In a dynamic world where information is abundant, understanding India’s global representation is essential. This edition of “India in Global Media,” spanning to May 19 – May 25, offers an in-depth exploration of India’s portrayal through the lenses of international news outlets. Delve into this weekly compilation as we navigate the narratives that frame India’s image on the world stage.
Reuters – India May business growth robust as exports rise at record pace, PMI shows
- Business activity in India expanded robustly in May, helped by the dominant services industry, according to a survey that also showed exports rising at a record pace and the sharpest job addition rate in nearly 18 years.
- HSBC’s flash India Composite purchasing managers’ Index (INPMCF=ECI), opens new tab, compiled by S&P Global, rose slightly to 61.7 this month from April’s final reading of 61.5, marking the 34th month above the 50-level separating growth from contraction.
- “The composite PMI ticked up further in May, recording the third strongest reading in close to 14 years, supported by a sharp acceleration in the service sector,” noted Pranjul Bhandari, chief India economist at HSBC.
- Robust demand was supported by new business in the services industry, which grew at the fastest pace since January, as well as rising manufacturing output and new orders.
- Strong international demand meant overall exports expanded at the fastest rate since the start of the series in September 2014. It is the second time export growth has set a new high this year.
- That boosted business confidence for the coming 12 months, especially in the services sector where it was the strongest since May 2013. Optimism among manufacturers was the highest in over nine years.
- Underpinning the positive sentiment was an improvement in job creation across the private sector to the sharpest since September 2006. Services jobs were added at the fastest pace in 21 months.
- A rise in employment would be positive for the Narendra Modi-led Bhartiya Janata Party at a time when the country is in the middle of a national election.
For detailed report click on : https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-may-business-growth-robust-exports-rise-record-pace-pmi-shows-2024-05-23/
Reuters – Family in remote Himalayas gets own polling station for Indian election
- Five people from one family in a remote Himalayan village voted in India’s election in their own polling station on Monday after officials travelled for seven hours and borrowed a power connection from the military to enable them to cast their ballots.
- Officials collected the voting equipment on Sunday from Leh, capital city of the Himalayan federal territory of Ladakh, and boarded a bus, for the 180-km (110-mile) trip to Warshi – where the only voters were Rinchen, 23, her parents, and grandparents.
- Located about 20 km (12 miles) from Siachen Glacier, dubbed the world’s highest battlefield where Indian and Pakistani troops have faced-off for four decades, Warshi is accessible by road but lacks amenities such as electricity, healthcare and the internet.
- Polling officials turned to the military Border Roads Organisation for electricity when the generator they had carried up failed to work.
- “This area is unique because the government has set up a polling station for only one house,” election officer PhonchokStobdan said.
For detailed report click on : https://www.reuters.com/world/india/family-remote-himalayas-gets-own-polling-station-indian-election-2024-05-20/
BBC – Manthan: The Indian film at Cannes made by half a million farmers
- In the mid-1970s, half a million dairy farmers in India’s western state of Gujarat contributed two rupees each to make a ground-breaking film.
- Manthan (The Churning), directed by venerated filmmaker Shyam Benegal, became the country’s first crowd-funded film.
- The 134-minute 1976 film was a fictionalised narrative of the genesis of a dairy cooperative movement that transformed India from a milk-deficient nation to the world’s leading milk producer. The story drew inspiration from Verghese Kurien – known as the “Milkman of India” for revolutionising milk production in the country. (India today accounts for nearly a quarter of the global milk production.)
- Nearly 50 years after it was made, a pristinely restored Manthan is receiving a red-carpet world premiere this week at the Cannes Film Festival, alongside classics from Jean-Luc Godard, Akira Kurosawa and Wim Wenders.
For detailed report click on :https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-69014789
The Economist – Global firms are tapping India’s workers like never before
- Lululemon, a canadian maker of yoga outfits, does not have many things in common with Rolls-Royce, a British engine manufacturer. One thing they do share, along with scores of other foreign companies, is space in the sprawling Embassy Manyata Business Park in Bangalore. Hundreds of others, among them Maersk, a Danish shipping firm, Samsung, a South Korean electronics giant, and Wells Fargo, an American bank, have offices within a few miles. Many more of these white-collar outposts can be found in cities including Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad.
- Back in the 1990s global firms such as General Electric, a once-mighty conglomerate, began to rely on Indian workers to perform tedious tasks such as filling in forms and patching software for mainframe computers. Over time much of that drudgery was absorbed by Indian outsourcers such as Infosys, tcs and Wipro. Now foreign firms have begun to think bigger about the types of white-collar jobs that can be done by India’s cheap but well-educated workers. Many have set up “global capability centres” (gccs) to offshore tasks from data analysis to research and development (r&d), helping fuel a new wave of services-led growth for India.
For detailed report click on : https://www.economist.com/business/2024/05/23/global-firms-are-tapping-indias-workers-like-never-before
Reuters – Indian police arrest 4 Sri Lankans for suspected Islamic State links
- India’s anti-terror police have arrested four Sri Lankan nationals in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad for suspected links to the Islamic State, police said on Monday.
- The arrests were made late on Sunday at the city’s airport following a tip-off, said Vikas Sahay, the top police officer in Gujarat state where Ahmedabad is located.
- “Preliminary investigations show they were in contact with a key IS leader known as Abu, who is currently based in Pakistan. Further investigations are continuing to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy,” Sahay told reporters, giving only one name for the Islamic State leader.
For detailed report click on : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/indian-police-arrest-4-sri-lankans-suspected-islamic-state-links-2024-05-20/
Gulf news – Strategic joint ventures can define India, Saudi Arabia economic ties
- The last decade has been marked by marked growth in trade and economic ties between India and Saudi Arabia. The time is just right to give this economic partnership a significant upgrade.
- Over the past 10 years, India and Saudi Arabia have significantly strengthened their economic ties, transforming their bilateral relationship into a robust partnership. This evolution reflects a strategic alignment of interests, driven by economic diversification, energy security, and geopolitical considerations.
- As both nations navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing global landscape, their economic partnership is poised for a deeper collaboration.
For detailed report click on : https://gulfnews.com/business/analysis/strategic-joint-ventures-can-define-india-saudi-arabia-economic-ties-1.1716269484970
The Economist – What India’s clout in white-collar work means for the world
- In time its tech firms could be as formidable as China’s manufacturers
- India has long been seen as the world’s “back office”. Tata Consultancy Services (tcs), an it firm now worth $170bn, undertook its first project for an American client in 1973, reworking the accounting software of a hospital in Detroit. The rise of “global capability centres”, where multinational companies carry out complex tasks, from design to research, is increasingly making that view out of date. The question is whether gccs will themselves be superseded, too, as India creates some world-beating global companies of its own.
- Back-office firms still matter to India. The it sector is a juggernaut, generating about $250bn in annual revenues, or 7% of gdp. But gccs are increasingly important, too. The country now hosts some 1,600 of them. Amazon’s biggest office in the world is in Hyderabad. A fifth of Goldman Sachs’s staff are in India, as are a fifth of the world’s chip designers. New gccs are opening at a rate of roughly one a week.
For detailed report click on : https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/05/23/what-indias-clout-in-white-collar-work-means-for-the-world
Gulf News – India inspects spice companies after contamination claims
- India’s government spice board has launched factory inspections of two top companies in the wake of foreign bans following accusations some products were tainted with pesticides, media reports said Tuesday.
- India is a key spice producer making up some 12 per cent of global exports, totalling $4.25 billion last year, according to the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI).
- The Spices Board of India launched checks at processing plants of popular producers MDH and Everest – together making up more than a quarter of India’s market – to ensure that they meet global standards, the Economic Times reported.
- Both companies deny their spices pose a health risk, and MDH last month said the claims were “untrue and lack any substantiating evidence”.
- Last week Nepal became the latest jurisdiction to impose bans on the import and sale of some spice products by the two brands, following restrictions imposed by both Hong Kong and Singapore.
- Besides its use as a pesticide, ethylene oxide is used as a sterilising agent in spices to prevent illnesses caused by salmonella and E.coli bacteria.
For detailed report click on : https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/india-inspects-spice-companies-after-contamination-claims-1.1716286390856
Khaleej Times – Job scam: More Indian nationals rescued from Cambodia return home
- The Indian Embassy has urged Indian nationals to secure jobs through authorised agents approved by the Ministry of External Affairs
- In a successful rescue operation, 25 Indian nationals have been brought back to safety after being ensnared in a job scam in Cambodia.
- These individuals traveled by Jetstar flight 3K592 at 21:30 on May 23, 2024. Following their rescue, they are set to continue their journey up to Vishakhapatnam by Air India flight No. AI451 at 17:15 hrs on May 24, 2024.
For detailed report click on : https://www.khaleejtimes.com/world/job-scam-more-indian-nationals-rescued-from-cambodia-return-home
(The Report is curated by Dr Vinay Nalwa)
