India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman prepares to present her interim budget to Parliament on February 1. The Economic Survey is to be presented on Monday July 22, a day before the national budget. Reuters
India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman prepares to present her interim budget to Parliament on February 1. The Economic Survey is to be presented on Monday July 22, a day before the national budget. Reuters
India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman prepares to present her interim budget to Parliament on February 1. The Economic Survey is to be presented on Monday July 22, a day before the national budget. Reuters
India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman prepares to present her interim budget to Parliament on February 1. The Economic Survey is to be presented on Monday July 22, a day before the national budg

Indian Finance Minister to present country's state of economy ahead of national budget


Taniya Dutta
  • English
  • Arabic

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present India's Economic Survey on Monday, an annual report that provides indicators of possible policy changes in the 2024-2025 budget scheduled to be submitted to Parliament on Tuesday.

The annual government report reviews gross domestic product growth and inflation over the previous year and provides data on industry, agriculture, employment, prices and exports.

A brief economic review tabled in January, before the general election held from April to June, said that India could become a $7 trillion economy by 2030.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to speed up economic growth after winning a third consecutive term.

However, his policy decisions could be influenced by partners in the National Democratic Alliance government after his Bharatiya Janata Party failed to win a majority.

Many commentators have said unemployment, high taxes, inflation and growing economic disparity are reasons for the BJP's poor performance after sweeping back-to-back polls in 2014 and 2019.

Ms Sitharaman, who will be presenting her seventh budget on Tuesday, is under pressure to introduce income tax relief for the salaried class, lower the cost of housing loans, announce a cash transfer scheme for poor urban women and increase spending on welfare schemes.

She presented an interim budget on February 1.

Mr Modi's government is expected to continue building public infrastructure to stimulate economic growth and create jobs, with billions of dollars spent since 2014 on upgrading motorways, waterways, airports and railways.

In the past four years, the government has opened freight corridors and launched high-speed train services, opened seven airports and laid the foundations for 15 new airport terminals and more than 35 million homes for the poor.

However, Mr Modi had failed to deliver on economic promises made during the 2019 election, including the creation of 10 million jobs.

The country of 1.4 billion people is facing a job crisis, with the unemployment rate hovering around 8.1 per cent in April, according to Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy.

Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

Results
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Tori Amos
Native Invader
Decca

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The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
The more serious side of specialty coffee

While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.

The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.

Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”

One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.

Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms. 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
World Sevens Series standing after Dubai

1. South Africa
2. New Zealand
3. England
4. Fiji
5. Australia
6. Samoa
7. Kenya
8. Scotland
9. France
10. Spain
11. Argentina
12. Canada
13. Wales
14. Uganda
15. United States
16. Russia

Innotech Profile

Date started: 2013

Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari

Based: Muscat, Oman

Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies

Size: 15 full-time employees

Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing 

Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now. 

THE SPECS

Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)

Power: 141bhp 

Torque: 250Nm 

Price: Dh64,500

On sale: Now

LA LIGA FIXTURES

Friday

Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)

Valencia v Levante (midnight)

Saturday

Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)

Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)

Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)

Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)

Sunday

Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)

Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)

Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Various%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rosario%20Dawson%2C%20Natasha%20Liu%20Bordizzo%2C%20Lars%20Mikkelsen%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Women%E2%80%99s%20T20%20World%20Cup%20Qualifier
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How to tell if your child is being bullied at school

Sudden change in behaviour or displays higher levels of stress or anxiety

Shows signs of depression or isolation

Ability to sleep well diminishes

Academic performance begins to deteriorate

Changes in eating habits

Struggles to concentrate

Refuses to go to school

Behaviour changes and is aggressive towards siblings

Begins to use language they do not normally use

If you go…

Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.

Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days. 

Updated: July 22, 2024, 7:54 AM`