Morning Brief: Industrial Output Growth Fastest In 11 Months At 8.1 Per Cent; Retail Inflation Hits 17-Month Low At 2.33 Per Cent; And More

Good morning, dear reader! Here’s your morning news brief for today.

Industrial Output Growth Fastest In 11 Months

Factory output, measured by the index of industrial production, grew at an 11-month high of 8.1 per cent in October. The growth, reports said, was aided by a favourable base effect and robust output in all major sectors — manufacturing, electricity and mining. Manufacturing sector, which accounts for more than three-fourths of the entire index, recorded 7.9 per cent growth in the month of October. The mining sector, which had contracted by 0.2 per cent in October 2017, posted a growth of 7 per cent. Output in the power and capital goods sectors grew by 10.8 per and 16.8, respectively.

Consumer durables and non-durables grew by 17.6 per cent and 7.9 per cent in October, respectively. At least 21 out of 23 industry groups in the manufacturing sector have shown positive growth during October 2018, reports say. The previous high IIP growth rate was recorded in November last year at 8.5 per cent. IIP grew at 1.8 per cent in October 2017.

November Retail Inflation Hits 17-Month Low

Retail inflation plunged to a 17-month low in November. It fell to 2.33 per cent on an annual basis, the smallest increase since June 2017 and continues to remain below the Reserve Bank of India's medium-term target of 4 per cent for a fourth straight month. This is mainly on account of decline in food prices.

Retail inflation, which is calculated on the consumer price index, has been revised for the month of October at 3.38 per cent from 3.31 per cent earlier. In the year-ago period (November 2017), it was at 4.88 per cent.

Remove Restrictions At Prime Spots At Sabarimala: Kerala HC To Police

In another blow to the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led government in Kerala, the High Court has ordered the state police to remove restrictions and barricading at prime spots in the temple complex at Sabarimala. The police have also been asked to lift restrictions like blocking pilgrims at Sharankutti.

This comes nearly a month after the Kerala High Court criticised the state government for using excessive police force against devotees under the guise of implementing the verdict of the Supreme Court regarding the entry of women of reproductive age. It had said that the police “should normally be confined to their barracks instead of trespassing into spaces reserved for pilgrims”.

Over 240 Instant Talaq Cases Reported Since Ban: Government

Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told Parliament on Wednesday that the practice of triple talaq continues despite the Supreme Court’s ban and the government's ordinance terming it illegal. According to the government, 248 cases have been reported in various parts of the country since the apex court’s judgement last year. So far, UP has had the highest number of such cases.

Unofficial reports, however, said over 477 cases of triple talaq were reported since January 2017, he said. He said an ordinance banning the practice was promulgated on 19 September because Parliament was not in session.

Kamal Nath Likely To Be MP CM, Gehlot Rajasthan Frontrunner

Following a day-long exercise in Bhopal, which many said was scripted, Kamal Nath looks set to take over as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. The Madhya Pradesh Congress party chief has been almost finalised as the leader of the legislature party ahead of Jyotiraditya Scindia. A final announcement on this is likely to be made by Congress president Rahul Gandhi today.

In Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot is believed to have the edge over state unit chief Sachin Pilot for the top post. Gandhi has summoned both Pilot and Gehlot to Delhi to decide on the final name for the post. In Chhattisgarh, Congress president Bhupesh Baghel, an OBC leader, is a strong contender for the job.

From Swarajya

The Lessons BJP Should And Should Not Be Drawing From This Defeat: The BJP needs an extraordinary combination of confidence and humility on the part of the leadership and a feedback mechanism.

Time For Changes: Some Overwhelming, Some Hyperlocal: The 2019 Lok Sabha campaign is now open. The ball is squarely in BJP’s court.

Did NOTA Defeat The BJP? We look at best-case scenarios for the BJP and see how they would have fared if the NOTA factor was less influential. Turns out, things still don’t look great for them.

Link Between Government Performance And Election Outcomes Growing Weaker: The age of the pro-incumbency vote that kept so many performing chief ministers in power for so long may be ending. The BJP’s losses in three Hindi-belt states is one pointer to this reality.

Five Factors That Led To BJP’s Downfall In Madhya Pradesh: Five factors are now being pointed out as the reason for BJP falling short of a majority in the Hindi heartland. We look into each of them.

We hope you enjoyed reading our morning brief. Have a great day ahead!

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