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Tag: Demand

  • Want to spend money on agricultural land? Here’s what you should know

    As an funding avenue, agricultural land affords good returns, significantly whether it is situated close to upcoming authorities infrastructure tasks corresponding to highways and airports. But there are state legal guidelines to deal with, and the definition of agricultural land varies. “For occasion, in Maharashtra, agricultural land is assessed as land used for cultivation or websites utilized by agriculturists for dwelling homes. Besides cultivation of crops, agricultural actions in such land embrace horticulture, backyard produce, grazing cattle, and many others,” added Harsh Parikh, accomplice at Khaitan & Co. Government paperwork additionally specify the class of land—whether or not it’s agricultural or in any other case.

    Additionally, in accordance with tax guidelines, capital good points from the sale of agricultural land in rural areas are exempt from taxes. That situated in city areas are taxed.

    If you might be a type of involved in shopping for agricultural land, it’s essential to know the numerous dangers related to shopping for land. As per a authorities launch, virtually 66% of civil fits in India are associated to land or property disputes, with a median dispute pendency of 20 years, in accordance with one research.

    The major danger, particularly within the case of agricultural land, lies in guaranteeing a transparent title deed (extra about that later). There is want for an intensive due diligence as effectively.

    Mint interviewed just a few individuals about their experiences with shopping for agricultural land. Industry specialists additionally weighed in on the elements to think about earlier than such an funding.

     

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    Mint

     

    What to look out for?

    Shital Jain, a resident of Itarsi in Madhya Pradesh, is optimistic about investments in agricultural land, citing its increased potential for appreciation in worth. The 34-year-old, who holds an MBA finance diploma from Symbiosis International University and has labored 5 years as a analysis analyst monitoring fairness and commodities in Mumbai, invested in 4 acres of agricultural land three years in the past. Jain says the worth of his land has since doubled. He has now leased it to some farmers and this yields round 4-5% of the funding worth every year.

    Jain, who joined his father’s commodity buying and selling enterprise just a few years in the past, could be very happy together with his funding, in contrast to his residential property in Mumbai, costs of which have remained stagnant for a very long time now. On prime of that, the upkeep prices are increased.

    Jain emphasizes the significance of “arability, correct street connectivity, irrigation amenities, and entry to communication” before investing in farm land. In terms of managing it, he highlights the necessity of fencing along its boundaries, and ensuring access to water through tube wells. Note that Jain’s involvement in the agricultural business made it relatively easier for him to find suitable land and farmers for leasing.

    Ayush Gaur, a BSc agriculture graduate from Udaipur, Rajasthan, had a different experience on both occasions that he purchased land for his dairy business. Over the past 3-4 years, Gaur acquired two plots of land. He bought the first plot in a remote village near Udaipur, but faced multiple challenges in setting up a dairy farm there. Also,the value of the land has not appreciated much over the years. He bought the second plot of land after six months of research. This plot, just about 20 km from Udaipur, ticked all the right boxes and its price has also risen.

    “I realized the importance of location this time, and took the help of a local broker to find a suitable plot of land. Road connectivity, especially in the rainy season, is very essential for my business.” He additionally received the standard of soil examined to examine if it meets his necessities.

    Vinit Matlani, a realtor based mostly on the outskirts of Mumbai, has been in possession of agricultural land for greater than 10 years now.

    “Agricultural land is a profitable funding choice, however an investor should pay attention to the place and methods to purchase it, and the method to acquire a transparent title deed with none encumbrances,” Matlani, the owner of Rudram Realty, said.

    Matlani believes that the title deed (the legal right to own land or property), is key to a good acquisition. “You have to check the mutation entries (government records that show the change in ownership of the property in the past), get old documents to verify how the transactions happened over a period of 30 or 40 years, and obtain details about the families that owned the land. All these need to be known before buying the land,” he added.

    The dangers concerned

    There isn’t any concrete information on precise returns from agricultural land. Also, most property house owners who talked to Mint emphasised the significance of a transparent title in land acquisition.

    “As a purchaser, chances are you’ll not know if the particular person you might be shopping for the land from is solely entitled to the suitable on that property (as per succession legal guidelines) or if there are any claimants. You should depend on the income information however that itself will not be a foolproof doc,” said Parikh

    Challenges also arise if the property has been partitioned by a joint family. In such cases, “ideally, there should be a relinquishment deed from those not entitled to such property. In the absence of such a document, we’ll never know if there is any aggrieved party who can go for litigation in the future,” mentioned Parikh.

    It is advisable to ask for a probate doc from the vendor. However, usually, that won’t be out there. Further, in instances the place the owner and the farmer tilling the land are completely different, it must be ensured that the latter doesn’t have any occupancy tenant rights on the property (proper to domesticate on the land for livelihood regardless of not proudly owning the land), mentioned Parikh.

    The different main concern in the true property market is using money transactions which can be unaccounted for. The stamp responsibility on buy of land must be paid as per the circle charge or precise worth of the transaction, whichever is increased. “Earlier, there was an enormous distinction between the circle charge and the market charge, as a consequence of which registrations occurred on the circle charge, whereas the stability was settled in money. But the scenario is bettering because the circle charges in and round metro cities are actually saved nearer to the market worth, reducing using illegitimate money transactions on this house,” said Sunitha Rajesh, partner, IndusLaw.

    Note that both buyers and sellers involved in unaccounted cash transactions are liable to be prosecuted under the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) rules. This is in addition to the investigations and penalties one would face under the Income Tax Act, added Parikh.

    Regulations

    There are certain regulations one must keep in mind when buying agricultural land. An NRI (non-resident Indian) cannot buy agricultural land in India without the consent of the Reserve Bank of India. They can, however, inherit such property.

    Further, since agriculture is governed by state laws, “almost all states have some sort of regulation or ceiling on the extent of agricultural land that one can buy or hold. Many states also discourage buying agricultural land merely for the purpose of investment by imposing conditions on either or both acquisition and holding of agricultural lands,” mentioned Rajesh.

    For instance, in Maharashtra, solely farmers can purchase agricultural land with out the consent of the district collector. For this objective, agriculturists are outlined as farmers who domesticate the land themselves. If both of the client’s mother and father or grandparents are agriculturists, then that particular person can also be entitled to purchase such land, mentioned Parikh. “There can also be a ceiling on the variety of acres of agricultural land one can maintain. In Maharashtra, it’s 54 acres.”

    Do note that there is no centralized government website that publishes land prices and how they have moved historically. Due to the lack of transparent data, it becomes difficult for buyers and sellers to ascertain the price. “However, one can check the land prices on each state sub-registrar’s online portal or data of certain private agencies,” added Parikh.

     

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    Updated: 04 Jul 2023, 12:47 AM IST

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  • India PC shipments set to fall in double digits in ‘23: Analysts

    NEW DELHI : India’s PC market appears to be nearing the highest of its covid-induced runway progress with analysts predicting a substantial drop this 12 months.

    According to data shared by Gartner, Indian shipments of laptops and desktops are anticipated to drop 13.4% this calendar 12 months to 12.4 million objects from 14.4 million last 12 months. Even though the second half of the 12 months have to be larger for PC companies, analysts said the product sales progress seen inside the last two years is unlikely to be repeated anytime rapidly.

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    Graphic: Mint

    Analysts said the weak effectivity is pushed by an inflation-led drop in demand, which is predicted to proceed this 12 months. PC producers, too, are susceptible to control unsold shares due to the continued demand hunch.

    “The first half of 2023 is predicted to be weak, as inventory is lowered after which recovered inside the second half, as inventory clears and orders stream by. As you could want seen, the first quarter of 2023 was down 30% worldwide, and India did not escape this, nevertheless was larger than elsewhere,” said Ranjit Atwal, senior director analyst at Gartner.

    Navkendar Singh, associate vice president at IDC India also said PC shipments in India are set to decline this year. A February report by IDC said total shipments of desktops, notebooks, and workstations in India grew by only 0.3% year-on-year (YoY) in 2022, despite a 28.5% drop in Q4 2022.

    Singh attributed the tepid market forecasts to high inflation, recession fears and overall cautiousness around spending across both consumers and enterprises. “Also, with offices and schools reopening, demand has softened and/or is getting postponed,” he added.

    That said, Singh opines that the Indian market may start rebounding inside the second half of the 12 months. “But that additionally gained’t be wherever close to the levels of the ultimate 2 years.”

    Gartner has projected PC shipments to recuperate to a double-digit progress of 13.8% in 2024.

    This 12 months’s weak level will happen following two years of sturdy progress in PC product sales after the covid outbreak pressured a shift in route of distant working and finding out.

    According to IDC data from that 12 months, India shipped a record-high 14.8 million PCs along with desktops, laptops, and workstations in 2021 at an annual progress worth of 44.5%.

    “The PC market continues to be rising in India, with new prospects coming in on the patron side and digitization of enterprise creating new demand on the enterprise side. Gaming must develop to be a driver as further prospects switch to larger-screen PCs for a further immersive experience,” said Gartner’s Atwal.

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  • Is it compulsory in order so as to add gold to your funding portfolio?

    Here is the rationale why all that glitters is gold now and likewise why many merchants have taken a shine to the yellow metallic. Gold prices have delivered better than 14% returns throughout the one-year interval ended 30 March while equity markets have remained tepid all through this period. For event, the S&P BSE Sensex delivered returns of merely 2% on this interval.

    Equity or gold, or every? That has been the subject of a protracted standing debate in personal finance. Equity-bulls degree out the wealth creation power in shares that comes from monetary improvement and the rise in firm revenue over time. Gold, nonetheless, would not yield any curiosity or dividends. An improve in gold prices is solely the outcomes of its finite present even as a result of the stock of money chasing it retains rising. Add to this the demand for gold jewellery amongst women, considerably in Asia. Also, it has a harmful correlation with equity. So, no matter its grim outlook, gold has a spot in an investor’s portfolio because of it is a extremely efficient diversifier.

    The very long term

    If you take a look at very prolonged intervals of time, gold would not create wealth like equity does. The starting value of the Sensex was 549 in 1986. It was spherical 58,000 as of 30 March. From 1986 to 2023, the Sensex compounded at 13.4%. In 1986, the widespread worth of gold was ₹4,625 per ounce. Today, it is spherical ₹1.6 lakh. What has gold’s return been? The reply is a compound annual improvement cost (CAGR) of 10%. This implies {that a} single rupee invested in Sensex in 1986 has yielded ₹105 whereas the similar invested in gold is worth merely ₹31 within the current day. The disparity throughout the two applies over shorter time-frames moreover. The 10-year CAGR of gold is 6%, as compared with 13% for equity. What’s worse is that gold’s returns are lumpy. After prolonged intervals of stagnation, it abruptly soars.

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    Mint

    Equity, which shows a further common upward climb, may be unstable. It goes by way of prolonged spells the place there are no returns. This could also be observed should you occur to guage the three-year rolling returns of the two property. Rolling returns is an concept that adjusts for varied start and end dates. The minimal 3-year rolling return in equity (using NiftyBeES, a Nifty alternate traded fund as proxy) over the earlier 15 years is -6%. In the case of gold, this decide is -9%. The widespread (median) 3-year rolling return for equity may be elevated at 11.1%, as compared with 10.1% for gold.

    Gold in your portfolio

    The case for gold is one amongst diversification. If you consider the returns of the property for each financial yr from 2013 to 2022, you’ll discover that the two property have a harmful correlation of -0.6. In totally different phrases, equity performs successfully when gold falls and vice versa. This enhances the soundness of the portfolio, supplying you with a further fixed funding experience. This is the one function for having gold in your portfolio, even when having it implies that you are sacrificing some return as compared with a 100% equity portfolio. Normally, financial planners counsel an allocation to gold that ranges from 10% to twenty%, relying in your hazard urge for meals and market conditions. “Due to its damaging correlation with comparatively harmful property like equity, gold is an efficient answer to diversify one’s funding portfolio. Gold may be diversifier for intervals when the rupee is depreciating sharply. Gold allocation could also be part of one’s portfolio and rebalanced at widespread intervals to maintain your genuine asset allocation aim,” talked about Deepesh Raghaw, founding father of PersonalFinancePlan.

    How can you spend cash on gold?

    You could make investments by way of gold ETFs (alternate traded funds) or gold monetary financial savings funds. However, the great factors will seemingly be dealt with as fast time interval irrespective of holding interval with influence from 1 April. In distinction, good factors in bodily gold after a 3-year interval will seemingly be taxed at 20% and you are going to get the benefit of indexation. The similar treatment applies to good factors in sovereign gold bonds after a 5-year lock-in interval. These bonds are issued by the federal authorities periodically and observe the worth of gold. You can purchase them by way of your monetary establishment or broking account. If you keep them till maturity (eight years), the proceeds are tax-free.

    You may even spend cash on gold though multi-asset funds which keep quite a few asset programs equal to equity, debt and gold. However, look at the asset allocation in such funds. If the allocation to equity is 35% or underneath that, it’s going to seemingly be dealt with like a debt fund, which suggests the capital good factors will seemingly be taxed at investor’s income tax slab cost. Equity at 65% or further will indicate that the tax cost drops to 10% for good factors above ₹1 lakh. This is related when the holding interval is bigger than one-year and long-term capital good factors tax cost apply.

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  • To make investments or to not make investments: The gold conundrum in your portfolio

    Here is the rationale why all that glitters is gold now and as well as why many consumers have taken a shine to the yellow metal. Gold prices have delivered better than 14% returns throughout the one-year interval ended 30 March similtaneously equity markets have remained tepid all through this period. For event, the S&P BSE Sensex delivered returns of merely 2% on this interval.

    Equity or gold, or every? That has been the subject of a protracted standing debate in personal finance. Equity-bulls degree out the wealth creation power in shares that comes from monetary improvement and the rise in firm revenue over time. Gold, however, would not yield any curiosity or dividends. An improve in gold prices is solely the outcomes of its finite present even as a result of the stock of money chasing it retains rising. Add to this the demand for gold jewellery amongst ladies, considerably in Asia. Also, it has a damaging correlation with equity. So, no matter its grim outlook, gold has a spot in an investor’s portfolio on account of it is a extremely efficient diversifier.

    The very future

    If you check out very prolonged durations of time, gold would not create wealth like equity does. The starting price of the Sensex was 549 in 1986. It was spherical 58,000 as of 30 March. From 1986 to 2023, the Sensex compounded at 13.4%. In 1986, the widespread worth of gold was ₹4,625 per ounce. Today, it is spherical ₹1.6 lakh. What has gold’s return been? The reply is a compound annual improvement cost (CAGR) of 10%. This signifies {that a} single rupee invested in Sensex in 1986 has yielded ₹105 whereas the similar invested in gold is value merely ₹31 instantly. The disparity throughout the two applies over shorter time-frames moreover. The 10-year CAGR of gold is 6%, as compared with 13% for equity. What’s worse is that gold’s returns are lumpy. After prolonged durations of stagnation, it out of the blue soars.

    View Full Image

    Mint

    Equity, which shows a further common upward climb, will also be unstable. It goes through prolonged spells the place there are no returns. This might be observed do you have to look at the three-year rolling returns of the two belongings. Rolling returns is an concept that adjusts for numerous start and end dates. The minimal 3-year rolling return in equity (using NiftyBeES, a Nifty commerce traded fund as proxy) over the earlier 15 years is -6%. In the case of gold, this decide is -9%. The widespread (median) 3-year rolling return for equity will also be bigger at 11.1%, as compared with 10.1% for gold.

    Gold in your portfolio

    The case for gold is taken into account one in every of diversification. If you look at the returns of the belongings for each financial yr from 2013 to 2022, you’ll word that the two belongings have a damaging correlation of -0.6. In totally different phrases, equity performs properly when gold falls and vice versa. This enhances the soundness of the portfolio, offering you with a further fixed funding experience. This is the one motive for having gold in your portfolio, even when having it signifies that you are sacrificing some return as compared with a 100% equity portfolio. Normally, financial planners advocate an allocation to gold that ranges from 10% to twenty%, relying in your hazard urge for meals and market circumstances. “Due to its damaging correlation with comparatively harmful belongings like equity, gold is an efficient method to diversify one’s funding portfolio. Gold will also be an important diversifier for durations when the rupee is depreciating sharply. Gold allocation might be part of one’s portfolio and rebalanced at widespread intervals to maintain your genuine asset allocation objective,” talked about Deepesh Raghaw, founding father of PersonalFinancePlan.

    How can you put cash into gold?

    You could make investments through gold ETFs (commerce traded funds) or gold monetary financial savings funds. However, the options is likely to be dealt with as temporary time interval regardless of holding interval with impression from 1 April. In distinction, options in bodily gold after a 3-year interval is likely to be taxed at 20% and you will get the advantage of indexation. The comparable remedy applies to options in sovereign gold bonds after a 5-year lock-in interval. These bonds are issued by the federal authorities periodically and monitor the value of gold. You should buy them through your monetary establishment or broking account. If you keep them till maturity (eight years), the proceeds are tax-free.

    You may put cash into gold though multi-asset funds which keep diverse asset programs akin to equity, debt and gold. However, check the asset allocation in such funds. If the allocation to equity is 35% or beneath that, it’ll be dealt with like a debt fund, which suggests the capital options is likely to be taxed at investor’s income tax slab cost. Equity at 65% or further will indicate that the tax cost drops to 10% for options above ₹1 lakh. This is related when the holding interval is bigger than one-year and long-term capital options tax cost apply.

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  • Hospitals fortify cybersecurity on assaults

    NEW DELHI : An overwhelming improve in cyberattacks is prompting hospitals throughout India to ramp up their safety infrastructure.

    Experts mentioned the widely-publicized cyberattack on the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in November was a wake-up name for the business, main hospital executives to sharpen concentrate on safety options that would strengthen their methods. Cybersecurity corporations additionally mentioned that queries and subscriptions from the healthcare business have grown for the reason that AIIMS assault.

    “There has been a big surge in demand for cybersecurity options within the healthcare sector, with inquiries escalating by 10x-15x,” said Amit Chaudhary, vice president of IP and cyber security at Airtel. Sanjay Katkar, joint managing director and chief technology officer at Quick Heal Technologies, a cybersecurity software firm, said there has been an increase in conversations with hospitals in the last 12 months.

    Cyberattacks in the healthcare sector surged 60% in 2022, as compared to the previous year, according to CheckPoint Research. Another cybersecurity firm, IndusFace reported that India was the second-most targeted country after the US in terms of attacks on the healthcare sector last year. It said 278,000 of a million attacks detected on its healthcare customers every month in 2022 were from India.

    “The healthcare sector is looking forward to understanding newer cyber security technologies like Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR/XDR), and zero trust user access tools, to replace the old traditional approach of virtual private networks (VPNs) and individual antivirus protections for their endpoints,” mentioned Katkar.

    Essentially, hospitals earlier relied on putting in safety software program on digital units, and utilizing VPNs to permit docs and workers to remotely entry a hospital’s methods. Now, these are being strengthened with newer instruments that target verification of identification by means of extra stringent controls to make it more durable to penetrate for a hacker.

    For occasion, R.S. Nehra, Principal Consultant, Cyber Security at Aakash Healthcare, mentioned the hospital has made a number of upgrades prior to now few months. This consists of implementation of multi-factor authentication for all staff, which ensures that solely licensed people have entry to delicate knowledge. The hospital has additionally upgraded its firewalls and intrusion detection mechanisms to strengthen community safety.

    “We have seen a big enchancment in our total cybersecurity posture, on account of these upgrades. Our methods are higher geared up to detect and stop cyber-attacks, and our staff are extra conscious of potential threats and greatest practices for sustaining knowledge safety,” Nehra mentioned.

    Further, Shikha Sharma, Head of Information Technology (IT) at Delhi’s PSRI Hospital mentioned the hospital has deployed new and upgraded options. The hospital has applied an “superior firewall” that offers “advanced threat protection” — a safety business time period used to explain options that mix cloud safety, e mail safety and extra to offer safety from complicated malware, phishing campaigns and many others.

    PSRI has additionally deployed new software program on machines connecting to its community, which helps segregate the community for various departments, and makes it tougher for hackers to compromise a whole hospital’s knowledge by penetrating one division. This software program, known as endpoint detection and response (EDR) software program, works on laptops and desktops, servers, and extra and alerts tech groups when it detects suspicious exercise.

    Nandkishor Dhomne, chief data officer of Manipal Hospitals, mentioned it has upgraded firewalls on all of its group hospitals and performed detailed evaluation of its safety panorama to plug attainable gaps.

    Quick Heal’s Katkar additionally mentioned that some hospitals have expressed curiosity in menace intelligence instruments that supply real-time detection and evaluation of threats. This was earlier unprecedented for Indian hospitals, since such options are sometimes costlier than conventional instruments.

    However, they use synthetic intelligence and different software program to detect threats in real-time and are sometimes thought-about more practical for cover in opposition to trendy threats. Hospitals like Aakash Healthcare have devised common worker coaching packages to extend consciousness amongst staff as nicely.

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  • I used to be the primary one to demand Thiruvananthapuram mayors resignation, says Shashi Tharoor

    Thiruvananthapuram, November 24:; Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday mentioned that he was the primary one to ask for the resignation of Thiruvananthapuram’s mayor over the alleged appointment letter row within the Municipal Corporation.

    “I was the first one to ask for it (Thiruvananthapuram Mayor’s resignation) on November 7,” mentioned Congress MP Tharoor whereas talking to the media outdoors the Corporation, the place Congress Councillors have been staging an indefinite strike demanding the resignation of Mayor Arya Rajendran.

    The senior Congress chief Tharoor additional explaining his stand and becoming a member of the protest on Thursday, mentioned that the explanation he did so was that he wished to remind folks of some issues.

    “One that unemployment is the biggest problem faced by our country, every job that is paid for by the taxpayers’ money. Whether it’s temporary or permanent, it should be open and freely available to every citizen of Kerala. And yet there was a letter asking for the party to nominate a candidate. This is a betrayal to the youth of Kerala,” he mentioned.

    “Second that there is an oath of office sworn by the Mayor or any other constitutional office holder that requires to be fair to all the citizens. They have no right to restrict the benefits to their own party members,” Tharoor mentioned.

    “The third reason for me to join this protest is the police brutality that has followed. We have a situation where 14 youth Congress activists and 4 Kerala student activists have been in jail for 18 days. Two youth Congress members are in hospital. Member of parliament and leader of Mahila Congress was also beaten so badly,” he claimed.

    These are the strategies which are disgraceful. It’s such a shameful act of the Communist get together and betraying the youth of Kerala, he mentioned.

    Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran had allegedly written to CPI(M) district secretary and demanded a precedence checklist for appointing get together members to 295 momentary posts within the municipal company.

    I used to be the primary one to demand Thiruvananthapuram mayor’s resignation, says Shashi Tharoor ANI 26 November 2022 Post Your Comments

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  • Dreams going up in smoke for ‘Ravanawallas’? Dussehra brings little cheer for effigy makers

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The pavement is lined with big Ravana heads in festive pinks, yellows and blues.

    It’s the primary Dussehra celebration after greater than two years of Covid however the highway to restoration is sluggish and tough, say the artisans who craft the effigies that type the centrepiece of festivities.

    Two days forward of Dussehra, when effigies of the demon king, his brother Kumbhkaran and son Meghnad go up in flames in a logo of the triumph of fine over evil, Delhi’s Titarpur village is distinctly festive with vibrant effigies able to be shipped throughout the nation.

    Scratch the floor, nonetheless, and the despondency is clear. Things are higher however a far cry from what they was once.

    “Some years ago, I would make as many as 100 effigies for the festival. This year I am making only 21. With neither margin nor demand, there is no reason or motivation for me to increase the count,” 73-year-old Mahendra Pal, who has been within the enterprise of constructing effigies for the previous 45 years, instructed PTI.

    Not so way back, the road in west Delhi could be teeming with artisans busy making the tall, intricately woven bamboo frames a month earlier than the competition and patrons on the lookout for the most effective provide.

    Torsos, limbs and demon heads could be fastidiously painted after which assembled on frames full of explosives. But the pandemic, growing ranges of air pollution and the ban on crackers have meant that the demand for the effigies has steadily dipped.

    The road is quieter and the crowds are thinner. The effigies, peak starting from three ft to 50 ft, take virtually six to seven hours to finish and price round Rs 500-Rs 700 per foot. There are simply not as many takers as earlier.

    The “effigy community” has slashed manufacturing from virtually 60-100 items per vendor in pre-Covid instances to 20-30 items now.

    Pal, who works as a taxi driver in Panipat, Haryana, takes satisfaction in the truth that he’ll have the ability to make not less than some cash and get to color his house, a activity pending for the final couple of years.

    “Yes, it is much better than the Covid pandemic when I could barely sell any effigies other than the few I made to be sent to Ayodhya. But sales and demand are just not enough for me to be really happy,” he defined.

    Many artisans, generally known as “Ravanawallas”, are making peace with the scenario.

    “Market ka kuch pata nahi hai iss saal (We are not sure about the demand in the market this year). Then there is also the fear of a ban on celebrations or crackers so most people thought it is better to prepare fewer effigies only as we no longer have the appetite to bear losses,” Mahinder Kumar mentioned as he painstakingly utilized adhesive on fluorescent paper and put it out to dry.

    Kumar, who’s from Delhi and works in a store promoting Ayurvedic medicines, mentioned he bought many queries however not sufficient upfront bookings. He has managed to promote solely eight effigies, put collectively in a makeshift store suffering from paper, wooden and bamboo.

    Many of the artisans are each day wage labourers from Rajasthan, Haryana and Bihar who come to the capital to make an additional buck or extra. This yr, a lot of them mentioned, they will not handle to make greater than Rs 8,000-Rs 10,000 within the season.

    In their heyday, many of those distributors delivered their effigies the world over, together with to the United States, Canada, Japan and South Africa.

    Dular from Begusarai in Bihar is impatiently ready for the instances to get higher however does not know in the event that they ever will.

    Selling his wares at Beriwala Bagh, somewhat distance from Titarpur, the 45-year-old mentioned he has to this point made 30 effigies — precisely half of what he made in 2018.

    Dular, who works at a garment store again in his hometown, dismissed information stories claiming “high demand” of effigies this yr as “false”.

    All he needs now could be to promote all his effigies.

    “Jhoot bolte hai news wale (people writing such news stories are lying). There is no pent up demand or anything. I had made 60 effigies back in 2018. Had there been such a huge demand this time, I would have created more effigies,” he mentioned.

    After two years of lockdown, it’s a glad Dussehra, however perhaps subsequent yr shall be happier. For the “Ravanawallahs” of Titarpur, that is the fervent hope.

    NEW DELHI: The pavement is lined with big Ravana heads in festive pinks, yellows and blues.

    It’s the primary Dussehra celebration after greater than two years of Covid however the highway to restoration is sluggish and tough, say the artisans who craft the effigies that type the centrepiece of festivities.

    Two days forward of Dussehra, when effigies of the demon king, his brother Kumbhkaran and son Meghnad go up in flames in a logo of the triumph of fine over evil, Delhi’s Titarpur village is distinctly festive with vibrant effigies able to be shipped throughout the nation.

    Scratch the floor, nonetheless, and the despondency is clear. Things are higher however a far cry from what they was once.

    “Some years ago, I would make as many as 100 effigies for the festival. This year I am making only 21. With neither margin nor demand, there is no reason or motivation for me to increase the count,” 73-year-old Mahendra Pal, who has been within the enterprise of constructing effigies for the previous 45 years, instructed PTI.

    Not so way back, the road in west Delhi could be teeming with artisans busy making the tall, intricately woven bamboo frames a month earlier than the competition and patrons on the lookout for the most effective provide.

    Torsos, limbs and demon heads could be fastidiously painted after which assembled on frames full of explosives. But the pandemic, growing ranges of air pollution and the ban on crackers have meant that the demand for the effigies has steadily dipped.

    The road is quieter and the crowds are thinner. The effigies, peak starting from three ft to 50 ft, take virtually six to seven hours to finish and price round Rs 500-Rs 700 per foot. There are simply not as many takers as earlier.

    The “effigy community” has slashed manufacturing from virtually 60-100 items per vendor in pre-Covid instances to 20-30 items now.

    Pal, who works as a taxi driver in Panipat, Haryana, takes satisfaction in the truth that he’ll have the ability to make not less than some cash and get to color his house, a activity pending for the final couple of years.

    “Yes, it is much better than the Covid pandemic when I could barely sell any effigies other than the few I made to be sent to Ayodhya. But sales and demand are just not enough for me to be really happy,” he defined.

    Many artisans, generally known as “Ravanawallas”, are making peace with the scenario.

    “Market ka kuch pata nahi hai iss saal (We are not sure about the demand in the market this year). Then there is also the fear of a ban on celebrations or crackers so most people thought it is better to prepare fewer effigies only as we no longer have the appetite to bear losses,” Mahinder Kumar mentioned as he painstakingly utilized adhesive on fluorescent paper and put it out to dry.

    Kumar, who’s from Delhi and works in a store promoting Ayurvedic medicines, mentioned he bought many queries however not sufficient upfront bookings. He has managed to promote solely eight effigies, put collectively in a makeshift store suffering from paper, wooden and bamboo.

    Many of the artisans are each day wage labourers from Rajasthan, Haryana and Bihar who come to the capital to make an additional buck or extra. This yr, a lot of them mentioned, they will not handle to make greater than Rs 8,000-Rs 10,000 within the season.

    In their heyday, many of those distributors delivered their effigies the world over, together with to the United States, Canada, Japan and South Africa.

    Dular from Begusarai in Bihar is impatiently ready for the instances to get higher however does not know in the event that they ever will.

    Selling his wares at Beriwala Bagh, somewhat distance from Titarpur, the 45-year-old mentioned he has to this point made 30 effigies — precisely half of what he made in 2018.

    Dular, who works at a garment store again in his hometown, dismissed information stories claiming “high demand” of effigies this yr as “false”.

    All he needs now could be to promote all his effigies.

    “Jhoot bolte hai news wale (people writing such news stories are lying). There is no pent up demand or anything. I had made 60 effigies back in 2018. Had there been such a huge demand this time, I would have created more effigies,” he mentioned.

    After two years of lockdown, it’s a glad Dussehra, however perhaps subsequent yr shall be happier. For the “Ravanawallahs” of Titarpur, that is the fervent hope.

  • Sunflower cultivation poor in Sundargarh regardless of potential

    By Express News Service

    ROURKELA:  In spite of the massive potential for sunflower and groundnut manufacturing in Sundargarh and excessive market demand, the district is lagging behind in cultivation of the 2 rewarding oilseed crops largely as a consequence of lack of presidency help.  

    In the rabi season final 12 months, round 14,953 hectare (ha) of land was lined beneath oilseeds cultivation in Sundargarh. Sunflower cultivation was programmed for 250 ha of which solely 207 ha may very well be achieved. For groundnut, it was 495 ha. In the continuing kharif crop, sunflower cultivation has not been programmed, whereas 3,500 ha out of 16,900 ha for oilseeds is earmarked for groundnut.   

    Sources within the Agriculture division attributed the constraints for sunflower cultivation to unavailability of seeds. In the current previous, the price of import-dependent sunflower oil had gone as much as Rs 215 per kg however now it’s priced at round Rs 190. The price of groundnut oil too is on the upper facet. 

    District agriculture officer of Panposh sub-division Religious Beck stated between 2005 and 2009, sunflower cultivation within the district had dramatically gone up. But subsequently, farmers stayed away from the crop as there was no minimal help worth (MSP) and advertising choice then. In 2021 rabi season, sunflower seeds weren’t out there and farmers had no choice.   

    Beck stated sunflower is a worthwhile crop and will get prepared in 100 days with out a lot labour. With systematic cultivation and warranted irrigation, one ha of land can fetch as much as 14 quintal of sunflower. Sundargarh’s 52 per cent crop space is manufactured from excessive land (1.63 lakh ha) of which 76,000 ha is used for labour-intensive paddy crops. In sunflower and groundnut manufacturing, the district has a exceptional potential to assist curb import, he added.  

    Incidentally, the Centre has upwardly revised MSP for sunflower to Rs 6,400 per quintal towards the manufacturing price of Rs 4,113. Similarly, MSP for groundnut is Rs 5,800 per quintal towards manufacturing price of Rs 3,873.  Chief district agriculture officer (CDAO) of Sundargarh Birendra Behera stated the agro-ecological circumstances are beneficial for sunflower and groundnut cultivation. In the upcoming 2022 rabi season, efforts could be made to extend cultivation of each the oilseed crops.

  • Manufacturing PMI reveals regular progress in May

    India’s manufacturing sector expanded within the month of May and ‘sustained strong growth’ regardless of traditionally excessive inflation, in line with a survey. The seasonally adjusted S&P Global India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) was at 54.6 in May, little-changed from 54.7 in April.

    It stated manufacturing unit output was boosted by bounce in worldwide orders, which was the very best in over 11 years, since April 2011, the survey stated. In response to demand resilience, producers in India continued with their efforts to rebuild shares and employed additional employees accordingly. Last month, the speed of employment progress picked as much as the strongest since January 2020, the survey added.

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    “While firms appear to be focusing on the now, the survey’s gauge of business optimism shows a sense of unease among manufacturers. The overall level of sentiment was the second-lowest seen for two years, with panelists generally expecting growth prospects to be harmed by acute price pressures,” Pollyanna De Lima, Economics Associate Director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, stated.

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    The findings of the survey come as India reported gradual GDP progress of 4.1% within the January to March quarter. Economists count on progress to decelerate this fiscal yr on account of spillovers from the Russia Ukraine struggle which is anticipated to place stress on the provision chain and contribute to rising costs.

    In May, producers continued to cross on extra value burdens to purchasers and elevated promoting costs on the quickest charge in over eight-and-a-half years. However, they had been in a position to safe new work regardless of lifting promoting costs on the quickest charge in over eight-and-a-half years as extra value burdens continued to be transferred to purchasers.

    Although softer than in April, the speed of inflation remained traditionally elevated in May. Companies reported increased costs for gadgets comparable to digital parts, power, freight, foodstuffs, metals, and textiles.

    Amid studies of recent enterprise good points, sustained enhancements in demand and looser COVID-19 restrictions, producers continued to scale up manufacturing in May, in line with the survey findings. Going forward, the vast majority of panelists polled by the survey (ie 88 per cent) foresee no change in output progress from current ranges, round 9 per cent of panelists forecast output progress over the approaching 12 months.

  • ‘Manufacturing PMI improves on easing curbs, strong demand’

    The nation’s manufacturing sector actions improved in September as firms benefited from strengthening demand circumstances amid the easing of Covid restrictions, a month-to-month survey stated on Friday.
    The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) improved from 52.3 in August to 53.7 in September, indicating a stronger enlargement in total enterprise circumstances throughout the sector.
    With gross sales rising at a stronger price, corporations scaled up manufacturing and bought further inputs. There was additionally a sooner upturn in worldwide gross sales, the survey stated.