Morning Digest | India’s poverty levels below 5%, claims NITI Aayog chief; TMC faces people’s anger in Sandeshkhali, and more

From India’s poverty levels are below 5%, claims NITI Aayog chief; TN CM Stalin says no flood relief from the Centre, here is a select list of stories to start the day on Feb 25, 2024

Poverty levels below 5%, claims NITI Aayog chief

Less than 5% of Indians are now expected to be below the poverty line, and extreme destitution has almost gone away, a top government official asserted on February 25, citing the findings of the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) for 2022-23. Retail inflation has also likely been overstated in recent years, he added.

With food spends down in the country, growth may get leg-up

India’s headline inflation is expected to trend down creating more room for monetary and fiscal policy to focus on spurring growth rather than fret over inflation, if the latest Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) that shows a lower proportion of food spends for both rural and urban consumers, is used to rejig the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Elderly couple from Tamil Nadu’s Tenkasi run on track in wee hours to stop train from derailing

Displaying extraordinary grit in the wee hours, an elderly couple ran for a few metres along the track near Bhagavathipuram railway station near Sengottai, to stop an approaching train, minutes after a truck fell on the track between Bhagavathipuram and Aryankavu railway stations early on Sunday, February 25, 2024.

Railways brings down the curtain on passenger trains