lockdown on the economy.

Among the key figures in the Survey are gross domestic product (GDP) growth projections for 2021-22 and estimates for the current year (2020-21) as these reflect the pace at which the government expects the economy to show a firm recovery. The Survey outlines a roadmap for the rival of the Indian economy.

India’s economy is expected to contract 7.7 percent in the financial year ending March 31, 2021, primarily hit by the pandemic and nationwide lockdown that followed, states the Economic Survey 2020-21. The Economic Survey 2020-21’s estimate comes mostly in line with the forecasts by the central bank, and experts.

Praising India's response in the fight against the novel coronavirus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday said India has developed two coronavirus vaccines so far which have been exported to over 150 countries and the world would see many more Made in India vaccines in the coming days.

Addressing the World Economic Forum's online Davos Agenda Summit, PM Modi said India has beaten all odds to battle the pandemic. "When Covid-19 arrived, India had its share of problems. At the beginning of last year, several experts and organizations had made several predictions that India would be most affected by the pandemic. Someone had even said that 700-800 million would be infected and someone had said that over two million Indians would die from the pandemic. Looking at the condition of countries with better health infrastructure, the world was right in worrying about us," he said.

The Union home ministry on Wednesday issued an order to extend guidelines for surveillance, containment and caution against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) from February 1 to 28. It asked states and union territories to mandatorily enforce containment measures and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on various activities and Covid appropriate behaviour.

The home ministry allowed swimming pools for everyone and higher seating in cinema halls. It further said that revised SOPs will soon be issued by ministry of information and broadcasting.

Cinema halls and theatres were earlier allowed to operate with 50 per cent seating capacity.

Meanwhile, the government has asked civil aviation ministry to further open up international air travel in consultation with the home ministry.

After agreeing to take out the protests on three routes, the farmers had a change of hearts and routes and decided to march to Red Fort instead. They hoisted a Khalsa flag from the Red Fort maybe in a bid to celebrate Independence Day on Republic Day. 

In a bid to stop the tractor rally from reaching Red Fort, security personnel fired tear-gas shells and used lathis to disperse the annadatas, who brandished swords and lathis of their own. When people clash, people get injured. It doesn’t matter whether they were marching or trying to stop the march. Both sides suffered injuries and then one protester died, after the tractor he was running amok on turned turtle at Delhi’s DDU Marg.

People on Twitter demanded peace after weeks of demanding the rally on Republic Day.

A 'minor face-off' took place between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Nakula area of North Sikkim on January 20 this year and the same was resolved by local commanders as per established protocols, the Indian Army said in a statement on Monday. The news channel has redefined the limits and has set new standards for journalism in Indian news television through its differentiated programming and philosophy of inclusive journalism the spirit of ‘Whatever It Takes'. The channel continues to be India’s window to the world and world’s window into India.