- INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT GROWTH SLOWED TO 4.9% IN MARCH
- India’s industrial output growth slowed to 4.9% in March from 5.6% in February
- The National Statistical Office revealed
- With base effects from last March, when output had grown a feeble 1.9%, boosting the uptick
- The base effect refers to the impact of the rise in price level (i.e. last year’s inflation) in the previous year over the corresponding rise in price levels in the current year (i.e., current inflation)
2. ITA SEEKS CENTRE’S SUPPORT FOR AILING DARJEELING TEA INDUSTRY
- The Indian Tea Association (ITA) reiterated its plea for financial assistance from the Centre
- To support the struggling Darjeeling tea industry
- Without a financial relief package, the survival of the Darjeeling tea industry is in jeopardy
- Adding that it has urged the government to consider and act upon a financial revival package endorsed by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce in March 2022
- The Darjeeling tea industry is facing a number of issues, including: Production
- The production of Darjeeling tea has been declining due to climate change, old bushes, and pest attacks
- In 2022, production was 6.5–7 million kilograms, down from over 8 million kilograms in 2016
- Prices – The average auction price of Darjeeling tea fell from ₹365.45 per kilogram in 2021 to ₹349.42 in 2022
- However, production costs have increased due to rising wages and prices of inputs like coal, fuel, and fertilizer
- Demand – Global demand for Darjeeling tea has fallen, in part due to the Russia-Ukraine war
- In addition, the import of cheaper tea from Nepal has increased, which has contributed to stagnant prices
- In 2017, 11.42 million kilograms of tea were imported from Nepal, but that number increased to 17.36 million kilograms in 2022
- Labor – A 2021 study found that workers in Darjeeling tea gardens are subject to bondage labor, as permanent employment is only available through kinship and workers don’t own the land.
- Yield – Replanting tea gardens is expensive and takes 8–10 years to reach break-even yield, which is not economical
- Yields have declined from around 800 kilograms per hectare to 450 kilograms per hectare
- Other issues include infrastructure neglect, the COVID-19 pandemic, and increased food safety norms by the European Union
3. INDIA BACKS PALESTINE’S BID FOR FULL UN MEMBERSHIP
- India voted in favour of a draft UN General Assembly resolution that said Palestine is qualified and should be admitted as full member of the United Nations
- And recommended that the Security Council “reconsider” the matter “favourably”
- The 193-member General Assembly met for an emergency special session
- Arab Group resolution ‘Admission of new Members to the United Nations’ – in support of the State of Palestine’s full membership in the UN
- It was presented by the UAE, as Chair of the Arab Group in May
- The League of Arab States, also known as the Arab League, is a regional organization in the United Nations (UN) with 22 member states and 4 observers
- The League coordinates on Middle East issues and the Fourth Committee (decolonization)
- The League’s chair rotates monthly
- The resolution got 143 votes in favour, including by India, 9 against and 25 abstentions The UNGA hall broke into an applause after the vote was cast
- Note — India was the first non-Arab State to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organisation as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people in 1974
- India was also one of the first countries to recognise the State of Palestine in 1988 and in 1996
- Delhi opened its Representative Office to the Palestine Authority in Gaza, which was later shifted to Ramallah in 2003
- Why is this vote significant? – Palestine, in its capacity as an observer state, does not have the right to vote in the General Assembly or to put forward its candidature to UN organs
- Following this vote – the additional rights and privileges of participation of the State of Palestine will be effective as of the 79th session of the General Assembly that begins in September this year
- These include – The right to be seated among member states in alphabetical order
- The right to make statements on behalf of a group, including among representatives of major groups
- The right of members of the delegation of the State of Palestine to be elected as officers in the plenary and the Main Committees of the General Assembly
- The right to full and effective participation in UN conferences and international conferences and meetings convened under the auspices of the General Assembly
4. INDIA WITHDREW ITS TROOPS – MALDIVES
- India withdrew its last remaining soldiers stationed in the Maldives to meet a deadline set by the archipelago nation’s government
- Pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu won office last year while campaigning on a promise to downgrade ties with India
- He has since reoriented the strategically placed archipelago nation towards Beijing Both India and the Maldives struck a conciliatory note, ahead of the withdrawal deadline
5. AFTER 18 MONTHS, CHINA SENDS AMBASSADOR TO INDIA
- After 18 months of China not having an Ambassador in India, senior diplomat Xu Feihong arrived in Delhi to assume office as the 17th Ambassador to India
- His priority is to work to restore exchanges and cooperation in various fields
- And create favourable conditions for a sound and steady India[1]China relationship
- Ties between the two countries have been strained since tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), following China’s multiple transgressions starting in April 2020 and violent clashes in Galwan in June 2020, which resulted in casualties on both sides
ONE LINER
- MAY 11 – National Technology Day
- Elephant Route Coordination Plan – First draft report released by Tamil Nadu Forest Department
