India has signaled a shift in its position on engaging with the Taliban by participating in the commencement ceremony of Intra-Afghan talks between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar.

Key Points

• The Indian presence at the Intra-Afghan peace talks indicates that it has changed its position given the ground reality in Afghanistan and the changing power structure in Afghanistan.
• USA's withdrawal has given Pakistan a major role to play in Afghanistan directly or indirectly through its proxies.
• However, some experts were of the opinion that India chose to attend the ceremony because the Afghan government was also at the table.
• India still does not recognise the Taliban.

Background:

• The USA signed a deal with the Taliban that paved the way towards a full withdrawal of USA troops from Afghanistan and also represent a step towards ending the 18-year-war in Afghanistan.
• The peace deal was expected to kick-off two processes- a phased withdrawal of US troops and an ‘intra-Afghan’ dialogue.
• The deal is a fundamental step to deliver a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire and the future political roadmap for the Afghanistan peace process.

• India’s Interests in Afghanistan:
  
  • India has a major stake in the stability of Afghanistan. India has invested considerable resources in Afghanistan's development. E.g. the Afghan Parliament, the Zaranj-Delaram Highway, Afghanistan-India Friendship Dam (Salma Dam) among others.
  • Afghanistan is the gateway to Central Asia.

• Issues Involved:
  
  • India is concerned about the Taliban’s links with Pakistan’s ISI and efforts by the latter to use the Haqqani network to target India’s interests in Afghanistan.
    
    • India’s Afghanistan policy continues to be assessed vis-a-vis Pakistan, which opposes any security role for India in Afghanistan and sees India’s presence there as detrimental to its interests.
  • Taliban also has link with Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) and Laskar-e-Toiba (LeT) who are behind various terrorist activities against India.
  • India still does not recognise the Taliban. However, if it considers the option of entering into direct talks with the Taliban, it would constitute a major departure from its consistent policy of dealing only with recognised governments.

Way Forward

• India needs to re-evaluate its decisions and be more omnidirectional in its approach to deal with all forces that are central to the future of Afghanistan.
• The changing political and security situation requires India to be more open to adapting its maximalist position and starting a dialogue with the Taliban.

Why in News

Recently, the inflation data for the month of August 2020 was released. The inflation data includes retail inflation and wholesale inflation data.

• The retail inflation is measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
• The wholesale price-based inflation is measured by Wholesale Price Index (WPI).

Key Points

• Retail inflation growth across the country eased to 6.69 per cent in the month of August, the data released by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) showed.

  The retail inflation which is measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of July was also revised to 6.73 per cent from 6.93 per cent. Last month too, the government had revised the CPI data for June to 6.23 per cent from 6.09 per cent.

  Prior to June’s data, the government had not released the headline retail inflation data in April and May. However, in April, it had revised the CPI data for the month of March to 5.84 per cent from 5.91 per cent.

  The retail inflation has grown beyond the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) upper margin of 6 per cent. The government has mandated the Indian central bank to keep inflation within the range of 4 per cent with a margin of 2 per cent on either side.

  The central bank in its bi-monthly monetary policy meeting last month had kept its key interest rates on hold even as it vowed to keep policy sufficiently loose to help revive the coronavirus-battered economy.

  The Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) or the inflation in the food basket eased to 9.05 per cent in the month of August. Also, the CFPI for July was revised to 9.27 per cent from 9.62 per cent, the data revealed.

  The growth in retail inflation was primarily due to a rise in meat and fish prices that saw a 16.50 per cent on-year rise in August. Apart from meat and fish segment, the pulses and products segment saw a rise of 14.44 per cent, while that of oils and fats rose 12.45 per cent and spices prices gained 12.34 per cent. The vegetables segment also witnessed a rise of 11.41 per cent.

Consumer Price Index

• It measures price changes from the perspective of a retail buyer. It is released by the National Statistical Office (NSO).
• The CPI calculates the difference in the price of commodities and services such as food, medical care, education, electronics etc, which Indian consumers buy for use.
• The CPI has several sub-groups including food and beverages, fuel and light, housing and clothing, bedding and footwear.
• Four types of CPI are as follows:
  
  • CPI for Industrial Workers (IW).
  • CPI for Agricultural Labourer (AL).
  • CPI for Rural Labourer (RL).
  • CPI (Rural/Urban/Combined).
  • Of these, the first three are compiled by the Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Fourth is compiled by the National Statistical Office (NSO) in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
• Base Year for CPI is 2012.
• The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) uses CPI data to control inflation.

Wholesale Price Index

• It measures the changes in the prices of goods sold and traded in bulk by wholesale businesses to other businesses.
• Published by the Office of Economic Adviser, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• It is the most widely used inflation indicator in India.
• Major criticism for this index is that the general public does not buy products at wholesale price.
• The base year of All-India WPI has been revised from 2004-05 to 2011-12 in 2017.

CPI vs. WPI

• WPI, tracks inflation at the producer level and CPI captures changes in prices levels at the consumer level.
• WPI does not capture changes in the prices of services, which CPI does.
• In April 2014, the RBI had adopted the CPI as its key measure of inflation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off eight trains connecting different regions of the country to Kevadiya tomorrow through video conferencing. 

The Indian diaspora

India has the largest diaspora population in the world with 18 million people from the country living outside their homeland in 2020, according to a report by the United Nations.

In News

> Seema Verma, one of the highest-ranking Indian Americans in the outgoing Trump administration, has resigned from her top healthcare             position.

> US President-elect Joe Biden has announced an ambitious goal of inoculating 100 million Americans with Covid-19 vaccines in the first 100 days of his administration, noting that the vaccine rollout in the country, the worst hit by the pandemic, has been a “dismal failure.”

> The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Cuba’s Interior Ministry and its leader, accusing them of serious human rights violations.

> Earth Sciences Minister Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the doppler weather radars in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh that will improve forecasts in the hilly states and also for Char Dham and Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimages.

> Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated a Doppler radar weather station at Mukteshwar in Nainital district on the occasion of the 146th foundation day of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

> Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra inaugurated 21 development works in Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh and 11 in Kushinagar district through video conference from Raj Bhawan.

Major 

Major Ketan Sharma who sacrificed his life fighting a hardcore Pakistani terrorist was among 15 Army personnel awarded the Sena Medal for their exceptional courage and bravery on Army Day.

Union minister

Former Union minister and noted businessman Kamal Morarka died. He was 74. Shocked with the demise of former Union minister and famous industrialist of Nawalgarh, Kamal Morarka ji. This is an irreparable loss to all of us. Praying to the Lord to give the bereaved family the power to bear this sorrow,” Mr Sharma tweeted

US President-elect Joe Biden named Indian-American Sumona Guha as senior director for South Asia and Tarun Chhabra as senior director for Technology and National Security. Ms Guha co-chaired the South Asia foreign policy working group on the Biden-Harris campaign, and was a member of the transitionteam. She will succeed the Trump administration’s Lisa Curtis in the role.

PNB Housing Finance

PNB Housing Finance said its independent director Shubhalakshmi Panse has resigned from her position in the company to continue with her role at its competitor Can Fin Homes

Supreme Court has put a stay on the implementation of the three farm laws.


The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of the three farm laws until further orders. Pronouncing the order, the top court also said it has formed a four-member committee to hold talks. During the hearing, the Supreme Court today initially said that it is planning to suspend the new farm laws, but not indefinitely

Central Board of Direct Taxes

Central Board of Direct Taxes has launched an automated dedicated e-portal on the e-filing website of the Department to receive and process complaints of tax evasion, foreign undisclosed assets as well as complaints regarding benami properties.

Film Festival of India

The 51st Edition of International Film Festival of India has unveiled the list of films under the World Panorama section.

The country’s real gross domestic product

The country’s real gross domestic product (GDP) is likely to expand by 11 per cent in the next financial year due to a faster economic recovery and on a low base, says a report by domestic rating agency Brickwork Ratings.

The organization of active US President Donald Trump on January 19, 2021 pronounced China’s outrages against the Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic gatherings in Xinjiang as ‘decimation’. The Government added that the Chinese Communist Party should be held for its uncaring activities. The Department of State have been coordinated to get the pertinent insights about the continuous abominations in Xinjiang.

India Innovation Index 2020: Karnataka, Delhi end up being most imaginative State/UT

NITI Aayog on January 20, 2021 delivered the India Innovation Index 2020 for all intents and purposes. Karnataka bested the Index as the most inventive state and Delhi has been positioned as the most creative UT. Then again, Himachal Pradesh beat the list in the NE/Hilly states classification. Bihar has been positioned last state in the list.

India starts supply of COVID-19 immunization to 6 nations

India started the COVID-19 antibody supply to six countries including Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, Maldives and Seychelles with impact from January 20, 2021. The public authority is additionally anticipating the important endorsements with respect to the stock of immunizations to Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius.

PM Modi discharges assets to more than 6 lakh UP recipients under PMAY-G

PM Narendra Modi on January 20, 2021 delivered the Rs. 2,691 crore monetary help to in excess of 6 lakh recipients of Uttar Pradesh under the aspiring plan, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G).

UN dispatches program against fear monger dangers 

The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) on January 19, 2021 dispatched a program to handle the psychological oppressor dangers. The program dispatched in organization with different offices will empower the UN part states to manage this scourge.