In a dynamic world where information is abundant, understanding India’s global representation is essential. This special edition of “India in Global Media,” uniquely spanning February 17 to March 01, offers an in-depth exploration of India’s portrayal through the lenses of international news outlets. Delve into this fortnightly compilation as we navigate the narratives that frame India’s image on the world stage.

BBC – India economy beats expectations with 8.4% growth

• India has retained its title of the world’s fastest growing major economy as it expanded 8.4% in the last three months of 2023, from a year earlier. India is forecast to overtake Japan and Germany as the world’s third biggest economy in the next few years.
• The better-than-expected growth was led by a strong performance by the country’s manufacturers, with the sector expanding by 11.6% in the period. Private consumption, which makes up almost two-thirds of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), also rose by 3.5%.
• People’s spending power was affected last year due to high prices of staple foods such as onions. That led to the government introducing a number of measures to help curb food price inflation.
• In recent years, Prime Minister Modi has raised government spending on infrastructure and offered incentives to boost the manufacturing to help India compete on the international market.

For detailed report click on : https://www.bbc.com/news/business-68443347

Reuters – Strong domestic growth propels India’s Nifty, Sensex to record highs, weekly gains

• India’s blue-chip indexes Nifty 50 and Sensex hit record highs on Friday, logging third straight weekly gains, as faster-than-expected economic growth boosted demand amid signals the rally will sustain.
• The Nifty 50 (.NSEI), opens new tab and BSE Sensex (.BSESN), opens new tab gained 0.57% and 0.82% this week, respectively, helped by the rise on Friday, which was their best session in a month. The Sensex also hit an all-time high and added 1.72% to 73,745.35.
• The rally came after the Indian economy grew 8.4% in the October-December quarter, the fastest pace in six quarters, according to data released on Thursday.
• Nifty futures started the March series with a market-wide open interest at record high levels, which indicates extraordinary bullish sentiment, Nuvama Alternative and Quantative Research said.
• Nuvama expects the Nifty 50 to continue scaling new peaks in March.

For detailed report click on : https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indian-shares-set-rise-strong-domestic-growth-in-line-us-inflation-data-2024-03-01/

Khaleej Times – Video: 9 injured in blast at Bengaluru’s Rameswaram cafe in India

• The area was secured by the police and fire brigade teams and the injured were hospitalised. Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP) Dr Alok Mohan on Friday informed that nine people were injured in Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram Cafe blast.
• The injured have been shifted to the hospital for treatment, police said.
• A security guard working at the Rameshwaram Cafe who was present at the time of the incident said, “I was standing outside the cafe. Many customers had come to the hotel. Suddenly there was a loud sound and a fire broke out, causing injuries to the customers inside the hotel.”

For detailed report click on : https://www.khaleejtimes.com/world/asia/india-blast-at-cafe-in-bengalurus-rameswaram-cafe-injures-4-police-say

Reuters – India’s farmer protest fuels opposition hopes of denting Modi’s appeal

• When India’s powerful Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed in 2021 to repeal three farm laws aimed at overhauling the antiquated agriculture sector, he seemed to have won over farmers who had been protesting for over 12 months.
• But just over two years later, farmers are on the warpath again in the politically sensitive north of the world’s most populous nation, seeking legal guarantees for a minimum purchase price for all crops. The protest comes just months before a general election due by May.
• Although the farmers’ protest is confined to the breadbasket state of Punjab for now, their complaints of falling incomes resonate more widely, highlighting a perception in India’s huge rural hinterland that Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have done too little to support the farming community and raise living standards.

For detailed report click on : https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-farmer-protest-fuels-opposition-hopes-denting-modis-appeal-2024-02-29/

BBC – Sandeshkhali: West Bengal village in the eye of a political storm

• Since January, a small Indian island near the Bangladesh border has been in the spotlight after a political storm broke out over allegations of corruption and sexual assault against a local leader. After almost two months of being on the run, Shahjahan Sheikh was arrested on Thursday morning.
• Locals in Sandeshkhali have accused Mr Sheikh, a member of the state’s Trinamool Congress party (TMC), and other local politicians of illegally seizing their lands and sexually assaulting several women in the area.
• Protests demanding their arrests have been raging for more than 50 days. At least two women have also lodged complaints with the police, magistrate and the women’s commission alleging they were raped by the same men.
• Villagers have also accused Mr Sheikh of amassing huge wealth – including three houses, commercial fish ponds, and large swathes of land – by illegally encroaching land owned by them.
• Since the allegations came to the fore, several villagers in Sandeshkhali have reportedly reclaimed their properties after the West Bengal government started the process of returning their land to them.

For detailed report click on : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-68411434

Associated Press – India’s richest man is bringing Rihanna and 1,200 guests to a pre-wedding bash for his son

• It might be the biggest party this small west Indian city has ever seen. As billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani prepares for the wedding of his son this summer, he’s expecting billionaires from around the world, heads of state, and Hollywood and Bollywood royalty to attend a three-day bash in the family’s hometown, starting Friday.
• The nearly 1,200-person guest list includes Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Sunder Pichai and Ivanka Trump; Indian billionaires Gautam Adani and Kumar Mangalam Birla; legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar; and Bollywood celebrities such as Deepika Padukone, Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee.

For detailed report click on : https://apnews.com/article/india-tycoon-mukesh-ambani-sons-prewedding-bash-5a3900a0fe8604c9a16186ccfa9fec3f

BBC – Gaganyaan: India names astronauts for maiden space flight

• India has unveiled four Air Force pilots who have been shortlisted to travel on the country’s maiden space flight scheduled for next year. The Gaganyaan mission aims to send three astronauts to an orbit of 400km and bring them back after three days.
• India’s space agency Isro has been carrying out a number of tests to prepare for the flight. In October, a key test demonstrated that the crew could safely escape the rocket in case it malfunctioned.
• After its success, Isro said a test flight would take a robot into space in 2024, before astronauts are sent into space in 2025. At a function at the Isro centre in the southern city of Thiruvananthapuram (formerly Trivandrum) on Tuesday, the four astronaut-designates were described as “dreamers, adventurers and valiant men preparing to go into space”.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Isro chief S Somanath pinned badges with golden wings onto their shirts and Mr Modi described them as “India’s pride”.

For detailed report click on : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-68411095

Associated Press – The opposition alliance that aimed to oust Modi appears to be cracking just before India’s elections

• Last year more than two dozen opposition parties in India came together to take on Narendra Modi, one of the country’s most popular prime ministers in generations. But the broad alliance, beset with ideological differences and personality clashes, is cracking at a crucial time, just months before the country votes in a national election.
• Riven by rivalries, political defections and ideological clashes, the INDIA alliance, formed to unseat Modi and defeat his Bharatiya Janata Party’s electoral juggernaut, is in shambles, analysts say. Meanwhile, support for Modi is on the rise after he opened a Hindu temple in northern Ayodhya city last month, fulfilling his party’s long-held Hindu nationalist pledge.

For detailed report click on : https://apnews.com/article/india-modi-opposition-elections-alliance-cracking-ce93caddc7eb0ea4880b1bd77069efc2

Associated Press – India wants to hook its population onto clean energy by boosting rooftop solar

• Just a few years ago, someone who wanted to install a rooftop solar connection in India faced getting multiple approvals, finding a reliable company to install the panels and spending heavily before seeing the first surge of clean energy.
• But that’s changing. The government has streamlined the approvals process, made it easier for people to claim subsidies and pushed mountains of cash — including $9 billion announced this month — to encourage faster adoption of technology that’s seen as critical for India to reach its clean-energy goals.
• “We had to get 45 signatures to set up a small rooftop solar connection in 2021,” said Shreya Mishra, CEO of Mumbai-based Solar Square, one of India’s largest rooftop solar companies. “Today it’s almost instantaneous.”
• India has grown its clean power rapidly in recent years and has the fourth-most installed renewable power, trailing only China, the U.S. and Brazil. It had 180 gigawatts as of December, enough to power about 18 million homes, with nearly half from solar.

For detailed report click on : https://apnews.com/article/solar-rooftop-climate-change-renewable-energy-india-d1e0a488fe2c7610797930084074ec2c

Gulf News – Indian Consulate ‘strongly’ raises Jaahnavi Kandula death case with US authorities

• The move comes after the King’s County Prosecutor’s Office said on Wednesday that they will not be pressing charges against Seattle Police Officer Kevin Dave, who ran over and killed Kandula, last year due to “lack of sufficient evidence”.
• The case also came into prominence on social media after a US police officer was heard joking about Jaahnavi Kandula saying her life is of limited value.
• In a statement posted on X on Friday, the Indian Consulate said that they are awaiting the “completion of Seattle Police’s administrative investigation and will continue to monitor progress in the case”.
• “We have also raised the matter strongly with local authorities, including Seattle Police for appropriate redress. The case has now been referred to Seattle City Attorney’s office for review,” the Consulate said.
• In addition, the Consulate said that it is in “regular touch with the designated family representatives and will continue to extend all possible support in ensuring justice for Jaahnavi and her family”.

For detailed report click on : https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/indian-consulate-strongly-raises-jaahnavi-kandula-death-case-with-us-authorities-1.1708759660157

(The Report is curated by Dr Vinay Nalwa)