Himanshi Bhardwaj

India's unemployment rate hit 8-year low in 2025, shows NSO data

But urban female joblessness rose sharply in several states

NITI seeks visa-on-arrival, end to state entry taxes to boost tourism

Policy think tank says regulatory hurdles, not demand, are holding back tourism; proposes easier visas, GST refunds for foreign tourists and seamless interstate travel

Mospi pushes harmonised data ecosystem to power citizen-centric governance

Statistics Secretary Saurabh Garg says harmonising administrative data across departments will improve interoperability, AI-driven analytics and evidence-based policymaking

AI can turn data blind spots into false certainty, says P K Mishra

P K Mishra warns AI can reinforce data biases in official statistics, urging stronger safeguards, transparency, and institutional independence in data governance

India's industrial output growth hits five-month high of 5.1% in May

Industrial output growth rose to 5.1 per cent in May as electricity generation strengthened and the government adopted Output-PPI for the new IIP series

A ChatGPT for Indian statistics? Mospi lays AI groundwork with new platform

The govt is building a common data platform to unify official economic statistics, with plans to develop it into an AI model that can answer queries using trusted official data

20 states utilised just 5.86% of combined budgeted capex in April-May

Twenty states utilised 5.86 per cent of their FY27 capex budgets in April-May, below the year-ago pace, though spending recovered in May after a sluggish April

Welfare bills, rising commitments drag 4 states from surplus to deficit

Karnataka, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Bihar saw revenue balances weaken between FY23 and FY25 as spending outpaced receipts: CAG

Mospi proposes framework to assign monetary value to India's coal reserves

The ministry has recommended the OECD methodology for valuing coal reserves, saying it could strengthen natural capital accounting and support evidence-based policymaking

Mospi to launch India's first monthly services output index on July 14

The new monthly indicator will track short-term changes in services-sector output and serve as the counterpart to the Index of Industrial Production

A difficult year: El Niño concerns trigger earnings risk for India Inc

India's southwest monsoon from June 1 to June 23 has been almost 43% below normal, among its worst performances in the last several years

NITI Aayog proposes 'model pharma chapter' for future FTA negotiations

Think tank flags non-tariff barriers as a bigger hurdle than duties for $35.8 bn drug exports

Fabian socialism held India back after 1991 reforms: A Greenspan view

In his 2007 memoir, Alan Greenspan praised India's reforms but argued that lingering socialist policies and bureaucracy were holding back its economic potential

India's core sector growth slows to seven-month low of 0.5% in May

Coal output contracted 9.3 per cent in May, marking a 10-month low, while growth in petroleum refinery products slumped to a 42- month low of -8.7 per cent

Hospital births rise, but medical care before death elusive: Report

While 95.4 per cent of births now take place in hospitals, nearly half of all deaths occur without qualified medical attention, highlighting a gap in end-of-life care

Saibal Chattopadhyay named chairperson of National Statistical Commission

Former IIM Calcutta director succeeds Rajeeva Laxman Karandikar as head of the apex body overseeing India's core statistical activities

18 states overshot fiscal deficit ceiling in FY25, shows CAG report

The CAG's review of state finances showed 18 states exceeded the 3 per cent fiscal deficit ceiling in FY25, while combined state liabilities continued to rise over the decade

New series: Wholesale inflation surged to 3-year high of 9.7% in May

The government also released India's first Producer Price Index under the new series, with producer inflation tracking wholesale prices closely

Unemployment rate in May rose to 11-month high of 5.5%, shows PLFS data

The labour force participation rate fell to an 11-month low in May, while the worker population ratio also declined, indicating softer labour market conditions

Wholesale price index's old base retires today: Here's the story it tells

As India shifts to a new WPI base year, the outgoing series reflects a turbulent period marked by deep deflation, record inflation and sharp fuel price swings