Press Information Bureau (PIB Analysis For UPSC)

Table of Contents

Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation

GDP growth rate at constant prices during the second quarter of this fiscal is estimated at 6.3 percent which is up from 5.7 percent over the first quarter.
It was 7.5 per cent in the corresponding period of last year.
GDP rate at 6.3 percent marks the reversal of declining trend in the last five quarters.
Releasing GDP data in New Delh today, Chief Statistician of India T C A Anant said the GDP growth has seen a reversal trend from declining trend in the last five quarters.
Drivers of Growth: good growth in manufacturing sector, electricity, gas, water
supply and other utilities.
He said, agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors are estimated to have grown by 1.7
per cent.
Mr Anant said, the manufacturing sector in the second quarter of 2017-18 grew by 7
per cent.
Mr. Jaitley said, the most significant aspect of this quarter’s positive result is that it has been significantly bolstered by the growth in manufacturing.
The perhaps the inpact of two very structural reforms demonitization and GST is now behind us and hopefully in the coming quarters we can look forward for an upward trajectory. I think the most significant aspect is the fact that this quarters positive result has been impacted significantly by the growth in manufacturing.

Hindustan Times Leadership Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said a corruption free and citizencentric system is the priority of the government.
Centre is committed to crack down corruption.
Mr Modi said he is ready to pay political price for the path he has taken.
He said, the government is cracking down shell companies after demonetisation and is taking action against corrupt individuals.
The Prime Minister said, GST has brought in transparency into the system
and Aadhaar has brought in an irreversible change.

The Union Cabinet has approved signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU between India and Italy for cooperation in agricultural production and Phytosanitary issues.
Other sectors covered in the MoU include
a) Animal Husbandry
b) Agricultural Research
c) Food Processing
The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi also gave its approval for signing and ratification of the Investment Cooperation and Facilitation Treaty (ICFT) between India and Brazil.
The Treaty will result in increase of investment flows between the two countries.

Heavy rain continues in southern and central parts of Kerala as Cyclonic Storm ‘OCKHI’ has
intensified.
‘OCKHI’ that formed off the coast of Kanyakumari this morning is likely to further intensify into a severe cyclonic storm.
Under the influence of Cyclone Ockhi, the Lakshadweep Islands are expected to witness storm surges from tonight.
The North Korean test fired intercontinental missile (ICBM) which flew higher than any yet
by Pyongyang.
The missile reached some 4,500 km high and landed around 1,000 km from the west coast of Japan.
US Union of Concerned Scientists has calculated it would have had a range of 13,000 km which is enough to strike Europe, Australia, or any part of the continental US, including Washington DC.
*The missile test comes a week after Trump declared North Korea a state sponsor of
terrorism.
Today Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting starts in Sochi.
Key players with a stake in the Korea standoff
Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang
Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj
This latest missile test will be a significant
How far the United States and China have come in trying to forge a consensus.
Since Trump’s trip to Beijing this month, over bringing President Xi Jinping on board the US approach toward tightening screws on Pyongyang.

1. It does not want to push the regime so hard that it becomes significantly destabilised.
2. Risk: North Korea may behave even more unpredictably
3. Instability on the North Korea-China border
4. Potential emergence of a pro-US successor state
Beijing fears: Trump is now thinking much more seriously about a pre-emptive
military strike on North Korea’s nuclear capabilities.
Aside from military force, a naval blockade to enforce sanctions – including interdicting ships suspected of selling North Korea weapons abroad, one of the regime’s key sources of income.
Trump has also threatened to stop all trade with countries, including China, “doing
business with North Korea”.
In 2016, alone, the United States imported some $463 billion worth of goods from China.
Protectionist spiral
US and South Korea have been conducting semi-regular tests of the Terminal High
Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system
China favours, therefore, doubling down on diplomacy.