India tests 450-km range BrahMos from Sukhoi jet

In a demonstration of deadly precision strike capability from long stand-off distances, India successfully tested the extended range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet in the Bay of Bengal..

“This is the first time the new BrahMos missile with a strike range of over 450-km (original range 290-km) has been tested from the air. The Sukhoi, with a combat radius of almost 1,500-km without mid-air refuelling, combined with the 450-km range BrahMos missile is a formidable weapons package,” a senior defence official said.

Retail inflation at 8-year high of 7.8%

Retail inflation surged to a near eight-year high in April on the back of escalating food and fuel prices and the impact of disruption in global supply chains due to the war in Ukraine, heaping more pressure on authorities battling to revive growth and triggering the need for sharper interest rate hikes to tame inflationary pressures.

Inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, galloped to 7.8% in April—the highest since 8.3% in May 2014—from near 7% this March. At 8.4%, rural inflation growth outpaced urban inflation (7.1%). The food price index surged to 8.4% in April, higher than 7.7% in March, which experts say was largely because of higher wheat prices due to diversion of the commodity for exports.

Inflation prompted RBI to raise rates by 40 basis points in a surprising move this month. Experts expect the central bank to again raise rates aggressively in the months ahead, starting from June, to tame inflation and protect the economic recovery that’s underway. There is also an acknowledgment that some growth may have to be sacrificed in the fight against inflation.

Core inflation (minus food and fuel) surged to 7.4% during April, indicating the relentless price pressures. Hardening inflation triggered by higher food and fuel prices has emerged as a crucial policy challenge for policymakers around the globe, prompting central banks to raise interest rates.

 Inflation is expected to remain elevated in 2022-23 but mitigating actions taken by the government and the RBI may reduce its duration, a finance ministry report said on Thursday. It asserted that India is relatively better placed than other countries to weather the global economic upheaval and achieve steady growth during the current financial year.

The April monthly economic review by the finance ministry said through the channel of imports, elevated global crude and edible oil prices now have a significant impact on India’s inflation outlook. It added that despite government steps, the global geo-political situation and supply chain issues could influence India’s inflation trajectory.

Soon, a 5-year afforestation plan for Goa

Goa’s forest officials will soon have to draw up a five-year plan, detailing utilisation of funds for compensatory afforestation.

At a review held by the executive committee of the national authority for Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority, it was felt that ad-hoc and tentative plans for compensatory afforestation do not bring the desired improvement in quality of forest cover and enhancement of biodiversity.

The five-year plan will help achieve qualitative and quantitative improvement in forest and tree cover, in addition to enhancing biodiversity, as per the new directives. The plan is to be drawn for use of funds that are collected from user agencies, which require diversion of forest for different projects. These funds are utilised for investment in compensatory afforestation to make up for the loss in green cover.

“Levy of NPV (on user agencies) aims for compensating loss of ecological services and environmental values from diversion of forests and it should therefore be utilised systematically and judiciously in activities for restoring forest landscapes and to improve quality of forest cover, enhance biodiversity richness, strengthen and optimise hydrological and other ecosystem functions,” the executive committee of the national authority stated.

As per the latest directives, Goa will also have to submit to the national authority internal as well as third party monitoring reports on how CAMPA funds were put to use. The new orders on compensatory afforestation funds are to be ‘scrupulously’ followed, the national authority has said. The national authority has clarified that while planning for use of CAMPA funds, stress should be on afforestation, soil and water conservation measures, and improvement of wildlife habitat ‘on priority in areas adjacent to diverted forest lands for compensating the loss of forest cover and ecological services’.

“State forest department to complete demarcation and digitisation of forest boundaries for protection of forests and plantation activities within six months,” the executive committee of CAMPA has said.

Goa will also have to create a state CAMPA website. The state has been told that suitable budgetary support should be made to be able to monitor activities carried out under CAMPA . Forest officials have also been told to carry out ground inspection of compensatory afforestation carried out.

“For improvement of wildlife habitat, CAMPA funds should be utilised only for raising of fodder and fruit bearing trees, soil and moisture conservation, augmentation measures and invasive weed control,” Goa has been told.

SC tells govts to put sedition law, cases on hold

The Supreme Court virtually suspended operation of the much-misused 124-year-old sedition provision to stop police from invoking it against anyone from now on and stayed both probe and trial in existing sedition cases to allow the Centre to examine softening the rigour of Section 124A in the Indian Penal Code to sync it with the present social milieu.

Not content with the Centre’s offer that in future no sedition FIR would be registered without prior approval of the area superintendent of police until the re-examination of the controversial provision had been completed, a bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli in their unprecedented order said, “We expect that, till the re-examination of the provision is complete, it will be appropriate not to continue the usage of the aforesaid provision of law by the governments. ”

The apex court craftily couched its directions as its “expectations”, secure in the knowledge that these are seldom betrayed by the executive. While staying investigation, trial and appeal proceedings in existing sedition cases registered, the bench said, “If any fresh case is registered under Section 124A, the affected parties are at liberty to approach the concerned courts for appropriate relief. ”

It asked the courts to examine relief sought by arrested persons taking into account the SC order and the Centre’s unambiguous stand.

Droughts reduced India GDP by 2-5% over 20 years: UN

The number and duration of droughts has risen 29% globally since 2000 and the effect of severe droughts is estimated to have reduced India’s gross domestic product by 2-5% over the 20 years from 1998 to 2017, said a new report from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification released on Wednesday.

While calling for multiple actions including land restoration to reduce the risk, the report released on the sidelines of the ongoing 15th session of the UNCCD conference at Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, also flagged that the droughts represent 15% of natural disasters globally but took the largest human toll— approximately 650,000 deaths in 50 years (1970-2019). Globally, droughts caused economic losses of roughly $124 billion during that period.

Though severe drought affected Africa more than any other continent with over 300 events recorded in the past 100 years, accounting for 44% of the global total, the highest total number of humans affected by drought were in Asia. “We are at a crossroads when it comes to managing drought. We need to steer toward the solutions rather than continuing with destructive actions, believing that marginal change can heal systemic failure,” said Ibrahim Thiaw, executive secretary of the UNCCD while calling for making a full global commitment to drought preparedness and resilience in all regions a top priority. He said, “One of the best, most comprehensive solutions is land restoration, which addresses many of the underlying factors of degraded water cycles and the loss of soil fertility.

“We must build and rebuild our landscapes better, mimicking nature wherever possible and creating functional ecological systems. ” The report on drought comes in the backdrop of the UNCCD’s earlier report on ‘global land outlook’ that flagged in April how up to 40% of all ice-free land is already degraded globally, with dire consequences for climate, biodiversity and livelihoods, affecting 50% of humanity. It also noted that the current scale of degradation threatens roughly half of global GDP (US$44 trillion).

The COP15 is being held to focus on restoration of 1 billion hectares of degraded land between now and 2030, and tackling escalating droughts, sand and dust storms, wildfires and other disaster risks.

Metro rail to chug out in six more UP cities in five years

The Uttar Pradesh government is focusing on expanding Metro rail services in Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Meerut, Bareilly, Jhansi and Prayagraj.

Currently, construction work for Metro services is ongoing in Agra as well as in Kanpur, which has been funded by European Investment Bank. The EIB has also shared interest in funding the Gorakhpur Metro Lite project.

According to official sources, the Gorakhpur Metro Lite project is waiting for Cabinet approval at the Centre.

The state cabinet and the Public Investment Board chaired by the secretary finance and expenditure in New Delhi had already approved the first phase of the project.

On Tuesday, CM Yogi Adityanath has again issued directives to kick-start the Gorakhpur project in next six months. The Rs 2,670 crore project will have 14 elevated stations on a 15.14 km stretch in the first phase, which covers Gorakhnath Mandir, Gorakhpur railway station, Gorakhpur University and the newly commissioned AIIMS. The 24% urban population of UP contributes 65% to the state’s GDP and the state government is keen to provide eco-friendly and viable commuting options for general masses of urban areas, officials said. The government has sought detailed project reports for Varanasi, Prayagraj, Jhansi and Meerut which are in their final stages.

The CM has also instructed officials to prepare DPRs for a Metro Neo project in Bareilly as well.

ISI’s K2 desk gets active again

Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence has formed a new outfit, Lashkar-e-Khalsa -comprising Kashmiri and Khalistani terrorists -that will employ a deadly cocktail of Khalistani and Kashmiri terrorists to carry out strikes in the country.. An intelligence note accessed suggests that ISI has revived its K2 (Kashmir-Khalistan) plan that dates back to 2016 and is trying to recruit youths through social media. The ISI plan came to light after Indian agencies stumbled upon an ID, Amar Khalistani, that was running Facebook pages like “Azad Kashmir & Khalistan”. ISI is providing funds for targeted killings of right-wing leaders and opponents of terrorism by using gangsters in the hope of reviving militancy, the intel suggests. This project was started in 2016, with specific goals regarding recruitment and targets. Officials in the intelligence establishment said the initial players chosen to head on-ground operations were Pakistan-based Khalistan radicals Harmeet Singh, alias “PhD”, the Khalistan Liberation Force chief murdered in Pakistan in February last year, and Lakhbir Singh, alias Rode, the chief of KZF (Khalistan Zindabad Force)