Daily Briefing: GDP surges to 6-quarter high; Cabinet approves chip-related projects; and more

India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth surged to a six-quarter high of 8.4% in October-December, pushing up the growth rate for 2023-24 to 7.6% as against the earlier estimate of 7.3%, data for third quarter GDP and second advance estimates for 2023-24 released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on Thursday showed.

Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet approved three chip related projects worth about Rs 1.26 lakh crore, including what could be India’s first semiconductor fabrication plant, which will be set up by the Tata Group along with a Taiwanese technology partner.

Why is this significant? We explain.

⚡ Only in Express

Express Adda | The tax devolution share of states is decided by the Finance Commission and no Finance Minister, not even the “wickedest” one, can tweak it in favour of one state or the other, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said 

📰 From the First Page

The crisis facing the Congress in Himachal Pradesh after the recently-concluded Rajya Sabha polls seems to have blown over for now. All 6 MLAs who cross voted during the election were disqualified under the anti-defection law.

TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh who had been on the run for 55 days, was arrested by West Bengal Police in connection with an attack in January on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials who had gone to conduct searches at his house in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district.

The Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) has a “compromised and conflicted” selection process that bypasses the chief selector and is marked by “rampant interference” of its officials. This is the key point flagged in a scathing indictment by DDCA’s Technical Expert Group (TEG) in the wake of Delhi’s dismal showing last season.

👩‍💻 Must Read

A government senior secondary school in Rajasthan’s Kota district has found itself at the centre of polarising developments, with allegations of conversions and “love jihad”, leading to the suspension of all three Muslim teachers at the school on the orders of the state’s Education Minister. In the village – from the teachers in the school to the local Education Department officials – claims of such a conspiracy are denied. We report.

India could be facing an obesity epidemic, with alarm bells ringing, particularly for the young, shows a new global analysis published by The Lancet.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth of Mauritius jointly inaugurated an airstrip and a jetty that India has built on Agaléga, a two-island Mauritian dependency 1,100 km to the north of Port Louis and 2,500 km southwest of Malé. As Indian Ocean outposts, Mauritius and the Maldives have great strategic significance for India. We explain.

⌛ And Finally…

Former bowling coach Bharat Arun speaks about the “insane hard work” that Kuldeep Yadav has put in since late 2021 from the moment he was sidelined due to a serious leg injury. It’s also the reason why India will now have to play Kuldeep ahead of Axar Patel in any Test they play. 

The Lok Sabha election dates are yet to be announced, but Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has started touring the states and attending election rallies. His itinerary this week included the states which are considered to be tough for the BJP. Read more in today’s Delhi Confidential!

In the latest edition of our ‘3 Things’ podcast, we discuss the farmers protest and the zero FIR that has been lodged, Genome India initiative, and the Manipur crises.

Until tomorrow,

Ayesha Jain and Rahel Philipose