
India's Extreme Poverty Rate Plummets to 5.3% in 2022-23: World Bank
Pointers by Shruti Pitke 08-Jun-2025
- India's extreme poverty rate fell sharply from 27.1% in 2011-12 to 5.3% in 2022-23.
- Nearly 269 million people were lifted out of extreme poverty in just over a decade.
- The World Bank raised the poverty line benchmark to $3 per day, making the achievement more significant.
- Government welfare schemes and improved household consumption data played a key role in poverty reduction.
- The rural-urban poverty gap narrowed substantially, with both areas seeing major declines in poverty rates.

Wholesale Inflation Drops to 14-Month Low of 0.39% in May
Pointers by Shruti Pitke 16-Jun-2025
- Wholesale price inflation (WPI) fell to 0.39% in May, the lowest in 14 months.
- The decline was driven by easing prices in food, fuel, and manufactured products.
- Vegetable prices dropped sharply, with a deflation of 21.62% in May.
- Retail inflation also eased, reaching a six-year low of 2.82% during the same period.
- The sustained decline in inflation allowed the RBI to cut interest rates to 5.5%.

Canadian FPI Assets in India Rise by Rs 28,000 Crore Amid G7 Summit
Pointers by Shruti Pitke 16-Jun-2025
- Canadian foreign portfolio investment (FPI) in India has surged by Rs 28,000 crore since February.
- May 2025 saw record FPI inflows into India, totaling Rs 19,860 crore, the highest this year.
- The rise is driven by improved investor sentiment and positive Indian economic indicators.
- India-Canada economic ties remain strong despite recent diplomatic tensions.
- PM Modi will attend the G7 Summit in Canada, signaling renewed bilateral cooperation.

Arun Srinivas Appointed as Meta’s New India Head Amid Leadership Reshuffle
Pointers by Shruti Pitke 16-Jun-2025
- Arun Srinivas has been named managing director and head of Meta’s India operations, effective July 1, 2025.
- Srinivas currently leads Meta’s ads business in India and has worked with top advertisers since 2020.
- He brings nearly 30 years of experience from companies like Hindustan Unilever, Reebok, Ola, and WestBridge Capital.
- Srinivas will focus on aligning business, innovation, and revenue priorities to drive Meta’s growth in India.
- He will report to Sandhya Devanathan, who now oversees both India and Southeast Asia for Meta.

Tariff Gap with China Narrows: India Reassesses Market Access and Trade Strategy with US
Pointers by Shruti Pitke 15-Jun-2025
- The US and China have agreed to sharply reduce tariffs, narrowing the tariff gap with India.
- India’s earlier export advantage to the US is eroding as Chinese goods now face lower US tariffs.
- Indian policymakers are recalibrating trade strategies and market access to stay competitive in the US.
- Ongoing India-US trade talks focus on tariff relief, market access, and a possible interim trade deal by fall.
- Indian exporters face stiffer competition and must improve efficiency as the tariff differential shrinks.

CBI Raids Supertech, Top Executives Booked for ₹126 Crore IDBI Bank Fraud
Pointers by Shruti Pitke 15-Jun-2025
- CBI filed FIR against Supertech, its promoters, and directors for ₹126 crore IDBI Bank fraud.
- Accused allegedly used forged documents to obtain and divert loan funds from IDBI Bank.
- Five locations in Noida and Ghaziabad were raided; incriminating documents and ₹28.5 lakh cash seized.
- The loan account was declared a wilful default and marked as fraudulent by the bank.
- Investigation ongoing; Supertech claims settlement process with IDBI Bank is underway.