The Evening Wrap: India projected to grow at 8% this fiscal, says World Bank

India is projected to grow at 8% over the current fiscal year (April 1-March 31), and 7.1% over the next (FY 2023-24) fiscal year, the World Bank said in its twice yearly ‘South Asia Economic Focus Reshaping Norms: A New Way Forward’, released on Wednesday, in the run-up to the World Bank IMF Spring Meetings. The country is estimated to have grown at 8.3% in the fiscal year that just passed, following a contraction of 6.6% in the previous year owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the South Asia region, growth is expected to be slower than projected, by 1 percentage point, at 6.6% in 2022 and 6.3% next calendar year. This is due to Russia’s war on Ukraine, which has impacted the region, when it was already experiencing “uneven and fragile” growth, rising commodity prices, bottlenecks to supply and financial sector vulnerabilities. The impact of the war so far has been further inflation, deteriorating current account balances and growing fiscal deficits, according to the report. “Given these challenges, governments need to carefully plan monetary and fiscal policies to counter external shocks and protect the vulnerable, while laying the foundation for green, resilient and inclusive growth,” Hartwig Schafer, World Bank Vice-President for South Asia, said in a press statement. There is limited space for fiscal stimulus and supply bottlenecks are of greater significance than insufficient effective demand, Hans Timmer, World Bank Chief Economist for the South Asia region, told reporters on a briefing call on Wednesday. Asked what the impact of sanctions on Russia would be on the South Asian region, Timmer said the impact was indirect, rather than direct, given the relatively low proportion of imports and exports that go to and from Russia and Ukraine. The indirect impact was via the global impact of sanctions on commodity and financial markets. All countries in the region will face challenges ahead, despite “solid” GDP growth during recovery, as per the report. In the case of India, household consumption will be constrained due to the incomplete recovery of the labour market and inflationary pressures. The report suggests that countries in the region move towards greener fuels and commodities as a response to rising fuel prices and the introduction of green taxes. This would also be a new source of government revenue. Timmer said the green tax recommendation applied to both firms that were polluting as well as energy prices, when asked by The Hindu whether the World Bank was advocating taxing fuel consumption when prices were already high. “It is really inefficient to support vulnerable households by subsidising energy,” Timmer said. “The money can be much better used when the right price for energy is being charged and then redistributed in a way that really targets the poor households,” he said, adding that it was a gradual process and could not be accomplished “overnight”. Bombay High Court dismisses Varavara Rao’s plea for permanent bail The Bombay High Court on Wednesday dismissed 82-year-old activist-poet Varavara Rao’s plea for permanent bail on medical grounds but extended his temporary medical bail by three months. A Division Bench of Justices S.B. Shukre and G.A. Sanap also dismissed Mr. Rao’s plea seeking a transfer back to Telangana. The court said, “Certain facts were brought before us during the course of hearing. When we verified, we found some substance in the contention.” The court passed directions to appoint medical officers in Maharashtra prison hospitals, and the compliance report should be submitted by the Inspector-General of Maharashtra by April 30. Rao is currently out on medical bail and residing in Mumbai with his wife. He was granted interim medical bail for six months on February 22, 2021, which has been extended by three months so he can undergo a cataract operation. Additional Solicitor-General (ASG) Anil Singh, representing the National Investigation Agency, had earlier opposed the plea and pointed out Rao was granted interim bail in February 2021 for six months, and the period had been extended from time to time. He mentioned that after being medically examined by the state-run J.J. Hospital, Rao was taken to a private hospital and as per its report, “He is cognitively normal.” Singh added, “He is over 80 years old, obviously there will be medical problems. But that does not mean he keeps taking extensions forever. He has to surrender some time. I don’t see why this plea should survive.” He went on to say that Rao had not been granted regular bail so there was no question of extension, the offences were very serious and concerned national security and, if found guilty, attracted death penalty. The ASG also added that allowing Rao to go back to Telangana would set a wrong precedent and that he was granted interim bail in February last year also because of the COVID-19 situation. Senior advocate Anand Grover, appearing for the poet, had argued that Rao had shown early signs of Parkinson’s and the road was downhill; he may collapse someday because of the tremors. “If he gets a brain clot in Taloja Central Jail, what will he do? How will they manage the risk at Taloja when there is no monitoring facility?.... Can he die because of that? I am not saying this loosely. There are no facilities there in Taloja. They are not putting money in it,” Grover said. Grover also said if arrests could be made from across the country, why could not Rao report to the NIA court in Hyderabad. Rao was arrested on August 28, 2018, from Telangana. BJP delegation stopped en route to violence-hit Karauli A BJP delegation, led by Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, was stopped en route to the violence-hit Karauli town on Wednesday. Surya and BJP’s Rajasthan president Satish Poonia, accompanied by hundreds of party workers, were on the way to meet the victims of communal violence on April 2. The police stopped them at the Dausa-Karauli border and detained Surya, Poonia and other party workers. As the BJP leaders kept demanding that they be allowed to visit Karauli, they were taken into a bus and dispersed at a distance. Police said the action was taken under Section 129 (dispersal of assembly by use of civil force) of the Criminal Procedure Code. Surya, who is also national president of the BJP’s youth wing, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, arrived in Jaipur early on Wednesday morning and met a youth, Amit, who was injured in the violence and is recovering at the Sawai Man Singh Government Hospital in Jaipur. Surya said prohibitory orders were not in place at the location where he and other BJP leaders were detained. “It is our constitutional right to go to Karauli... This dictatorial government is snatching our rights,” he told reporters before being whisked away by the policemen. The violence erupted in Karauli, situated 170 km away from Jaipur, after provocative sloganeering by the participants in a motorcycle rally outside a mosque on the Navsamvatsar day on April 2. Surya said the violence indicated a “clear lawlessness” in Rajasthan and the Congress government was unwilling to act against the aggressors. In an apparent reference to Surya’s detention, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said strict action would be taken against any person who tried to disturb law and order in the State. “The BJP leaders are constantly trying to create a communal atmosphere in Rajasthan. They are going to Karauli and issuing misleading statements... They submitted a memorandum to the Governor to ensure that the tension remains [the same],” he tweeted. Gehlot said the riots broke out on Ram Navami last week in the States ruled by the BJP, but all communities celebrated the festival together in Rajasthan and the religious processions were welcomed by all people. “The BJP is troubled by people’s unity here. They are regretting how the Ram Navami was celebrated peacefully in the State.” he added. CBI takes over investigation against Param Bir Singh The CBI has taken over investigation into five cases of alleged misconduct and corruption against former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh from the Maharashtra Police, officials said on Wednesday. On the directions of the Supreme Court, the Special Crime unit of the central agency registered the cases late on Tuesday evening. All the five FIRs registered in Thane and Mumbai have now been re-registered by the CBI as its own cases in accordance with its manual, they said. The Supreme Court had on March 24 transferred the investigation of these cases to the CBI, saying “a very murky affair is going on amid echelons of power”. A bench of justices SK Kaul and MM Sundresh had said a thorough investigation was required to regain the faith of people in the state police. “The exigencies in the advancement of principles of justice require the investigation to be transferred to CBI. We are not saying appellant (Singh) is a whistle-blower or anyone involved in this case is washed with milk,” the bench said while allowing the appeal filed by Singh. The bench also refused to revoke the suspension of Singh and said all future FIRs too would be transferred to the CBI. Singh is facing multiple cases of extortion, corruption and misconduct, and was removed from the post of Mumbai Police chief over his alleged mishandling of the Antilia bomb scare case. Prior to this, the Bombay High Court had dismissed Singh’s petition seeking quashing of inquiries initiated against him by the Maharashtra government, and said he can approach the Central Administrative Tribunal, holding it was a service matter. It had rejected his claim that the government’s action was a consequence of his allegations of corruption against former state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. Haridwar hate speeches: Uttarakhand says it has filed four FIRs, three chargesheets The Uttarakhand government on April 13 informed the Supreme Court that it had registered four FIRs and filed three chargesheets against those accused of delivering hate speeches at a ‘dharam sansad’ in Haridwar. The court had, in the previous hearing, sought Uttarakhand’s response as to why there had been no arrests months after the alleged incident in December last year. The petitions filed by Anjana Praakash, a former High Court judge, and journalist Qurban Ali submitted that “open calls for the extermination of an entire religious community” were made at Haridwar and a similar programme held in Delhi. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, for the petitioners, said another such event was due in Himachal Pradesh in a few days. “I cannot even read out what they say in these programmes,” Sibal said. A Bench led by Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and A.S. Oka asked the petitioners to serve Himachal Pradesh’s standing counsel a copy of their application impleading the State in the case. The court also gave the petitioners liberty to inform the District Collector of the area concerned where the dharam sansad was going to be held in Himachal Pradesh. The court had previously also advised the petitioners to make a representation to the local authorities, making their apprehensions clear that speeches in these dharam sansads may run the risk of violating the penal law against hate and were against the judgments of the Supreme Court. The court posted the case on April 22. Sibal has argued that the incidents in Haridwar and Delhi took a different colour from even the past instances of mob lynchings. The senior lawyer said more of these dharam sansads were being organised. The petitioners have highlighted in the top court that “hate speeches consisted of open calls for genocide of Muslims in order to achieve ethnic cleansing. The speeches are not mere hate speeches but amount to an open call for murder of an entire community. The speeches, thus, pose a grave threat not just to the unity and integrity of our country but also endanger the lives of millions of Muslim citizens”. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa offers to meet protesters Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa offered on Wednesday to meet with protesters occupying the entrance to the President’s office, saying he would listen to their ideas for resolving the economic, social and political crisis facing the country. The protesters camped out for a fifth day demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister’s brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, holding him responsible for the country’s worst economic situation in decades. They also are calling for his powerful family to leave power, accusing them of corruption and misrule. A statement from the Prime Minister’s office said he is “willing to talk to” representatives of the protesters outside the President’s office in the capital, Colombo. Some protesters rejected the Prime Minister’s offer. “What should happen now is as a seasoned politician, at a time when a majority in the country is rejecting him, he should not be offering to talk but should go home with his entire clan,” said Nuwan Kaluarachi, a teacher. “The people’s voice is that the whole Rajapaksa family must leave,” said Rasika another protester who gave only one name. “Let’s take our money back and send them to jail.” Sri Lankans in recent months have endured fuel and food shortages and daily power outages. Most of those items are paid for in hard currency, but Sri Lanka is on the brink of bankruptcy, saddled with dwindling foreign reserves and $25 billion in foreign debt due for repayment over the next five years. Nearly $7 billion is due this year. Sri Lanka announced Tuesday that it is suspending repayments of foreign debt, including bonds and government-to-government borrowing, pending the completion of a loan restructuring program with the International Monetary Fund. The Ministry of Finance said the IMF has assessed Sri Lanka’s foreign debt as unsustainable, and that staying current on foreign debt payments is no longer a realistic policy. In addition to seeking help from the IMF, the government has turned to India and China for help in dealing with shortages. Sri Lankans have been forced to wait in long lines to buy cooking gas, fuel and milk powder, and doctors have warned there is a potentially catastrophic shortage of essential medicines in government hospitals. The government says the World Bank has provided $10 million to buy essential medicine and equipment and the health ministry is in discussions with the World Health Organization and Asian Development Bank for additional funding. The government has also appealed to Sri Lankans living and working overseas to donate medicines or money to purchase them, the government’s information department said. In Brief: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Manu Kumar Jain, a former India head of Xiaomi, in connection with an ongoing inquiry under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). The probe pertains to foreign remittances of about ₹1,000 crore. It is learnt that Jain has been asked to appear before the agency at its Bengaluru office on Wednesday. The ED had earlier summoned him twice, but he had then failed to join the inquiry. Jain is currently a global vice-president at Xiaomi. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow [logo] The Evening Wrap 13 APRIL 2022 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( India projected to grow at 8% this fiscal: World Bank  [India is projected to grow at 8%]( over the current fiscal year (April 1-March 31), and 7.1% over the next (FY 2023-24) fiscal year, the World Bank said in its twice yearly ‘South Asia Economic Focus Reshaping Norms: A New Way Forward’, released on Wednesday, in the run-up to the World Bank IMF Spring Meetings. The country is estimated to have grown at 8.3% in the fiscal year that just passed, following a contraction of 6.6% in the previous year owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the South Asia region, growth is expected to be slower than projected, by 1 percentage point, at 6.6% in 2022 and 6.3% next calendar year. This is due to Russia’s war on Ukraine, which has impacted the region, when it was already experiencing “uneven and fragile” growth, rising commodity prices, bottlenecks to supply and financial sector vulnerabilities. The impact of the war so far has been further inflation, deteriorating current account balances and growing fiscal deficits, according to the report. [A person walks past the World Bank headquarters in Washington D.C. on January 10, 2022. ] “Given these challenges, governments need to carefully plan monetary and fiscal policies to counter external shocks and protect the vulnerable, while laying the foundation for green, resilient and inclusive growth,” Hartwig Schafer, World Bank Vice-President for South Asia, said in a press statement. There is limited space for fiscal stimulus and supply bottlenecks are of greater significance than insufficient effective demand, Hans Timmer, World Bank Chief Economist for the South Asia region, told reporters on a briefing call on Wednesday. Asked what the impact of sanctions on Russia would be on the South Asian region, Timmer said the impact was indirect, rather than direct, given the relatively low proportion of imports and exports that go to and from Russia and Ukraine. The indirect impact was via the global impact of sanctions on commodity and financial markets. All countries in the region will face challenges ahead, despite “solid” GDP growth during recovery, as per the report. In the case of India, household consumption will be constrained due to the incomplete recovery of the labour market and inflationary pressures. The report suggests that countries in the region move towards greener fuels and commodities as a response to rising fuel prices and the introduction of green taxes. This would also be a new source of government revenue. Timmer said the green tax recommendation applied to both firms that were polluting as well as energy prices, when asked by The Hindu whether the World Bank was advocating taxing fuel consumption when prices were already high. “It is really inefficient to support vulnerable households by subsidising energy,” Timmer said. “The money can be much better used when the right price for energy is being charged and then redistributed in a way that really targets the poor households,” he said, adding that it was a gradual process and could not be accomplished “overnight”. Bombay High Court dismisses Varavara Rao’s plea for permanent bail  The Bombay High Court on Wednesday [dismissed 82-year-old activist-poet Varavara Rao’s plea for permanent bail]( on medical grounds but extended his temporary medical bail by three months. A Division Bench of Justices S.B. Shukre and G.A. Sanap also dismissed Mr. Rao’s plea seeking a transfer back to Telangana. The court said, “Certain facts were brought before us during the course of hearing. When we verified, we found some substance in the contention.” The court passed directions to appoint medical officers in Maharashtra prison hospitals, and the compliance report should be submitted by the Inspector-General of Maharashtra by April 30. Rao is currently out on medical bail and residing in Mumbai with his wife. He was granted interim medical bail for six months on February 22, 2021, which has been extended by three months so he can undergo a cataract operation. Additional Solicitor-General (ASG) Anil Singh, representing the National Investigation Agency, had earlier opposed the plea and pointed out Rao was granted interim bail in February 2021 for six months, and the period had been extended from time to time. He mentioned that after being medically examined by the state-run J.J. Hospital, Rao was taken to a private hospital and as per its report, “He is cognitively normal.” Singh added, “He is over 80 years old, obviously there will be medical problems. But that does not mean he keeps taking extensions forever. He has to surrender some time. I don’t see why this plea should survive.” He went on to say that Rao had not been granted regular bail so there was no question of extension, the offences were very serious and concerned national security and, if found guilty, attracted death penalty. The ASG also added that allowing Rao to go back to Telangana would set a wrong precedent and that he was granted interim bail in February last year also because of the COVID-19 situation. Senior advocate Anand Grover, appearing for the poet, had argued that Rao had shown early signs of Parkinson’s and the road was downhill; he may collapse someday because of the tremors. “If he gets a brain clot in Taloja Central Jail, what will he do? How will they manage the risk at Taloja when there is no monitoring facility? .... Can he die because of that? I am not saying this loosely. There are no facilities there in Taloja. They are not putting money in it,” Grover said. Grover also said if arrests could be made from across the country, why could not Rao report to the NIA court in Hyderabad. Rao was arrested on August 28, 2018, from Telangana. BJP delegation stopped en route to violence-hit Karauli A BJP delegation, led by Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, was [stopped en route to the violence-hit Karauli town]( on Wednesday. Surya and BJP’s Rajasthan president Satish Poonia, accompanied by hundreds of party workers, were on the way to meet the victims of communal violence on April 2. The police stopped them at the Dausa-Karauli border and detained Surya, Poonia and other party workers. As the BJP leaders kept demanding that they be allowed to visit Karauli, they were taken into a bus and dispersed at a distance. Police said the action was taken under Section 129 (dispersal of assembly by use of civil force) of the Criminal Procedure Code. Surya, who is also national president of the BJP’s youth wing, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, arrived in Jaipur early on Wednesday morning and met a youth, Amit, who was injured in the violence and is recovering at the Sawai Man Singh Government Hospital in Jaipur. Surya said prohibitory orders were not in place at the location where he and other BJP leaders were detained. “It is our constitutional right to go to Karauli... This dictatorial government is snatching our rights,” he told reporters before being whisked away by the policemen. The violence erupted in Karauli, situated 170 km away from Jaipur, after provocative sloganeering by the participants in a motorcycle rally outside a mosque on the Navsamvatsar day on April 2. Surya said the violence indicated a “clear lawlessness” in Rajasthan and the Congress government was unwilling to act against the aggressors. In an apparent reference to Surya’s detention, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said strict action would be taken against any person who tried to disturb law and order in the State. “The BJP leaders are constantly trying to create a communal atmosphere in Rajasthan. They are going to Karauli and issuing misleading statements... They submitted a memorandum to the Governor to ensure that the tension remains [the same],” he tweeted. Gehlot said the riots broke out on Ram Navami last week in the States ruled by the BJP, but all communities celebrated the festival together in Rajasthan and the religious processions were welcomed by all people. “The BJP is troubled by people’s unity here. They are regretting how the Ram Navami was celebrated peacefully in the State.” he added. CBI takes over investigation against Param Bir Singh The [CBI has taken over investigation]( into five cases of alleged misconduct and corruption against former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh from the Maharashtra Police, officials said on Wednesday. On the directions of the Supreme Court, the Special Crime unit of the central agency registered the cases late on Tuesday evening. All the five FIRs registered in Thane and Mumbai have now been re-registered by the CBI as its own cases in accordance with its manual, they said. The Supreme Court had on March 24 transferred the investigation of these cases to the CBI, saying “a very murky affair is going on amid echelons of power”. A bench of justices SK Kaul and MM Sundresh had said a thorough investigation was required to regain the faith of people in the state police. “The exigencies in the advancement of principles of justice require the investigation to be transferred to CBI. We are not saying appellant (Singh) is a whistle-blower or anyone involved in this case is washed with milk,” the bench said while allowing the appeal filed by Singh. The bench also refused to revoke the suspension of Singh and said all future FIRs too would be transferred to the CBI. Singh is facing multiple cases of extortion, corruption and misconduct, and was removed from the post of Mumbai Police chief over his alleged mishandling of the Antilia bomb scare case. Prior to this, the Bombay High Court had dismissed Singh’s petition seeking quashing of inquiries initiated against him by the Maharashtra government, and said he can approach the Central Administrative Tribunal, holding it was a service matter. It had rejected his claim that the government’s action was a consequence of his allegations of corruption against former state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. Haridwar hate speeches: Uttarakhand says it has filed four FIRs, three chargesheets The [Uttarakhand government on April 13 informed the Supreme Court]( that it had registered four FIRs and filed three chargesheets against those accused of delivering hate speeches at a ‘dharam sansad’ in Haridwar. The court had, in the previous hearing, sought Uttarakhand’s response as to why there had been no arrests months after the alleged incident in December last year. The petitions filed by Anjana Praakash, a former High Court judge, and journalist Qurban Ali submitted that “open calls for the extermination of an entire religious community” were made at Haridwar and a similar programme held in Delhi. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, for the petitioners, said another such event was due in Himachal Pradesh in a few days. “I cannot even read out what they say in these programmes,” Sibal said. A Bench led by Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and A.S. Oka asked the petitioners to serve Himachal Pradesh’s standing counsel a copy of their application impleading the State in the case. The court also gave the petitioners liberty to inform the District Collector of the area concerned where the dharam sansad was going to be held in Himachal Pradesh. The court had previously also advised the petitioners to make a representation to the local authorities, making their apprehensions clear that speeches in these dharam sansads may run the risk of violating the penal law against hate and were against the judgments of the Supreme Court. The court posted the case on April 22. Sibal has argued that the incidents in Haridwar and Delhi took a different colour from even the past instances of mob lynchings. The senior lawyer said more of these dharam sansads were being organised. The petitioners have highlighted in the top court that “hate speeches consisted of open calls for genocide of Muslims in order to achieve ethnic cleansing. The speeches are not mere hate speeches but amount to an open call for murder of an entire community. The speeches, thus, pose a grave threat not just to the unity and integrity of our country but also endanger the lives of millions of Muslim citizens”. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa offers to meet protesters Sri Lankan Prime Minister [Mahinda Rajapaksa offered on Wednesday to meet with protesters]( occupying the entrance to the President’s office, saying he would listen to their ideas for resolving the economic, social and political crisis facing the country. The protesters camped out for a fifth day demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister’s brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, holding him responsible for the country’s worst economic situation in decades. They also are calling for his powerful family to leave power, accusing them of corruption and misrule. A statement from the Prime Minister’s office said he is “willing to talk to” representatives of the protesters outside the President’s office in the capital, Colombo. [A protester holds a placard carrying a portrait of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa near the President’s office in Colombo on April 13, 2022. Poster reads “Topple the government, Change the system.” ] Some protesters rejected the Prime Minister’s offer. “What should happen now is as a seasoned politician, at a time when a majority in the country is rejecting him, he should not be offering to talk but should go home with his entire clan,” said Nuwan Kaluarachi, a teacher. “The people’s voice is that the whole Rajapaksa family must leave,” said Rasika another protester who gave only one name. “Let’s take our money back and send them to jail.” Sri Lankans in recent months have endured fuel and food shortages and daily power outages. Most of those items are paid for in hard currency, but Sri Lanka is on the brink of bankruptcy, saddled with dwindling foreign reserves and $25 billion in foreign debt due for repayment over the next five years. Nearly $7 billion is due this year. Sri Lanka announced Tuesday that it is suspending repayments of foreign debt, including bonds and government-to-government borrowing, pending the completion of a loan restructuring program with the International Monetary Fund. The Ministry of Finance said the IMF has assessed Sri Lanka’s foreign debt as unsustainable, and that staying current on foreign debt payments is no longer a realistic policy. In addition to seeking help from the IMF, the government has turned to India and China for help in dealing with shortages. Sri Lankans have been forced to wait in long lines to buy cooking gas, fuel and milk powder, and doctors have warned there is a potentially catastrophic shortage of essential medicines in government hospitals. The government says the World Bank has provided $10 million to buy essential medicine and equipment and the health ministry is in discussions with the World Health Organization and Asian Development Bank for additional funding. The government has also appealed to Sri Lankans living and working overseas to donate medicines or money to purchase them, the government’s information department said. In Brief: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has [summoned Manu Kumar Jain, a former India head of Xiaomi]( in connection with an ongoing inquiry under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). The probe pertains to foreign remittances of about ₹1,000 crore. It is learnt that Jain has been asked to appear before the agency at its Bengaluru office on Wednesday. The ED had earlier summoned him twice, but he had then failed to join the inquiry. Jain is currently a global vice-president at Xiaomi. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow  Today‘s Top Picks [[U.S. State Department’s human rights report on India flags curbs on free speech, civil society] U.S. State Department’s human rights report on India flags curbs on free speech, civil society]( [[OBCs own nearly 30% of India’s MSMEs] OBCs own nearly 30% of India’s MSMEs]( [[‘Beast’ movie review: Vijay’s latest is a dull and tedious affair] ‘Beast’ movie review: Vijay’s latest is a dull and tedious affair]( [[In Sri Lanka, an uneasy calm before the storm] In Sri Lanka, an uneasy calm before the storm]( Copyright @ 2021, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [try here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](