- Indian Heritage
- Culture
- Modern Indian history
- The Freedom Struggle
- Post-independence
- Indian Society
A. population and associated issues
B. poverty and developmental issues
C.urbanization
7. Geographical features
8.Indian Constitution
9. Polity
10. Governance
A. institutions
B. regulatory
C. Government policies
D. role of NGOs
E. measures
11. Social Justice
A. Welfare schemes
B Health
C. Education
D. Human Resources
E. poverty and hunger
12. International relations
A. India and its neighbourhood
B. groupings and agreements
C.Indian diaspora
13. Economic Development
A. Government Budgeting
Index Numbers of Wholesale Price in India for the Month of December, 2023 (Base Year: 2011-12)
The annual rate of inflation based on all India Wholesale Price Index (WPI) number is 0.73% (Provisional) for the month of December, 2023(over December, 2022). Positive rate of inflation in December, 2023 is primarily due to increase in prices of food articles, machinery & equipment, other manufacturing, other transport equipment and computer, electronics & optical products etc. The index numbers and inflation rate for the last three months of all commodities and WPI components are given below:
| Index Numbers and Annual Rate of Inflation (Y-o-Y in %)* | |||||||
| All Commodities/Major Groups | Weight (%) | Oct-23 | Nov-23 (P) | Dec-23 (P) | |||
| Index | Inflation | Index | Inflation | Index | Inflation | ||
| All Commodities | 100.0 | 152.5 | -0.26 | 152.9 | 0.26 | 151.6 | 0.73 |
| I. Primary Articles | 22.62 | 185.3 | 2.26 | 186.9 | 4.76 | 182.9 | 5.78 |
| II. Fuel & Power | 13.15 | 155.5 | -1.58 | 155.3 | -4.61 | 154.2 | -2.41 |
| III. Manufactured Products | 64.23 | 140.4 | -1.06 | 140.4 | -0.64 | 140.1 | -0.71 |
| Food Index | 24.38 | 180.3 | 1.46 | 183.1 | 4.69 | 179.9 | 5.39 |
Note: P: Provisional, *Annual rate of WPI inflation calculated over the corresponding month of previous year
The month-over-month change in WPI for the month of December, 2023 stood at (-) 0.85% as compared to November, 2023. The monthly change in WPI for last six-month is summarized below:
| Month Over Month (M-o-M in %) change in WPI Index# | |||||||
| All Commodities/Major Groups | Weight | Jul-23 | Aug-23 | Sep-23 | Oct-23 | Nov-23 (P) | Dec-23 (P) |
| All Commodities | 100.0 | 2.15 | 0.26 | -0.46 | 0.46 | 0.26 | -0.85 |
| I. Primary Articles | 22.62 | 8.86 | -0.73 | -3.52 | 0.93 | 0.86 | -2.14 |
| II. Fuel & Power | 13.15 | -0.55 | 2.54 | 2.68 | 1.57 | -0.13 | -0.71 |
| III. Manufactured Products | 64.23 | -0.29 | 0.29 | 0.36 | 0.00 | 0.00 | -0.21 |
| Food Index | 24.38 | 7.77 | -0.85 | -4.65 | 1.07 | 1.55 | -1.75 |
Note: P: Provisional, #Monthly rate of change, based on month over month (M-o-M) WPI calculated over the preceding month
Month-over-Month Change in Major Groups of WPI:
- Primary Articles (Weight 22.62%):- The index for this major group declined by 2.14% to 182.9 (provisional) in December, 2023 from 186.9 (provisional) for the month of November, 2023. Prices of Non-food Articles (-0.18%), Minerals (-1.91%), Food Articles (-2.30%) and Crude Petroleum & Natural Gas (-4.28%) declined in December, 2023 as compared to November, 2023.
- Fuel & Power (Weight 13.15%): – The index for this major group declined by 0.71% to 154.2 (provisional) in December, 2023 from 155.3 (provisional) for the month of November, 2023. Prices of Electricity (1.34%) increased in December, 2023 as compared to November, 2023. Prices of Mineral Oils (-1.54%) declined in December, 2023 as compared to November, 2023.
- Manufactured Products (Weight 64.23%):- The index for this major group decreased by 0.21% to 140.1 (provisional) in December, 2023 from 140.4 (provisional) for the month of November, 2023. Out of the 22 NIC two-digit groups for manufactured products, 15 groups witnessed an increase in prices whereas7 groups have witnessed a decrease in prices. Some of the important groups that showed month-over-month increase in prices are machinery & equipment; other manufacturing; pharmaceuticals, medicinal chemical & botanical products; electrical equipment; motor vehicles, trailers & semi-trailers etc. Some of the groups that witnessed a decrease in prices are manufacture of basic metals; food products; textiles; chemical & chemical products; fabricated metal products, except machinery & equipment, etc. in December, 2023 as compared to November, 2023.
WPI Food Index (Weight 24.38%): The Food Index consisting of ‘Food Articles’ from Primary Articles group and ‘Food Product’ from Manufactured Products group has decreased from 183.1 in November, 2023 to 179.9 in December, 2023. The rate of inflation based on WPI Food Index increased from 4.69% in November, 2023 to 5.39% in December, 2023.
Final Index for the month of October, 2023 (Base Year: 2011-12=100): For the month of October, 2023 the final Wholesale Price Index and inflation rate for ‘All Commodities’ (Base: 2011-12=100) stood at 152.5 and (-) 0.26% respectively. The details of all India Wholesale Price Indices and Rates of Inflation for different commodity groups based on updated figures are at Annex I. The Annual rate of Inflation (Y-o-Y) based on WPI for different commodity groups in the last six months are at Annex II. WPI for different commodity groups in the last six months is at Annex III.
Response Rate: The WPI for December, 2023 has been compiled at a weighted response rate of 85.7 percent, while the final figure for October, 2023 is based on the weighted response rate of 94.6 percent. The provisional figures of WPI will undergo revision as per the final revision policy of WPI. This press release, item indices, and inflation numbers are available at our home page http://eaindustry.nic.in.
Next date of Press Release: WPI for the month of January, 2024 would be released on 14/02/2024.
Note: DPIIT releases index number of wholesale price in India on monthly basis on 14th of every month (or next working day) with a time lag of two weeks of the reference month, and the index number is compiled with data received from institutional sources and selected manufacturing units across the country. This press release contains WPI (Base Year 2011-12=100) for the month of December, 2023 (Provisional), October, 2023 (Final) and other months/years. Provisional figures of WPI are finalised after 10 weeks (from the month of reference), and then frozen thereafter.
B. industrial
E.issues
14. Technology
Meteorological Services in India
150 years of India Meteorological Department
The beginnings of meteorology in India can be traced to ancient times. Early philosophical writings of the 3000 B.C. era, such as the Upanishadas, contain serious discussion about the processes of cloud formation and rain and the seasonal cycles caused by the movement of earth round the sun. Varahamihira’s classical work, the Brihatsamhita, written around 500 A.D., provides a clear evidence that a deep knowledge of atmospheric processes existed even in those times. It was understood that rains come from the sun (Adityat Jayate Vrishti) and that good rainfall in the rainy season was the key to bountiful agriculture and food for the people. Kautilya’s Arthashastra contains records of scientific measurements of rainfall and its application to the country’s revenue and relief work. Kalidasa in his epic, ‘Meghdoot’, written around the seventh century, even mentions the date of onset of the monsoon over central India and traces the path of the monsoon clouds.
Meteorology, as we perceive it now, may be said to have had its firm scientific foundation in the 17th century after the invention of the thermometer and the barometer and the formulation of laws governing the behaviour of atmospheric gases. It was in 1636 that Halley, a British scientist, published his treatise on the Indian summer monsoon, which he attributed to a seasonal reversal of winds due to the differential heating of the Asian land mass and the Indian Ocean.
India is fortunate to have some of the oldest meteorological observatories of the world. The British East India Company established several such stations, for example, those at Calcutta in 1785 and Madras (now Chennai) in 1796 for studying the weather and climate of India. The Asiatic Society of Bengal founded in 1784 at Calcutta, and in 1804 at Bombay (now Mumbai), promoted scientific studies in meteorology in India. Captain Harry Piddington at Calcutta published 40 papers during 1835-1855 in the Journal of the Asiatic Society dealing with tropical storms and coined the word “cyclone”, meaning the coil of a snake. In 1842 he published his monumental work on the “Laws of the Storms”. In the first half of the 19th century, several observatories began functioning in India under the provincial governments.
A disastrous tropical cyclone struck Calcutta in 1864 and this was followed by failures of the monsoon rains in 1866 and 1871. In the year 1875, the Government of India established the India Meteorological Department, bringing all meteorological work in the country under a central authority. Mr. H. F. Blanford was appointed Meteorological Reporter to the Government of India. The first Director General of Observatories was Sir John Eliot who was appointed in May 1889 at Calcutta headquarters. The headquarters of IMD were later shifted to Shimla, then to Poona (now Pune) and finally to New Delhi.
From a modest beginning in 1875, IMD has progressively expanded its infrastructure for meteorological observations, communications, forecasting and weather services and it has achieved a parallel scientific growth. IMD has always used contemporary technology. In the telegraph age, it made extensive use of weather telegrams for collecting observational data and sending warnings. Later IMD became the first organisation in India to have a message switching computer for supporting its global data exchange. One of the first few electronic computers introduced in the country was provided to IMD for scientific applications in meteorology. India was the first developing country in the world to have its own geostationary satellite, INSAT, for continuous weather monitoring of this part of the globe and particularly for cyclone warning.
IMD has continuously ventured into new areas of application and service, and steadily built upon its infra-structure in its history of 150 years. It has simultaneously nurtured the growth of meteorology and atmospheric science in India. Today, meteorology in India is poised at the threshold of an exciting future.
India Meteorological Department was established in 1875. It is the National Meteorological Service of the country and the principal government agency in all matters relating to meteorology and allied subjects.
- To take meteorological observations and to provide current and forecast meteorological information for optimum operation of weather-sensitive activities like agriculture, irrigation, shipping, aviation, offshore oil explorations, etc.
- To warn against severe weather phenomena like tropical cyclones, norwesters, duststorms, heavy rains and snow, cold and heat waves, etc., which cause destruction of life and property.
- To provide meteorological statistics required for agriculture, water resource management, industries, oil exploration and other nation-building activities.
- To conduct and promote research in meteorology and allied disciplines.
15. Environment
16. Security
Army Day
The Indian Army, established in 1895, did not have its first Army chief until 1949. On this day, back in 1949, Field Marshal KM Cariappa became the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army after India received independence.
The country witnessed communal rights after the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, prompting soldiers to come forward to maintain peace in the country. It was the right time to take over command of the Indian Army from the Britishers. Thus, Field Marshal Cariappa took over charges from General Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief.
Every year on January 15, soldiers mark the highlights and achievements of Field Marshal Cariappa and the Indian Army.
76th Army Day Celebrations
As India celebrates its 76th Army Day in 2024, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a post on X, saying, “On Army Day, we honour the extraordinary courage, unwavering commitment and sacrifices of our Army personnel. Their relentless dedication in protecting our nation and upholding our sovereignty is a testament to their bravery. They are pillars of strength and resilience.”
This year, the grand celebrations will happen not in customary locations like Delhi or Bengaluru, but in Lucknow.
Army Day honours the selflessness, bravery, and steadfast dedication of the Indian Army that protects the nation from external dangers. Indian Army is the guardian and saviour of India and its citizens. Soldiers on the frontline risk their lives without giving it a second thought and guard the country from unprecedented threats.
Indian Army soldiers celebrate the day with rhythmic foot march, well-coordinated hand swings and loud chanting of war cries.
Indian Army Chief, General Manoj Pande, conveyed his warm wishes to the Indian Army in an official message. He said, “The Indian Army enjoys a distinct stature in the national mind space. I am sanguine that we shall forever remain steadfast in our resolve to uphold the trust reposed in us by the nation. Let us re-dedicate ourselves to the service of the nation, in the true spirit of our core ethos of ‘Naam,’ ‘Namak’ aur ‘Nishaan.'”
MAIDEN INDIAN NAVY – ROYAL THAI NAVY BILATERAL EXERCISE AND 36TH EDITION OF INDO-THAI COORDINATED PATROL
The maiden Bilateral Maritime Exercise between the Indian Navy (IN) and Royal Thai Navy (RTN) was conducted from 20 to 23 December 2023.
Indigenously built Indian Naval ships Kulish and IN LCU 56 participated in the inaugural edition of the exercise. The RTN side was represented by His Thai Majesty’s Ship (HTMS) Prachuap Khiri Khan. The 36th edition of India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) was also conducted along with the maiden bilateral exercise. Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both navies participated in the Sea Phase of the exercise.
With the institution of a Bilateral Exercise, both navies have taken a step towards strengthening operational synergy and progressively increasing the exercise complexity. During the maiden edition of the exercise, participating units from both navies conducted surface and anti-air exercises including weapon firing, seamanship evolutions and tactical manoeuvres.
As part of Government of India’s vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region), the Indian Navy has been proactively engaging with countries in the Indian Ocean Region towards enhancing regional maritime security. The Indian Navy and Royal Thai Navy have maintained a close and friendly relationship which has strengthened over the years. The conduct of maiden IN-RTN Bilateral Exercise along with Indo-Thai CORPAT is a testimony to the growing bilateral relations between the two maritime neighbours and has enabled in enhancing interoperability between the two navies.
The Indo-Thai Bilateral Exercise is being named as ‘Ex-Ayutthaya’, which literally translates to ‘The Invincible One’ or ‘Undefeatable’, and symbolises the significance of two of the oldest cities Ayodhya in India and Ayutthaya in Thailand, the historic legacies, rich cultural ties and shared historical narratives dating back to several centuries
17. Disaster Management