From the Newsroom: BJP slams Opposition for boycotting President's speech

In your evening news brief, From The Newsroom, The Economic Survey 2021 has said that India’s exports are expected to contract by 5.8% and imports by 11.3% during the second half of the current financial year; BJP slams Opposition for boycotting President's speech and Asif Apathbandhava wins popular choice award of DH Changemakers.

The Economic Survey 2021 has said that India’s exports are expected to contract by 5.8% and imports by 11.3% during the second half of the current financial year, though implementation of several measures by the government would help support exports going forward.

It has said that with gradual recovery of economic activities imports and exports have picked up

The survey has suggested revision in the weightage of food items to gauge the true picture of inflation in the country, and said new sources of price data also need to be incorporated in the wake of increasing retail e-commerce transactions.

As per the survey, the current spike in consumer price-based retail inflation of food prices is mainly a supply-side phenomenon.

To know more about the economic survey listen to a podcast all about it, the links for which you can find in the show notes. President Ram Nath Kovind invoked nationalist Assamese poet Ambikagiri Raichaudhuri in his address in Parliament today to describe how the country achieves success even in seemingly unattainable goals whenever it is united and said challenges like Covid-19 or border tension with China were faced with fortitude by everyone together.

Addressing the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament on the first day of the Budget session, Kovind also said that Modi government is fully committed to the overall and balanced development of eastern India.

It must be noted that two eastern states- Assam and West Bengal go to polls this year.

Terming the boycott of the President's address by some opposition parties as "unfortunate", the BJP said that as the symbol of constitutional head of the country, the President is above political differences, and attacked the Congress, saying its "arrogance" is the "real problem".

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the only solution to the farmers' issue was throwing the new farmers laws in the "waste paper basket" and warned that if not resolved, the agitation will spread to other parts of the country.

He accused the government of trying to intimidate and discredit the farmers, using the National Investigation Agency.

Today, the much-awaited event of DH Changemakers was held in Bengaluru. 21 changemakers were felicitated and the popular choice award went to Asif Apathbandhava.

To watch the entire episode of the event, the links are in the show notes.