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Indian exports also back to the Pre-Pandemic levels in first half of 2021-22
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 16, 2021
Data for the first half of 2021-22 indicates that Indian exports are back to the 2019-20 levels. The exports increased to USD 198.2 billion during the first half of 2021-22 compared to USD 125.6 billion during the same period in 2020-21, and USD 159.1 billion in 2019-20.
In an earlier story, we reviewed the trends in imports to India from the leading import trade partners, excluding China. In the case of most of the countries, the value of imports fell during 2020-21 compared to the pre-COVID year of 2019-20. However, the imports during the first half of 2021-22 are back to the pre-pandemic levels.
In the 2 story of this two-part series, we analyse the impact on Indian exports due to the COVID-19 pandemic i.e., during 2020-21 and the first half of 2021-22.
Major fall in exports to UAE during 2020-21
The overall exports of India during 2020-21 were worth USD 291.8 billion, which is a nearly 7% fall compared to 2019-20 when it was USD 313.3 billion. While the COVID-19 pandemic could be cited as a reason, it has to be noted that there was a decline in the exports even during 2019-20 compared to 2018-19, when it was USD 330 billion.
In an earlier story, we have highlighted that in contrast to the overall trend of exports, the exports to China have increased during 2020-21. Here is a snapshot of the other leading export partners.
Exports during the first half of 2021-22 crossed 2019-20 levels for most Countries
As per the Export Import Databank’s monthly data, the total value of exports by the end of September 2021 i.e., the first half of 2021-22 was USD 198.26 billion. This is an increase of nearly 58% compared to the same period in 2020-21. Even compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019-20, there is an increase of 24.5% in India’s exports in the first half of 2021-22.
Fall in exports of Petroleum Oils along with Pearls, Precious stones & metals in 2020-21
Distilled products from Crude petroleum i.e., Mineral Oils & Petroleum Oils form the largest constituent of India’s exports. The exports of distilled petroleum products were valued at USD 26.9 billion in 2020-21 which is around 37% less than that of 2019-20. These products also form a major part of the exports to the UAE. The fall in the exports of these products is the reason for a significant decrease in exports to UAE.
Another major group of products that India exports to the UAE is Pearls, Precious stones & metals. Their overall export value fell from USD 36 billion in 2019-20 to USD 26 billion in 2020-21. This has also contributed to the fall of exports to the UAE. These two groups of products have also contributed towards the fall in exports to other countries, including the USA.
The fall in the export of distilled petroleum products has also contributed to the major fall in exports to the Netherlands, as noted earlier. Meanwhile, the exports of pharmaceutical products have increased in 2020-21 by about 19 %. These exports have increased across all the countries, with the USA accounting for the highest value of exports.
Although there is an increase in Iron & Steel, these exports were primarily to China. There is also an increase in exports of Iron & Steel to Indonesia.
A substantial increase in the export of Cereals to Bangladesh in 2020-21 has contributed towards the increase in exports to that country, despite a fall in exports of most of the other traditional exports. During 2020-21, there is an increase in the export of cereals to a few other African and Asian countries also.  India exported around USD 1 billion worth of Cereals to Bangladesh in 2020-21, compared to only about USD 40 million in 2019-20.
Just as was the case for Imports, trends indicate that the increase in exports during the first half of 2021-22 to the pre-pandemic levels is majorly due to the resumption in the export of major products to the earlier levels. Few of the products like Cereals have continued their increasing trend even during the first half of 2021-22, thereby contributing towards the overall increase in the exports.
Impact of India’s trade balance is still unclear
India’s imports increased by around 80% during the first half of 2021-22 compared to that of the same period in 2020-21. However, compared to the pre-pandemic year i.e., the first half of 2019-20, imports grew by around 10%.
In comparison, the exports during the first half of 2021-22 grew by around 57% compared to 2020-21 while in comparison to 2019-20, they grew by around 24.5%. India has an unfavourable trade balance with the value of imports higher than that of the value of exports. It remains to be seen if the growth in exports & imports sustains at the same pace. The impact on India’s trade balance will not be clear unless trade across the world resumes to normal levels.
It also has to be noted that the increase in exports of products like Cereals & Pharmaceuticals might have been necessitated due to the pandemic. While this increasing trend is continuing even in 2021-22, whether the demand will sustain in the longer term is not clear.
Apart from these specific cases, the trends during the first half of 2021-22 indicate the resumption of trade in the case of important products (by value) to normal levels. There is also not much change in the source or destination countries for major import/export products. Except for the disruption caused due to the pandemic, there has not been a major change either in the case of products or countries.
Featured Image:  Indian exports back to the Pre-Pandemic levels

created: November 16, 2021


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Data: Indian Tourists to Maldives at an All-Time High in 2021 While Other Island Destinations Yet to Recover from the Impact of COVID-19
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 16, 2024
In the first week of January 2024, India and Maldives found themselves in an unexpected diplomatic spat as prominent officials in Maldives made derogatory remarks against PM Modi. Data reveals that the number of Indian Tourists to Maldives was at an all-time high in 2021 while other popular island destinations such as Indonesia, Thailand are yet to recover from the impact of COVID-19.
In the first week of January 2024, India and Maldives found themselves in an unexpected diplomatic spat as prominent officials in Maldives made derogatory remarks against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The war of words soon escalated, with prominent celebrities urging Indians to explore Lakshadweep, coupled with people cancelling existing reservations and trending #BoycottMaldives on social media. A travel portal named EasyMyTrip followed the path by cancelling travel bookings for Maldives.
But what do numbers reveal about international travel by Indians? In today’s story, we look at trends related to the outbound departures of Indian nationals from India and the recovery of domestic tourism in India.
Methodology:
The primary data source for today’s story is the annual publication, titled ‘Indian Tourism Statistics’, released by the Ministry of Tourism, with the latest one being released in 2022. The Ministry compiles the statistics related to tourism in India based on a wide variety of sources- respective tourism departments of the Indian States, the Bureau of Immigration (BoI), the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
Further, this report defines outbound travel by Indians as any person with an Indian passport going abroad irrespective of their purpose and destination.
International travel by Indians from India on path of recovery post COVID-19
The Bureau of Immigration (BOI) compiles the total count of Indian nationals leaving the country based on Embarkation cards. In 1991, the departures of Indian nationals were recorded at 1.94 million, and by 2000, this figure had surged to 4.4 million. This further grew to 26.91 million in 2019, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.5%. The departure figures thereafter fell to 7.29 million in 2020. The global COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the subsequent lockdown in India in 2020, significantly impacted tourism, leading to a drastic decrease in various parameters that year. However, there was a noteworthy recovery in 2022, with Indian nationals’ departures experiencing a positive growth of 190% over 2020, compared to a substantial decline of 72.9% in 2020 over the figures from 2019.
UAE and Saudi Arabia remain top destinations for Indians even post-pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the tourism sector. With severe lockdown restrictions and a variety of requirements among nations, the tourism sector registered a decline across the globe in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, the tourism sector did recover partially.
In the Indian scenario, Indians travelling abroad registered an increase to 21.1 million in 2022, up from 7.3 million in 2020. With the pre-pandemic highest figures being 26.9 million in 2019, it can be said that India’s outbound travel domain has recovered decently.
In terms of the destination country, UAE and Saudi Arabia remained the top destination countries for outbound departures of Indian nationals. With Abu Dhabi and Dubai being ‘hub airports’, UAE recorded 5.89 million Indian arrivals in 2022, almost reaching the pre-pandemic level of 6.39 million in 2019. Saudi Arabia also recovered impressively, recording 2.42 million Indian arrivals as compared to 2.92 million in 2019.
Interestingly, the United Kingdom recorded 0.92 million Indian arrivals in 2022, the highest ever since 2011. This could partially be due to long visa waiting periods for other countries such as the USA. Island nations such as Singapore and Thailand witnessed recovery, but the numbers are significantly lower compared to the pre-pandemic levels.
India emerged as the number one market for Maldives tourism in 2020, and retains the same in 2021 & 2022.
With Europe and the Asia-Pacific jointly accounting for over 90% of total arrivals to the Maldives, the majority of the top ten markets for the country emerge from these regions. The reopening of borders ushered in a significant shift in the travel landscape, reshaping the leading markets for the Maldives.
As per the statistics of the Maldives tourism ministry, for the very first time, India claimed the leading spot in the Maldives’ top ten list, contributing 62,960 tourists, marking an 11.3% share in 2020. This is also the first time the Indian market accounted for a double-digit chunk of the market share. India is closely followed by Russia with an 11.1% share, and the United Kingdom with a 9.5% share. In absolute terms, the number of tourists travelling to Maldives from India was highest in 2018, before the surge in 2019 with approximately 90,474 people. Yet, its share in the total Maldives tourists remained at a mere 6.1%.
Further, as per the Ministry of Statistics of Maldives, Indian tourists rose from 10,616 in 2000, with a meager share of 2.5% to a highest of 2,91,787 in 2021, accounting for 22% of the total, indicating the increasing preference to visit this island nation. The following year 2022 witnessed a slight decline, with 2,41,382 Indians visiting Maldives (14.4% of the total).
Delayed weddings, simplified visa process, ease of restrictions, and the concept of ‘one-island-one-nation’, could be some of the prime reasons behind the surge in the inflow of Indian nationals to Maldives post-COVID-19.
(Note: The data of Indian tourists’ arrival in Maldives as per both Indian and Maldives tourism is the same from 1999 to 2018. From 2019, there is a significant divergence in the data published by these two agencies.)
Other popular-island nations yet to reach pre-pandemic inflow levels of Indian nationals.
With tourism being the biggest contributor to GDP, small island nations were badly hit by the pandemic. While Maldives recorded impressive recovery figures, other popular island nations are yet to achieve the pre-pandemic levels. Thailand and Singapore almost recorded more than 15 lakh Indian arrivals before 2020. In 2021, these countries received a meager less than 1 lakh Indian arrivals in 2022.
How is domestic tourism recovering?
Post the pandemic, one of the anticipated transformations in the tourism sector is an increasing preference to travel domestically. Domestic tourism is playing a role in alleviating the impact of the pandemic, to some extent, and with governments incentivising and promoting domestic tourism, domestic tourism is only expected to grow.
A domestic tourist visit is defined as below.
The data on domestic tourism in India show that domestic tourist visits rose to a highest of 2321 million in 2019, up from 236 million in 2001. During the pandemic, domestic tourist visits decreased significantly to 610 million in 2020 and 677 million in 2021. In 2022, domestic tourism recovered to 1731 million, registering a growth of over 150% from 2021 levels.
Featured Image: Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

source: news-factly

created: January 16, 2024

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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Data: India’s Fish Production Increased by Over 75% in the Last 10 Years, Largely Because Growth in Inland Fish Production
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 20, 2022
As per the data provided in ‘Handbook on Fisheries Statistics’ published by Department of Fisheries, the Fish production in India increased by over 75% between 2009-10 and 2019-20. While Inland fish production increased by over three times during this period, Marine fish production is up by around 30%.
As per an outlook report by Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO), the consumption of Fish continues to increase and is projected to increase 15% by 2031 compared to the base period 2019-2021. Fish are an important source of macro & micronutrients and even small quantities have a significant positive nutritional impact. Hence, they play a crucial role in nutrition and global food security.
In line with the consumption side demand, the production of Fish & other aquatic food has increased over the years. Countries with coast lines and larger inland water resources traditionally have a larger share of the global fish production. India ranks among the leading countries in fish production. In fact, India ranks next only to China in the inland Fish Production and is among the top-10 marine fish capturing countries.
As per Department of Fisheries, the Gross Value-added of fisheries sector accounts for more than 7% of Agriculture GDP. In this story, we analyse the trends related to Fisheries in India. Data provided in ‘Handbook on Fisheries Statistics’ published by Department of Fisheries is considered for analysis.
77% increase in Fish production over 10 years, contributed largely by increase in Inland fish production
The total Fish production in India during 2019-20 was 141.64 lakh tonnes (LT) of which 104.37 LT was from Inland fish production and 37.27 LT was from Marine fish production.
Inland fish production refers to the fishing and fish production in inland waters i.e., freshwater bodies. Marine fish production refers to the fish caught in saltwater sources i.e., seas & oceans.
India’s total fish production has seen a steady increase over the years. The increase is more significant over the recent decade. During 2009-10, the total fish production in India was 79.98 LT. In the ensuing 10 years, the annual fish production increased to 141 LT i.e., increase of 77 %.  This increase is largely contributed by the increase in the Inland Fish production.  During 2000-01, the annual fish production through Inland and Marine sources were at par with each other. The Inland Fish production was 28.45 LT, while the annual marine fish production was 28.11 LT. The annual Inland fish production has witnessed a higher growth rate compared to the marine fish production. The growth is more evident in the last decade.
By the end of 2009-10, the inland fish production was 48.94 LT, while marine fish production was 31 LT. In the ensuing 10 years, the annual inland fish production more than doubled to 104.37 LT while there has only been a marginal increase in the annual marine fish production.
Gujarat, Tamil Nadu & Andhra Pradesh are the leading states in Marine Fish Production
India’s coastline is around 7.5 thousand Kilometres. There are 9 coastal states in India – Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha & West Bengal. The UTs of Daman & Diu, Puducherry along with the island UTs of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep also have a coastline. Gujarat has the longest coastline followed by Andhra Pradesh & Tamil Nadu. This is reflected in their marine fish production, with these two states being the leading states.
In 2019-20, the marine fish production of Gujarat was 7.01 LT, which is around 19% of All India Production. The production from Tamil Nadu was 5.83 LT and Andhra Pradesh was 5.64 LT.  West Bengal & Odisha have a lower marine fish production compared to the other coastal states. The share of these states among the marine fish production has largely remained unchanged over the years.
Andhra Pradesh has the major share of Inland Fish production, followed by West Bengal
Inland fish production is spread across multiple states. However, there are few states which make a significant contribution towards India’s Inland Fish production.  Andhra Pradesh is the largest contributor towards Inland Fish production.  In 2019-20, the production in AP was 36.1 LT, which is nearly 35% of the total inland fish production in India. This is more than twice the next state in the list i.e., West Bengal, whose production in 2019-20 was 16.2 LT.
In the 2018-19 as well, the production in AP was 33.9 LT which was also 35% of the India’s total inland fish production. The growth in Inland Fish production highlighted earlier, is contributed by Andhra Pradesh to a large extent.  Bihar, Uttar Pradesh & Odisha are other states which contribute significantly to Inland Fish Production. A correlation between the major river systems in India and the States with higher inland fish production can be observed. Major Carps which include species like Catla, Rohu, Marigal, etc. form the major share of the Fresh water fish caught, with both AP & West Bengal being the major states where these fish are caught.
The quantity Fish exported has doubled over 10 years, while the value increased four-fold
India is the 6 largest exporter of Frozen Fish in the world, although its standing in other fish exports is not among the best. In 2019-20, the total quantity of fish products exported by India was 12.9 LT, while the value of these exports was Rs. 46.6 thousand crores.
In 2009-10, the quantity of fish exported was 6.78 LT. In the ensuing 10 years the total quantity of Fish exports almost doubled. During this period, the value of fish products being exported increase four-fold. During 2009-10, the value of fish exported was Rs. 10.05 thousand crores, which increased to Rs. 46.6 thousand crores in 2019-20. In terms of USD, the value of fish exports in 2019-20 was 6.7 billion USD.
Frozen Shrimp form the major share of Fish Exports of India
As highlighted, India is one of the global leaders of Frozen fish exports. Its exports form around 4% of global frozen fish exports. Frozen fish and other aquatic foods form a major share of India’s fish exports compared to live fish. Among the Frozen fish products, Frozen Shrimp constitute the major portion.
As per the data published in ‘Handbook on Fisheries Statistics’, the total quantity of Frozen Shrimp exported by India is 6.52 lakh mega tons. The value of this is Rs.34.1 thousand crores. Frozen fish is the next in the list of fish exports with 2.23 lakh mega tons of exports.  Other important Frozen products include – Frozen Cuttle Fish & Frozen Squid.
India also exports other categorised of Fish products.  84.4 thousand mega tons of Dried items were exported in 2019-20, while the volume of Chilled items exported were 21.2 thousand mega tonnes.  Comparatively, the volume of exports of Live items were only 7.2 thousand mega tons. The composition of exports even in the earlier years largely remained the same, with Frozen Shrimp forming a major part of the exports by India.

created: October 20, 2022


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India’s Hypertension diagnosis rates improve but still among the lowest in the World
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 30, 2021
The WHO funded first comprehensive global analysis of trends in hypertension prevalence, detection, treatment, and control was recently published. As per the data, while the diagnosis & treatment rates in India have improved in the last 30 years, they are still among the lowest in the World.
Hypertension or elevated blood pressure is a medical condition wherein the force exerted by circulating blood against the walls of the arteries in the human body is too high. Unhealthy diets, obesity, physical inactivity, and a family history of hypertension are some of the risk factors for the condition, which can cause serious damage to the heart, kidneys, and other organs. It is one of the top causes of death and disease throughout the world. More than a billion adults globally are estimated to have hypertension. However, despite the condition being easy to detect, about half the persons who have hypertension are unaware that they have the condition. Lack of diagnosis results in low rates of treatment of hypertension, though it can be controlled with low-cost treatment.
First comprehensive global analysis of trends in Hypertension published recently
Recently, the first comprehensive global analysis of trends in hypertension prevalence, detection, treatment, and control was published in the peer-reviewed journal, The Lancet. The study was led by Imperial College London and the World Health Organization (WHO). A global network of physicians and researchers was involved in the study, including scientists from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Information from 1201 different studies carried out between 1990 and 2019 with data on 104 million participants in the age group of 30 to 79 years, across 184 countries covering 99% of the global population, has been used for the study. The study presents consistent national, regional, and global estimates of trends in hypertension prevalence, detection, treatment, and control from 1990 to 2019 for 200 countries and territories.
Hypertension has been defined in the study as having systolic blood pressure of ≥ 140 millimetres of mercury (mm Hg), diastolic blood pressure ≥ of 90 mm Hg, and/or taking medication for hypertension. The study applied a ‘Bayesian hierarchical model’ to estimate the prevalence of hypertension, the proportion of people with hypertension who had a previous diagnosis (detection), who were taking medication for hypertension (treatment), and whose hypertension was controlled to below 140/90 mm Hg (control).
Over 1.28 billion people globally had Hypertension in 2019
According to the report, the number of adults aged between 30 to 79 years with hypertension has almost doubled from 650 million in 1990 to over 1.28 billion in 2019. The number of men with hypertension has increased from 317 million to 652 million while the number of women with hypertension has gone up from 331 million to 626 million, in these three decades. During this period, the number of men with hypertension has overtaken the number of women with hypertension in the mentioned age group. As per the report, more than 1 billion persons with hypertension, accounting for 82% of all the persons with hypertension in the world in 2019, lived in low-income and middle-income regions. The reason behind the increase in number as compared to 1990 is because prevalence remained unchanged or slightly increased while the population grew and became older.
50% or more Men in the 30 to 79 years age group had Hypertension in 10 countries
The prevalence of hypertension in 2019 was the highest in Paraguay where 51% of women and 62% of men had hypertension in the 30 to 79 years age group. The prevalence was 50% and above among women in three countries (Paraguay, Tuvalu, and Dominica) and in ten countries among men including Paraguay, Hungary, Poland, Argentina, Lithuania, Romania, Belarus, Croatia, Tajikistan, and Serbia. On the other hand, Switzerland recorded the least prevalence among women (17%) and Eritrea recorded the least prevalence among men (22%).  Switzerland, Peru, and Canada recorded 20% and lower prevalence among women. A total of 16 countries recorded prevalence below 25% among women whereas that among men was recorded in 6 countries including Eritrea, Peru, Bangladesh, Canada, Ethiopia, and the Solomon Islands.
31% of the population in India had Hypertension
India is ranked 156 and 164 globally in terms of hypertension prevalence among men and women respectively, in 2019. The prevalence was 31.6% among men and 30.5% among women, in 2019. Nearly 31% of those in the 30 to 79 age group have hypertension in India, as of 2019.
Prevalence in India, along with the US and China has gone up
To understand India’s position vis-à-vis other nations, we compare the prevalence of hypertension among BRICS nations and other developed countries like the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Spain, and Japan which are part of G20 countries. Canada and Switzerland are among the countries with low prevalence.
In 1990, the prevalence among men in the 30 to 79 age group was about 28% in India. Among these 12 countries, India had the second-lowest prevalence, after China. On the other hand, Russia had a prevalence of nearly 51% followed by Japan, the UK, Brazil, and Switzerland which had a prevalence of more than 40%. However, after 30 years, the prevalence has gone up in South Africa, the USA, India, China, and Brazil. In 2019, the prevalence among men was 47.9% in Brazil and 43.7% in South Africa.
Among women, the prevalence was 53.1% in Russia in 1990. Brazil, UK, Australia, Japan, and South Africa had a prevalence of more than 30% and were ahead of India. However, in 2019, like the case with men, the prevalence has increased in the same five countries- the USA, South Africa, India, Brazil, and China. The prevalence in Russia, South Africa, and Brazil continues to be above 40%.
Increased Prevalence of Hypertension among Men than Women since 2008
Between 1990 and 2019, the prevalence has gone up from 28.1% in 1990 to 31.6% among men and from 29.4% to 30.5% among women, in India. It is seen that until 2008, the prevalence was more among women as compared to men. However, in 2008 the prevalence among men overtook that among women, like the global trend. This trend continues to date with prevalence among men more than the prevalence among women.
Globally, 41% of women and 51% of men were unaware of their condition
Significant gaps in the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension exist, as noted in the study. An estimated 46% of adults or about 580 million persons with hypertension were unaware that they have the condition. 41% of women and 51% of men were unaware of their condition because they were never diagnosed.  In 1990, about 30.2% of the men with hypertension were diagnosed which has increased to 49% in 2019. During the same period, the proportion of women with hypertension who were diagnosed has gone up from 42.8% to 58.9%.
In 2019, the proportion of men with hypertension who were diagnosed was the highest in Iceland where 82.9% of men were diagnosed. Kazakhstan and Canada too had more than 80% diagnosis. USA, Switzerland, Germany, Costa Rica, and Croatia had more than 70% diagnosis. Rwanda had the lowest proportion of men diagnosed with only 17.7%. Meanwhile, among women, Kazakhstan led the list with over 86.4% diagnosed followed by the USA and Iceland which had more than 82% women diagnosed. Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Russia are the other countries with more than 80% diagnosis among women. Rwanda was at the bottom of the list with 28.6% women diagnosed.
India is ranked 182 for women and 170 for men in terms of Hypertension diagnosis
Of the 200 countries, India was ranked 182 for women and 170 for men in terms of a hypertension diagnosis in 2019. India’s rate of diagnosis is among the lowest in the world. Among women, 41.7% of those with hypertension were diagnosed whereas, among the men, the same was 31.7%, in 2019.
Comparison with the 12 other countries as seen earlier reveals that India had the least diagnosis rates, both in 1990 and 2019 among men and women. China and South Africa have recorded an improvement in diagnosis among men from less than 24% in 1990 to above 40% in 2019. The USA which had the highest diagnosis rate among men in 1990 was overtaken by Canada which has more than 80% diagnosis in 2019.
Among women, the proportion of diagnosis continues to be the highest in the USA where 74.5% were diagnosed in 1990, which has increased to 82.8% in 2019. UK and China had diagnosis rates below 40% in 1990 but have significantly improved their diagnosis rates to over 55% in 2019.
Diagnosis has improved in India but remains low
In India, there has been a steady increase in the diagnosis rate over the years. The diagnosis among women increased from 18.8% in 1990 to 41.7% in 2019. During this period, the diagnosis among men increased from 12.2% to 31.7%. Though the diagnosis rate has improved, it remains one of the lowest in the world.  As a result of the poor diagnosis rates, the rate of treatment is poor in India. India’s hypertension treatment rate was only 35% in women and 25% in men.
AP, Telangana, and Kerala have a high prevalence of Hypertension
The NFHS -5 survey has reported data on hypertension in India based on 3 criteria.
According to the Phase-I findings covering 22 states and UTs in 2019-20, 25% of the male population on average is estimated to be having elevated blood pressure or taking medication to control it while 22.5 % of the women population have Hypertension. Sikkim has a comparatively higher proportion of the population having moderate-severe levels of elevated blood pressure among smaller states and Kerala, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh top the list among larger states. Bihar had a lower proportion of the population suffering from hypertension.
WHO has released new guidelines for Hypertension treatment
Taking note of the rising cases, the WHO recently released the ‘WHO Guideline for the pharmacological treatment of hypertension in adults’, which provides new recommendations to help countries improve the management of hypertension. The recommendations give guidance on blood pressure levels for diagnosis, medication, the target blood pressure level, and how often to have follow-up checks on blood pressure.
Source: Guideline for the pharmacological treatment of hypertension in adults (WHO)
What are the Government of India’s programs for control and diagnosis of Hypertension?
In India, the government implements the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) since 2010 up to the district level under the National Health Mission. NPCDCS focuses on strengthening infrastructure, human resource development, health promotion & awareness generation for prevention, early diagnosis, management, and referral to an appropriate level of the healthcare facility for treatment of the given Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) including Hypertension. Another population-based initiative for prevention, control, and screening for common NCDs including Hypertension has been rolled out under NHM Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWC). Under this initiative, persons aged more than 30 years are screened for common NCDs including Hypertension. As per National Action Plan and Monitoring framework for prevention and control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs), a target was set to reduce the prevalence of raised blood pressure by 10% by the year 2020, and by 25% by 2025. However, the target has clearly not been achieved by 2020.
Going by the numbers, India still has a long way to go both in diagnosis and treatment particularly in the case of men.


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Data: India’s Net Import Dependency of Various Energy Commodities Marginally Increases in The Last 10 Years
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 29, 2024
The latest Energy Statistics 2024 report talks about trends in energy, including the sustainable energy efficiency indicators. While there has been improvement in parameters like energy intensity, supply efficiency, share of electricity generation from renewable sources, India’s import dependency of energy commodities shows marginal increase in the last decade.
Energy is essential for India’s development, enabling access to electricity for those lacking it and improving infrastructure across the nation. India has an energy sector that aligns with global efforts toward cleaner, sustainable energy sources. Ensuring energy security is crucial for sustainable development, and economic indicators help in monitoring this aspect. These indicators focus on patterns of energy use and production, as well as security measures such as imports and strategic fuel stocks. By keeping a close eye on these Sustainable Energy Indicators, policymakers can identify vulnerabilities, evaluate risks, and create strategies to strengthen energy security.
With this context, we look at the trends in energy, including the sustainable energy efficiency indicators, using the latest released Energy Statistics 2024 report.
India on a path of energy efficiency.
Energy plays a pivotal role in driving economic and social progress, yet its consumption profoundly impacts resource availability and environmental well-being. Enhancing energy efficiency and disconnecting economic growth from escalating energy demands emerge as crucial goals for sustainable development.
The ratio of energy use to GDP measures the total energy required to support economic and social activities. It encompasses energy consumption resulting from various production and consumption processes across different sectors of the economy. A decrease in energy intensity relative to GDP suggests improvements in energy efficiency, while an increase may indicate growing energy demands outpacing economic growth.
The data on energy intensity show that there is a decline in the energy consumption per thousand rupees of GDP. The Total Primary Energy Supply (TPES) per thousand rupees of GDP declined from 251.4 Mega Joule to 221.5 Mega Joule between 2013-14 and 2022-23, while the Total Final Consumption (TFC) per thousand rupees of GDP fell from 176.8 Mega Joule to 143.7 Mega Joule during the same period. Further, the electricity consumption per thousand rupees of GDP declined from 8.9 kWh to 8.7 kWh. All these indicators point to an improvement in energy efficiency.
Supply efficiency improved over the last decade.
The effectiveness of electricity distribution networks is key for assessing the performance of electricity transmission systems and optimizing energy distribution networks to minimize losses and enhance overall efficiency.  The supply efficiency indicator provides insights into the efficiency of energy infrastructure and processes involved in delivering electricity from power plants to end-users.  However, due to data limitations, the focus is primarily on losses occurring specifically during the transmission of electricity.
While some level of transmission loss is inevitable in any electricity transmission system, minimizing these losses is essential for promoting energy efficiency, cost-effectiveness, environmental sustainability, and the reliability of the power supply. The supply efficiency indicator data show that electricity transmission losses show an almost consistent decline. The share of transmission losses concerning production was 21.68% in 2013-14, which further decreased to 17.28% in 2022-23.
Transport sector becoming more electricity intensive.
Sectoral electricity intensity of major energy-consuming sectors aims to measure how efficiently the technologies are being used in different sectors to improve the efficiency of electricity consumed. The indicator is computed as the ratio of the amount of electricity consumed against a sector to the Gross Value Added of that sector.
The data indicates that the electricity intensity of the industrial and agricultural sectors is almost stagnant with no improvement, while the transport sector saw a rise in the electricity intensity. That is, more electricity is consumed in transport sector without adding any significant gross value of output.
Share of electricity generation from renewable sources almost doubled in last decade.
India’s energy sector stands out as one of the most diverse, boasting a wide array of power generation sources ranging from traditional to innovative non-conventional methods. At the Paris Convention, India pledged to bolster its cumulative installed capacity for non-fossil-fuel-based electricity generation in the national power generation portfolio (PGP) to 40% by 2030. Additionally, it declared to slash emissions intensity by 35% compared to 2005 levels. With ambitious goals in mind, India aims to ramp up its renewable energy capacity to 175 GW by 2022 and further to 275 GW by 2027, signalling a commitment to a sustainable and environmentally conscious future.
The data on this also show a positive growth in renewable energy generation, whose share almost doubled in the last decade. Out of the total electricity generated, the share of thermal fuels stood at 79.8%, while Renewable sources excluding Hydro were at 5.7% during 2013-14. However, there has been a consistent increment in renewable energy generation (excluding hydro), reaching to a decadal high of 11.5% as of 2022-23. Generation from thermal also recorded a decadal low, reaching 77.2% during the same period.
Cumulatively (RE and Hydro included), the share of non-renewable energy resources fell from 85.8% to 79.7%, while renewable energy share grew from 14.2% to 20.3% between 2015-16 and 2022-23.
Import dependency of energy commodities show marginal increase in the last decade.
Energy security, which pertains to the reliable availability of energy to meet demand at affordable prices, is essential for both economic and social sustainability. Interruptions in the energy supply pose systematic risks. There are two types of risks: a quantity risk and a price risk. Both risks are related to the level of a country’s reliance on imported energy commodities. To lower the chance of energy shortages, countries should work on depending less on imports.
Import dependency is calculated as the ratio between net imports of energy commodities to the total supply of energy commodities. In India, the import dependency situation is unusual. There has been a marginal increase in the import dependency of major energy commodities during the last ten years. The crude oil import dependency grew from 83.3% to 88.9%, while the coal import dependency rose from 24.5% to 25% between 2013-14 and 2022-23. The import dependency on natural gas also rose from 33.5% to 43.3% during the same period.
Such a significant import dependency on energy commodities exposes India to energy supply disruptions.


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Data: India’s Population Growth Rate & TFR, Both Below Global Average Now
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 25, 2023
A recent report published by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFP) reiterated that India is on the verge of becoming the most populous nation in the world by mid-2023 surpassing China. In this context, we look at the UNFP numbers and compare them with the projections made by the National Commission on Population’s technical group under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
A recent report published by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFP) reiterated that India is on the verge of becoming the most populous nation in the world by mid-2023 surpassing China. Though this had been anticipated for quite some time, it is official only now. Further, the report states that 68% of India’s population is between the ages of 15 and 64, and about 25% of the population is under 14 years old, 18% between 10 and 19 years, 26% between 10 and 24 years, and 7% over 65.
In today’s story, we look at some of the key statistics related to the population projections of India.
India’s population in 2023 is pegged at 1.4 billion.
The total world population in 2023 stands at 8045 million. India’s population in 2023 is projected at 1428.6 million, while that of China is at 1425.7 million. China has been the most populous country since the 1950s and India is poised to replace China by mid-2023. Both nations cumulatively account for more than one-third of the global population of 8 billion. It is further projected that by 2050, the population of just eight nations—the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and the United Republic of Tanzania—is expected to account for half of the global population.
UN projections exceed the Indian projections by 40 million.
Population predictions can inform decision-makers about significant developments that may have an impact on economic growth and assist in the creation of flexible policies. The National Commission on Population (NCP) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) established a technical group in 2020 to generate population forecasts for the years 2011-2036. The group was given the task of examining the methodology used in previous projections and creating new projections till 2036.
As per the data portal of the population division of the United Nations, the population of India in 2023 stood at 1.43 billion. However, the technical group under the MoHFW projected the population to be at 1.39 billion. The difference between these two projections is about 40 million.
The UN projections are based on “all available sources of data on population size and levels of fertility, mortality, and international migration.” It uses probabilistic approaches to take into consideration both the previous experiences of a certain nation and the past experiences of other countries under comparable conditions. The Technical group utilized the ‘Cohort Component Method’ as it is the universally accepted method of making population projections relying on fertility, mortality, and migration rates.
It is difficult to predict population dynamics with certainty because of a variety of factors, including medical and health interventions, food production and distribution, climatic variability, sociocultural context, political and economic conditions, and a host of other factors. The accuracy of the projected data is also dependent on the input data and the type of assumptions made on the future course. Further, it must be noted that the since the methodology adopted by these two agencies is different, the resulting projections are also different.
Indian population growth falls below the world population growth for the first time in 2018
Since India is a significant contributor to the global population, it is important to look at the growth rate of the population. The data from 1991 indicates that there is a consistent decline in the population growth rate of India, falling from 2.12% in 1991 to 0.81% in 2023. During the same period, the world population growth rate declined from 1.69% to 0.88%. The population growth rate of India fell below the world population growth rate for the first time in 2018, and it continues so.
Infant Mortality Rate & Total Fertility Rate declined by 72% & 50% respectively in last three decades in India.
The infant mortality rate (IMR) is defined as the number of infant deaths for every 1,000 live births. Out of the 1000 live births in India in 1991, there were 87 deaths. However, in 2023, this figure fell to 24, decreasing by 72%. The 24 deaths per 1000 live births are still higher than other nations like China (5.7), and the United States of America (4.9), and almost on par with the global median (26.9).
The total fertility rate (births per woman) also fell from 3.96 in 1991 to 2.0 in 2023 for India, whereas in the USA, it fell from 2.05 to 1.66 and in China from 1.93 to 1.19 during the same period. The global TFR is projected to fall below the replacement level (The number of births per woman required to maintain the size of a population is known as the replacement fertility rate) of 2.1 by 2070.
Uneven growth of population across Indian states
Population growth varies across states owing to a plethora of conditions such as socio-economic circumstances, political environment, economic opportunities, and so on. The populations of a few states grew faster than others. Most of the states that saw big growth in population between 2001 and 2011 are situated in North India. These states showed slower growth rates between 2011 and 2023. Kerala is the only major state that showed greater growth in population during 2011-2023 as compared to 2001-2011.
Upon categorizing states into regions based on geographical location, it is observed that the share of states located in the southern part of India out of the total Indian population is declining, while states in the western region have almost maintained the same share. However, the cumulative share of states located in northern, eastern, and central India is increasing. Four states- Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand account for more than a quarter of the Indian population.


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Data: India’s Tourism sector yet to recover as new variants emerge
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 30, 2021
Tourism numbers reached record lows in 2020 both around the world and in India. As the sector seems to be slowly recovering in the last few months with the foreign tourist arrivals reporting an uptick, the news of a new variant has emerged. While the 2021 numbers for domestic tourists are still not available, the sector’s recovery is severely affected by the new variants.
Before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism was one of the most important sectors in the world economy contributing to nearly 10% of global GDP and providing employment to over 320 million people worldwide. However, the pandemic resulted in the closure of international boundaries, imposition of severe travel restrictions and quarantines, which devastated the tourism sector. According to the UN World Tourism Organization, international tourist arrivals reduced by 74% in 2020 reaching the lowest levels in more than three decades. Further, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) estimated a loss of USD 4 trillion to global GDP because of the losses incurred in the tourism sector.
In India, the tourism sector is estimated to have directly contributed 2.7% to the GDP and 6.7% to the employment of the country in 2019-20. Including indirect contribution, the sector contributed to 5.2% of GDP and 15.3% of employment. According to the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER)’s study published in September 2021, a significant number of jobs were lost in the tourism sector since the lockdown measures in early 2020. The study estimated that 14.5 million jobs during Q1 of 2020-21, 5.2 million jobs during Q2, and 1.8 million jobs during Q3 were lost as compared to an estimated 34.8 million (direct) jobs in 2019-20. This is attributed to the plummeting number of tourists, both domestic & foreign.
Ministry of Tourism provides comprehensive data on domestic and foreign tourists in India
To understand this devastating impact on the Tourism sector in India, we look at the trends of domestic and foreign tourists in India before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this, we used the data from the Ministry of Tourism’s website. The numbers are released annually under the following heads-
Foreign Tourists Arrivals (FTA): This refers to the number of arrivals of foreign tourists/visitors to India, and not the number of persons. For instance, if a person visits India more than once, each arrival is counted as a new arrival. This data is made available on a monthly basis.
Foreign Tourist Visits (FTV): This is the number of foreign tourists who visit a State/UT.
Domestic Tourist Visits (DTV): This refers to the number of domestic tourists visiting a particular State/UT.
The data on Foreign and Domestic Tourist Visits is collated at the state level. It is seen that FTV is always greater than FTA as a foreign tourist might visit multiple states/UTs. The data for FTV and DTV is available only on an annual basis (up to 2020).
FTA in 2020 the lowest since 2003
Until 2019, there was a gradual increase in FTA in India over the years. The FTA had increased from 57.8 lakhs in 2011 to 109.3 lakhs in 2019, registering an increase of 89% in nine years. While the FTA in 2019 was the highest in the last three decades, FTA in 2020 was the lowest since 2003, the year the pandemic struck. In 2020, the FTA dropped to 27.4 lakhs, a decrease of almost 75% as compared to 2019. In 2021, the FTA is at 11.08 lakhs according to the provisional data for 11 months up to November 2021. The FTA in December 2021 must be more than 16.36 lakhs for the total FTA in 2021 to be more than the 2020 numbers, which is most unlikely as the new Omicron variant is spreading fast across the world. Moreover, travel restrictions are being imposed yet again in wake of the new variant.  It also looks near impossible since the highest number of FTA in the month of December prior to the pandemic was 12.26 lakhs.
Total FTA in India in 2021 is less than the FTA in January 2020 alone
The FTA from January to November in 2017 was 88.68 lakhs which gradually increased to 97.04 lakhs in 2019 during the same period. In 2020, the FTA for the first 11 months was 26.54 lakhs, of which 21.38 lakh arrivals (80.6%) were in January and February. Since March 2020, when the viral infection was declared a global pandemic, the FTA has dropped considerably. FTA for the first 11 months of 2021 is only 11.08 lakhs, which is lower than the number of FTA in the month of January 2020 alone when it was 11.09 lakhs.
Between 2017 & 2019, the month-wise FTA was on the rise for almost all the months (except March & May 2019). But, since March 2020 the trend in month-wise FTA has witnessed a sharp drop as expected. In March 2020, the FTA dropped to one-third, from 9.78 lakhs in 2019 to 3.28 lakhs in 2020. At the same time, in the months of April, May, and June when the average FTA in each month was over 7 lakhs in 2019, there were less than 5000 FTA in April and May 2020, and less than 10,000 FTA in June. This was when the nationwide lockdown was at its peak and severe travel restrictions were imposed.
Since April 2020, the FTA in a month crossed one lakh for the first time in March 2021 after almost a year. However, the second wave of the pandemic resulted in a drop in FTA between April and June 2021. Since then, the FTA has been increasing and crossed 2.5 lakhs in November 2021. The government has eased the international travel restrictions since October 2021 which may have resulted in this increase. From 15 October 2021, the Home Ministry began granting fresh Tourist Visas to foreigners coming to India through chartered flights. Since 15 November 2021, the grant of visas was extended to those entering India through other flights as well. But the new Omicron variant might undo the gradual increase in FTA witnessed during September & November 2021.
Usually, the months from January to March, and October to December are when FTA is at its peak. Between 2017 and 2019, this period accounted for nearly 60% of the FTAs in each of the years. In these six months of 2017, a total of 58.14 lakhs FTA was recorded, which increased by almost 11% to 64.44 lakhs in 2019. However, in 2020, this number dropped to 26.69 lakhs, less than half the number during the same six months in 2019. Excluding December, the year 2021 has recorded only 7.4 lakh FTA in the peak season.
FTV and DTV dropped by 77% and 74% respectively in 2020
The Foreign Tourist Visits (FTV) increased by 72% in the eight-year period, from 182.6 lakhs in 2012 to 314.1 lakhs in 2019. Struck by the pandemic, this number dropped by 77.2% in 2020 to end at 71.7 lakh. The FTV in 2020 is the lowest since 2004.
Similarly, Domestic Tourist Visits (DTV) went up from 8,645 lakhs in 2011 to 23,219 lakhs in 2019, an increase of 2.7 times in 9 years. However, in 2020, this dropped by 73.7% as compared to 2019. The DTV was 6,102 lakhs in 2020, the lowest since 2009.
India’s FEE from tourism in 2020 dropped to late 2000s levels
The direct impact of the huge drop in FTA is also visible from India’s Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEE) from Tourism. FEE from tourism in India in 2020 was Rs. 50,136 crores, lower than the FEE in 2008. The FEE in 2020 was less than 1/4 of the same in 2019.
Between 2011 and 2019, there was a steady increase in FEE, and it crossed Rs. 2 lakh crores for the first time in 2019.
Years of progress reversed by the pandemic
It is evident from the data that the pandemic has been a major setback for the tourism industry worldwide and in India. Years of progress & investment in the sector seem to have been undone in these two years.  It is for certain that it will take at least another two to three years for the sector to recover, provided there are no more restrictions by countries around the world.
The Indian Government has told parliament that it has initiated measures such as Dekho Apna Desh, Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat, Bharat Parv and Paryatan Parv, and others to boost domestic tourism.  Following the pandemic, the government announced Financial Support for Travel and Tourism Stakeholders (TTS) and Registered Tourist Guides under which over 11,000 registered tourist guides and other travel and tourism stakeholders will receive financial support in the form of loans from various nationalized and private banks. The government also announced free visas to the first 5 lakh tourists.
Tourism is a major sector which employs many women and young people, especially in developing countries. In a June 2021 report, the UNCTAD recommended formulation of policies considering the following dimensions:
Featured Image: COVID-19 impact on India’s Tourism sector

created: December 30, 2021


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Data: India’s Trade Deficit reached a record high in 2021-22
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 4, 2022
The RBI releases data on foreign trade which is captured by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS) of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry based on flows/movements of goods across the customs frontiers of India. As per the latest data, India‘s Trade Deficit touched a record high in 2021-22 in rupee terms.
In its latest World Economic Outlook report, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) highlighted that the global economy continues to face steep challenges because of the lingering effects of three powerful forces- the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a cost-of-living crisis caused by persistent and broadening inflation pressures, and the slowdown in China. The lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are also weighing the projections. Adding that a growing share of economies is in a growth slowdown or outright contraction, IMF has forecasted that global growth to slow from 6% in 2021 to 3.2% in 2022 and 2.7% in 2023. This is the weakest growth profile since 2001 except for the global financial crisis and the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic said the report.
For India, IMF has projected the growth to be 6.8% in the ongoing fiscal year (2022-23) while the growth was 8.7% in 2021-22. As per the previous World Economic Outlook Report from July 2022, India’s growth was estimated at 7.4% in 2022-23, which has been downgraded by 60 basis points to 6.8% in the latest forecast. India’s projected growth for 2023-24 is 6.1%. Not only IMF but the growth projections were also revised downward by other agencies including the World Bank and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Since trade balance plays a key role in a country’s GDP, we look at India’s trade balance over the years in this story.
The trade balance is the difference between the value of exports and that of a country’s imports for a given period. If the trade balance is positive, it means more goods are exported than that is imported, which indicates that the country has a trade surplus. If it is negative, it indicates that the country has a trade deficit, or the money spent on imports is more than that spent on exports. A trade deficit can be a result of lesser production because of which the country is dependent on imports, or companies produce outside the country and import the finished goods, or due to weaker currency.
India’s trade deficit for Goods is highest with 14.2 lakh crore rupees in 2021-22
The RBI releases data on foreign trade which is captured by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS) of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry based on flows/movements of goods across the customs frontiers of India. It must be noted that this data pertains to only goods trade & does not include services.
India’s provisional trade deficit in 2021-22 was Rs. 14.2 lakh crore, the highest ever. Compared to 2020-21, the trade deficit has increased by 88.3%. India’s trade deficit crossed Rs. 10 lakh crores in 2012-13, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2021-22. Since 2017-18, the trade deficit has been above Rs. 10 lakh crores in each of the years, except in 2020-21 since the exports and imports were comparatively lower due to the COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions. In 2020-21, the trade deficit had reduced to Rs. 7.57 lakh crores from Rs. 11.4 lakh crores in 2019-20. Since 2000-01, the trade deficit of the country has increased by more than 50 times in rupee terms.
Trade deficit for both oil and non-oil products touched Rs. 7 lakh crores in 2021-22
India is the third largest consumer of oil globally accounting for 5% of global consumption and with less than 1% of global production.  India is a net importer of oil which explains the deficit in trade balance with respect to oil products. However, the trade balance for non-oil products was positive in the period from 1991-92 to 1997-98 and 2000-01 to 2003-04. Until 2014-15, oil products were the drivers of the trade deficit. However, in 2015-16, 2017-18, and 2021-22, the contribution of non-oil products toward the deficit was more. The trade deficit of both oil and non-oil products touched Rs. 7 lakh crores for the first time in 2021-22. Both, the imports and exports of oil and non-oil products were the highest in the same year.
In the 22 years between 2000-01 and 2021-22, the trade balance of oil products has widened 11 times from a deficit of Rs. 62,955 crores to Rs. 7.04 lakh crores. In 2020-21, the trade deficit of oil products was Rs. 4.2 lakh crores which had narrowed by 33.5% from Rs. 6.33 lakh crores in 2019-20, and again widened by 67% in 2021-22.
On the other hand, the trade balance of non-oil products was a surplus of Rs. 35,653 crores in 2000-01 which dropped to a deficit of Rs. 23,035 crores in 2004-05. The deficit has now widened to Rs. 7.22 lakh crores in 2021-22, an expansion of 31 times in 18 years. The trade deficit of non-oil products was Rs. 5.08 lakh crore in 2019-20, which narrowed by 33.8% to Rs. 3.36 lakh crores in 2020-21. In 2021-22, the trade deficit of non-oil products had more than doubled.
Oil imports touched a record Rs. 1.68 lakh crores in July 2022
The RBI also releases monthly data on imports and exports of oil and non-oil products.  Between August 2019 and February 2020, prior to the pandemic, the average monthly export of oil products was about Rs. 24,597 crores while the average import was Rs.76,775 crores. The monthly import was the highest in January 2020 with Rs. 92,773 crores and exports were the highest in November 2019 with Rs. 27,688 crores. In April 2020, the exports of oil products dropped to Rs. 9,393 crores while the imports dropped to Rs. 27,042 crores in May 2020. However, since then, the imports and exports have improved considerably.
Between May 2020 and February 2021, the average export was Rs. 15,510 crores. Except for a considerable dip in January 2022, the exports increased to an all-time high of Rs. 83,170 crores in June 2022, following which it declined to the lowest in 7 months in August 2022.
With respect to imports, while there has been overall growth, it is fluctuating across months. In September 2021, the import of oil products crossed Rs. one lakh crores, and has been in that range since then, except in the months of October 2021 and January 2022. In July 2022, the imports touched 1.68 lakh crore rupees. This could be because of discounts Russia is offering on oil. India’s import of Russian oil has increased significantly in the last few months.
Average monthly imports and exports of non-oil products has been the highest in 2022
For non-Oil products, there was a trade surplus in June 2020. The gap between imports and exports was about Rs. 4000 to 5000 crores, in July 2020 and October 2020. However, the gap then widened to an average of Rs. 54,780 crores between December 2020 and April 2021, before reducing during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since August 2021, the gap has widened. The gap increased to more than Rs. one lakh crores since May 2022.
Since March 2021, the exports of non-Oil products have been around Rs. 2 lakh crores. In March 2022, the exports touched Rs. 2.65 lakh crores and dropped to Rs. 2.24 lakh crores in August 2022. Meanwhile, the imports crossed Rs. 3 lakh crores in October 2021 and touched the highest of Rs. 3.59 lakh crores in July 2022.
With the US dollar strengthening and the increasing inflation, the trade deficit might further increase in rupee terms in the coming months.

created: November 4, 2022


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Data: India’s Trade Deficit With China Was A Record High in 2021-22, Could Further Increase in 2022-23
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 14, 2023
Trade data available with the Ministry of Commerce & Industry indicates that India’s trade deficit with China was the highest in 2021-22 at more than $ 73 billion. If one goes by the trends for the first 8 months of 2022-23, the trade deficit could further increase by the end of 2022-23.
Recently, a few news reports have cited the information released by China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) stating that India’s trade deficit with China has crossed the $100 billion mark for the first time. As per these reports, overall India’s trade with China has crossed $135 billion in 2022.
The latest information available from the Indian Government sources is up to November 2022. As per the data provided by the Department of Commerce’s Export Import Data Bank, by the end of November’2022, the total trade with China during 2022 is around $108 billion. Of this, the value of imports is $ 94 billion and that of Exports it is $ 14 billion. This implies a trade deficit of $ 80 billion during the 11 months of 2022.
While China has been one of India’s leading trade partners, the increase in trade amidst continuing bilateral and border disputes does assume significance. In this context, we look at the trends in India’s Trade with China in recent years. As with our earlier stories in this regard, we have considered the fiscal year and not the calendar year for analysis.
Imports from China during 2021-22 increased by 45% compared to previous year
During 2021-22, the overall value of Imports from China was $ 94.6. This is 45% more than the previous year 2020-21, wherein the value of imports was $ 65.2 billion. The proportion of the increase in imports is the highest over the last 10 years.
The declining trend in imports from China since 2018-19 was also halted in the year 2021-22, with this exponential increase in imports. On the other hand, there has only been marginal growth in exports to China. The value of exports in 2021-22 was $ 21.35 billion compared to $ 21.18 billion in 2020-21. Barring a slight decrease in 2019-20, this is the least growth of exports to China over the 10-year period of 2012-13 to 2021-22.
The exponential increase in the value of imports from China in 2021-22 coupled with only a minimal increase in the exports to China has worsened the trade deficit with China.  Since 2018-19, there has been an improvement in the trade deficit with China, where it fell from $63 billion in 2017-18 to $ 44 billion in 2020-21.  However, in 2021-22, the trade deficit increased by over 67% to $ 73.3 billion.
India’s Trade deficit with China has further widened during 2022-23
The latest available data for 2022-23 is until November’2022. During the first 8 months of the current fiscal (April – November), the total value of imports from China is $ 67.9 billion. During the same period last year, the value of imports was $ 59.2 billion. As indicated above, there was an exponential increase in imports during 2021-22, the value of which is the greatest so far.
Going by the trends during the first 8 months of 2022-23, trends indicate that the overall value of exports could be higher in 2022-23 compared to 2021-22. While the imports from China have increased, the exports during the current fiscal do not present a favourable picture. For the first time since 2016-17, the imports in the first 8 months of 2022-23 are lower than the previous year. During April-November 2022, the total value of exports to China was $ 15.6 billion. This fall sharply by nearly 37% to $ 9.89 billion.
These opposing trends of increase in imports and decrease in export have further increased the trade deficit with China. During the period April-November 2022, the trade deficit is $ 58 billion. During the same period in the last fiscal, the deficit was $ 43.57 billion. As highlighted above, the trade deficit during 2021-22 was the highest. However, if the current trends hold, the trade deficit in 2022-23 could easily surpass the 2021-22 figure.
Electrical Machinery & Parts, especially Semiconductors & ICs contributed to an increase in imports
Imports under the HS Code 85 i.e., ‘Electrical Machinery and Equipment and Parts thereof, etc.’ have the highest share of imports in 2021-22. Out of the total value of Imports from China in that year, 32% i.e., $ 30.2 billion are various imports from this category.  In the previous year 2020-21, the value of imports from this category was around $ 20.3 billion. The increase in imports in this category has resulted in a proportionate increase in overall imports. One of the main reasons for stable or decreasing imports during 2018-19 to 2020-21 was lower imports under this category. The increase in the imports under this category is driven specifically by the increase in the import of Semiconductors. The value of import of Semi-Conductors (HS 8541) increased from $ 1.9 billion in 2018-19 to $ 6.6 billion in 2021-22. Imports of these products further increased during 2022-23, which has contributed towards the increased trend of imports even during 2022-23, as highlighted earlier.
The value of imports under HS category 86 i.e., ‘Nuclear Reactors, machinery, mechanical appliances, etc.’ have increased by around 42%. The total value of imports under this category in 2021-22, was $ 19.8 billion compared to $ 13.9 billion in the previous year. More specifically, the imports increased under the category ‘Automatic Data Processing machines & Units’ (HSC 8471) under this HS code.
There is also an increase across the other major import categories including ‘Organic Chemicals’, ‘Plastic & articles’, ‘Fertilizers’, ‘Iron & Steel’, etc., which has contributed to the increase in the value of Imports during 2021-22. The import trends under these product categories persist during the period April-November 2022, which has contributed to a comparative increase in the imports even in 2022-23.
Fall in Export of multiple major commodities during 2022-23
As highlighted earlier in the story, the increase in the trade deficit with China during 2021-22, is largely contributed by an exponential increase in the imports from China while the value of exports nearly remained the same. However, during the 8 months of 2022-23 i.e., April-November’22, for which the data is available, the increase in trade deficit is not only influenced by the increase in imports but also a substantial decrease in the exports. Trends in recent years indicate that India has steady progress in its exports to China, with an increase in the value of exports of various products like Iron & Steel, Aluminium products, Cotton, Machinery appliances, etc. However, the trends reversed during 2022-23, with a fall in exports across these major commodities.
During this period, the value of exports under ‘Ores, Slash, Ash, etc.’ fell from $ 1.92 billion in 2021-22 to $ 0.38 billion in 2022-23. In the case of ‘Iron & Steel’, it fell from $ 1.21 billion to $ 0.25 billion. Such a sharp fall in exports is also seen in the case of Cotton, Aluminium Articles and Copper Articles. Meanwhile, there is an increase in the exports of commodities under Mineral fuels.
Trends indicate heavy reliance on Imports from China
The trends over the last two years not only indicate an increase in the value of imports from China but also indicate a sharp increase in imports of specific commodities which remained stable for a few years.
In recent years, the overall value of imports from China was largely similar either because of a reduction or similar volumes in the case of electrical parts, machines, organic chemicals, Iron & Steel, etc. among others. However, since 2021-22, trends indicate a reversal.
To worsen the situation of trade deficit, the gains that India has made in recent years in exports of a few products to China seem to have been lost in 2022-23 with a sharp decline of exports across these major products.

created: February 14, 2023


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Data Indicates a Reduction in The Number of Short-Duration & Half-an-Hour Discussions in Lok Sabha
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 27, 2022
As per the data provided in the ‘Statistical Handbook 2021’, released by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the number of short-duration discussions in the Lok Sabha has reduced in the recent terms with it falling below 50 in the 15th & 16th Lok Sabha terms.
The business conducted in both houses of Parliament is facilitated through various forms. In the earlier story, we analysed the trends relating to the bills presented, discussed and passed in the parliament. In this story, we look at the trends relating to other businesses carried out in the parliament, especially the Lok Sabha. As in the earlier stories, the data is sourced from the ‘Statistical Handbook 2021’, released by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
Significant fall in the number of Half-an-hour discussions in Lok Sabha
Half-an-hour discussions are one of the formats for conducting discussions in parliament. If a member of the house feels that the response provided by the government to a question is not complete, the speaker allows raising a discussion in the house for half an hour. This is termed a “Half-an-Hour Discussion.”. There are certain rules and procedures laid out to facilitate a Half-an-Hour Discussion.
The greatest number of such discussions were held in the 4 Lok Sabha with 183. The four successive Lok Sabha terms from 2nd to 5th are the only terms that have facilitated more than 100 such discussions in each term.
Over the decades, the number of such discussions has come down significantly in the Lok Sabha. Even the Lok Sabha terms that completed a full five-year term in more recent times have witnessed very few such discussions. The most recently concluded Lok Sabha term i.e., the 16 Lok Sabha has the second lowest number of Half-an-Hour discussions with just five. The lowest was in the 12 Lok Sabha, which had a tenure of only 13 months.  In fact, both the 15 and 16 Lok Sabha terms were the only full terms when the total number of such discussions was in single digits.
Highest number of Short-duration discussions were held during 8th Lok Sabha
A short-duration discussion enables members to raise matters of urgent public importance without a formal motion. There are several rules in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha which determine the nature of the short-duration discussion.
In the Statistical Handbook 2021 data, the information from the 1st to 9th Lok Sabha was under the single head, ‘Short duration discussion held’. However, for the subsequent terms, the categorization specifically states – ‘Short duration discussion under Rule 193’.  Rule 193 does not allow for any voting. However, a short-discussion can also be held under Rule 184, which allows for voting. Data on the discussions under 184 are also provided in the handbook without any specification on the type of discussion.
For this analysis, we have only considered the information under the head ‘Short duration discussion under Rule 193’. As per the data available in the handbook, the highest number of short-duration discussions were during the 8th Lok Sabha with 94. Among the Lok Sabha terms that have completed their full five-year terms, the least was during the 3rd Lok Sabha term, when only 17 short-duration discussions were held. In the last four full-year terms i.e.,13th to 16th Lok Sabha, there is a gradual decline in the number of short-duration discussions held.
4th & 5th Lok Sabha had the most Adjournment Motions discussed
An adjournment motion is for adjourning the business of the House for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent public impertinence, that is moved with the consent of the Speaker.  The normal business of the house is set aside for discussion on the matter mentioned in the motion. In general, the adoption of an adjournment motion is regarded as a sort of censure of the Government, especially regards to a recent occurrence.
The highest number of Adjournment Motions was during the 4th Lok Sabha with 12, followed by the 5th Lok Sabha at 11. The 9th Lok Sabha whose term was only around 15 months and had two governments, had the next highest number of adjournment motions with 8. The 14th Lok Sabha of the UPA-1 government has 7 adjournment motions.
Highest number of no-confidence motions were discussed during 3rd & 4th Lok Sabha
A government remains in power as long as it enjoys majority support in Lok Sabha. When needed, it must demonstrate its strength on the floor of the Lok Sabha. This is done by moving a ‘Motion of Confidence’ and winning the confidence of the House. It is proposed by the government to seek the confidence of the house. None of the first eight Lok Sabha terms had any discussion on a ‘Confidence Motion’. The first confidence motion discussion was in the 9th Lok Sabha. There were 3 such motions moved during this term. As already indicated, the term was a short-lived one with a hung parliament. So was the case with the 11th Lok Sabha, where the United Front government was formed after the 1996 Lok Sabha elections threw up a hung parliament. The last confidence motion was during the 14th Lok Sabha, as the UPA-1 government had to face a confidence test when the Left parties withdrew their support.
On the other hand, a ‘No-Confidence Motion’ can be moved by any member of the house. It can only be moved in the Lok Sabha. Rule 198 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Lok Sabha specifies the procedure for moving a no-confidence motion. This is an expression of no confidence in the government that it enjoys a majority in the house. Unlike the other discussions and motions discussed earlier in the story, there is no need for the member to give a reason for moving the no-confidence motion. However, such a motion must be supported by at least 50 members for it to be accepted.
The highest number of no-confidence motion discussions were during the 3 & 4 Lok Sabha with 6 each, followed by the 5 Lok Sabha with 4. However, none of these no-confidence motions were successful, as the respective governments of the day proved their majority.
The first successful no-confidence motion was during the 6 Lok Sabha, where the incumbent Morarji Desai-led government could not prove its support on the floor of the house. During the 10 Lok Sabha, the government faced 3 no-confidence motions, where in it won all of them despite being a minority government with the outside support of certain parties.  The most recent no-confidence motion was during the 16 Lok Sabha, which failed as the government was able to prove its majority in the house.

created: December 27, 2022


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Data indicates increase in number of new Health Insurance Policies during 2020-21
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 30, 2021
One of the devastating impacts of COVID-19 was the increased health & hospital expenditure for lakhs of families across the country. This impact was more pronounced in the case of those without a health insurance policy. This impact seems to have driven a lot more people to opt for health insurance in 2020-21 if data is to be believed. Most non-life insurance companies reported a significant increase in the number of new Health Insurance Policies during 2020-21.
In an earlier story, we had observed that there is a 36% increase in the amount of Life Insurance claims due to death, during the first three quarters of 2020-21. The increasing trend in the value of insurance claims due to death was seen across public & private insurers. At the same time, it was observed that the health insurance claims had reduced in the first three quarters of 2020-21 compared to that of the previous year. While there could be multiple factors influencing these trends, COVID-19 certainly played a huge role. In this story, we look at the trends in Insurance premiums paid with respect to Life insurance & health insurance in 2020-21 compared to the previous years to understand if premiums and the number of new policies have been influenced by COVID-19.
Lower growth of Life Insurance Premium earned during 2020-21 across major insurance companies
As per the Public Disclosure by various Insurance companies and data available on the IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority of India) website, the total Life Insurance premium earned by the major Life Insurance companies in India has continued with the increasing trend even during 2020-21. However, the growth rate has slowed down compared to the earlier years.
As per the information provided by LIC, which is the largest Life Insurance provider in the country, the total premium earned during 2020-21 amounted to Rs. 4.03 lakh crores, an increase of 6.3 % compared to 2019-20. This is less than the 12.4% growth reported in 2019-20 which was an exceptional year. The growth rate in the earlier years also hovered around 6%.
Apart from LIC which is a Public Sector insurer, most of the other major Private sector insurance companies have reported a similar trend in their earnings through Life Insurance Premiums.
The trend over the past few years shows that the growth rate of premium earnings has fluctuated. It also ought to be noted that a large share of the insurance premiums paid would be renewals. The trends in renewals and new insurance premiums could offer more insights into the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic.  With the available data, it is difficult to ascertain whether the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on these trends.
41% fall in the amount of Premium earned through new subscribers for LIC
Out of the Rs. 4.03 lakh crores of Life Insurance premium earned by LIC in 2020-21, nearly Rs. 2.19 lakh crores are through renewals. This is an increase of around 18 thousand crores compared to the 2.01 lakh crores in 2019-20. Similarly, there is an increase in the revenue earned through ‘Single Premium’ i.e., Policies with one-time Payment. However, in the case of first-year premiums i.e., the premium for new policies taken during the year, there is a fall reported during 2020-21. A total of Rs. 33.93 thousand crores were earned through first-year premiums in 2020-21 compared to nearly Rs. 58 thousand crores during 2019-20. A review of the earlier years shows that there has been an increasing trend in the years before 2020-21, in terms of revenue earned through first-year premiums.
Among the leading Private Life Insurers, ICICI Prudential has reported a fall in the revenue earned through first-year Premiums. Meanwhile, there is a slight increase in the revenues through first-year premiums for other leading Private insurers like – SBI Life, Aditya Birla Sun Life & Kotak Mahindra. But the growth during 2020-21 has been lower when compared to the previous years.
In the case of revenue earned through policy renewals, there has been an increase across all the top insurers. Single Premiums, which as in the case of first-year premiums point towards new insurance policy subscriptions, have seen an increase for all the leading Life Insurance companies.
The number of new individual policies falls in the case of LIC & ICICI Prudential
The fall in the revenue earned through first-year premiums for LIC is reflected in the fall of new individual insurance policies for 2020-21. Around 2.09 crore new LIC life Insurance policies were subscribed to in 2020-21 compared to 2.18 crore policies the previous year. This is as per the Business Acquisition details provided as part of Public Disclosure.
A steeper decline is seen in the case of ICICI Prudential where the number of new individuals policies subscribed fell to 6.62 lakhs in 2020-21 compared to 7.65 lakhs in 2019-20. This correlates with the fall in the revenue of ICICI prudential through first-year premiums. Aditya Birla Sun-life also reported a minor fall in 2020-21. In the case of both these private insurers, the declining trend is seen even in the earlier years.
In contrast, other larger insurers i.e., SBI Life, HDFC Standard & Kotak Mahindra have reported an increase in the number of policies being subscribed to though their number is quite small compared to LIC.
Increase in the Number of Health Policies during FY 2020-21
As per the public disclosure by Non-Life Insurers, there is a general increasing trend in the number of new Health Insurance policies during 2020-21 across the major non-life insurers.
New India Assurance reported around 19.11 lakh new health insurance policies during 2020-21 compared to 17.09 lakh in the previous year. On the contrary, the new health insurance policies in the case of National Insurance reduced to 15.11 lakhs in 2020-21 from 15.55 lakhs in 2019-20. However, this is in continuation of a declining trend from the earlier year.
Star Health, which is among the insurers with the most subscribers reported 63.98 lakh new Health insurance policies in 2020-21 compared to 44.63 lakhs in 2019-20. Other large insurers, Religare (Care health) & Oriental Insurance have also reported an increase. In particular, Oriental insurance reported a steep increase of more than 100% in the number of new health insurance policies.  The information for United India Insurance, which is among the top two is not yet available.
The increase in new Health Insurance policies may be linked to the Pandemic while the no-major impact on Life Insurance
The trend in Life Insurance policies does not show any particular impact of COVID-19. The slower rate of growth seen in the case of few insurance companies was also observed in the earlier years. Hence the slow growth rate cannot be specifically linked to the COVID-19 pandemic since the difference in growth is only marginal.
It could also be a case of change in preference for non-public insurers i.e., there has been an increase in the new subscribers for private insurers compared to LIC. However, the volumes of LIC far outweigh the other insurers. In other words, the difference is too small to draw any meaningful conclusion.
The financial position of the population in the aftermath of COVID-19 could also be a factor. However, it is still too early to comment on any definitive trend in the case of life insurance since the pandemic is still an ongoing event.
In contrast, there is a clear preference for taking new Health Insurance policies. The trend among the large non-life insurers reflects this trend. In this case, it could be clearly concluded that the impact of COVID-19 in terms of health expenditure has pushed a greater population to opt for health insurance. The complete data from all the insurers for the first two quarters of 2021-22 will be key to understand if this trend sustains.
Featured Image: Increase in Health Insurance Policies during 2020-21


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Data Indicates Greater Coastal Erosion on the East Coast of India
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 25, 2023
The National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) in its latest 2022 publication of the Assessment of Shoreline Changes analysed over 6,907 kms of coastline of the mainland between 1990 and 2018. According to the data, between 1990 and 2018, 33.6% of the country’s coastline was under varying degrees of erosion, 26.9% was accreting and the remaining 39.5% was in a stable state. Greater Coastal Erosion was observed on the East Coast of India.
India’s extensive coastline, spanning about 7,500 kilometres, is a treasure trove of biodiversity and a hub of economic activity. However, it grapples with the pressing challenge of coastal erosion. Not just in India, coastal erosion is receiving increasing global attention due to its significant impact on coastal communities, economies, and ecosystems. In this story, we look at what the phenomenon is, its extent in India, and the mitigation measures taken.
Coastal erosion is the gradual wearing away or removal of land, sediment, or rock along coastlines. It is a natural phenomenon caused by waves, currents, tides, and weather conditions over a period of time. However climate change and anthropogenic or human activities have accelerated erosion rates in many coastal areas. Human activities such as infrastructure development near coastlines, extensive sand extraction for construction, mining, and alteration of natural coastline disrupt the natural flow of sediment, compromising the stability of coastlines and accelerating the process of erosion. Its rate and extent vary from place to place.
Billions of people are vulnerable to coastal erosion globally
The impact of coastal erosion extends beyond mere land loss. It has significant impacts on ecosystems, economies, communities, and infrastructure. To illustrate, in the United States, the average annual loss in coastal property is about USD 500 million. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), about 37% of the world’s population lives within 100 km of the coast, at a population density twice the global average which indicates how billions are vulnerable to the phenomenon and places stress on the need for immediate measures to address the same.
India’s coastline is spread across 9 states and 2 Union Territories on the mainland and two Islands. The population in the 66 coastal districts was 171 million, accounting for nearly 14% of the total population of India, according to the 2011 Census.
The National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) is an attached office of the Ministry of Earth Sciences that has been monitoring the shoreline changes in mainland India since 1990 using remote sensing data, GIS mapping techniques, and field surveys. In its latest 2022 publication, National Assessment of Shoreline Changes along Indian Coast, 2022 Volumes 1&2, over 6,907 kms of coastline of the mainland has been analysed for the period from 1990 to 2018. The results are classified into three categories- erosion, stable and accretion. The shoreline change rates have been classified into seven classes as given in the following table.
The data on the change in shoreline as per the 2022 report and the 2018 report (covering the period from 1990 to 2016) from Dataful has been used in this story.
According to the data, between 1990 and 2018, 33.6% of the country’s coastline was under varying degrees of erosion, 26.9% was accreting and the remaining 39.5% was in a stable state. Out of the 6,907 kms of the coast in the mainland, about 2,318 km was under erosion and 1,855 km faced accretion. Compared to the previous report covering the period from 1990 to 2016, the share of shoreline facing accretion has declined from 29% while that under erosion has increased marginally by 0.6%.
More than half of the coastline in West Bengal and Puducherry underwent erosion between 1990 & 2018
State-wise data reveals that more than 60% of the coastline of West Bengal faced erosion in the 28-year period. This was followed by Puducherry with 56.2%. While more than half of the coastline in West Bengal and Puducherry faced erosion, the share was more than 40% in Kerala and Tamil Nadu with 46.4% and 42.7%, respectively. 34.6% of the coastline in Daman & Diu, 28.7% in Andhra Pradesh, 27.6% in Gujarat, 25.6% in Odisha, 25.5% in Maharashtra, 23.7% and 19.2% in Goa had undergone erosion between 1990 and 2018.
On the other hand, nearly 51% of the coastline in Odisha expanded or underwent accretion followed by Andhra Pradesh with 49.6%. The share of coastline that underwent accretion in descending order is Karnataka (26.2%), West Bengal (25.2%), Tamil Nadu (23.8%), Kerala (22.8%), Gujarat (19.4%), Goa (13.7%), Daman & Diu (11.7%), Puducherry (10.6%) and Maharashtra (10%).
More than half the coastline was stable in almost all the states and UTs on the west coast, except Kerala while it varied from 14.3% in West Bengal to about one-third in Tamil Nadu & Puducherry on the east coast.
In essence, the data indicates that the west coast is more stable than the east coast. Out of the total 3,762.62 km long coastline on the west coast, a total of 1,113.27 km had undergone erosion, roughly about 30%. On the east coast, 1,205.4 km faced erosion of the total coastline of 3,144.56 km, which is about 38%. Another 690.5 km of the coastline on the west coast and 1,164.5 km along the east coast expanded. This is about 18% and 37% of the total length of the west and east coast, respectively. The length of coastline that underwent accretion is much lower than the eroded length across all the states & UTs except Karnataka on the west coast and Andhra Pradesh and Odisha in the east coast.
11% of the coastline in the east coast faced high erosion compared to 1% in the west coast during 1990 to 2016
Data on the state-wise length of coastline by status of erosion and accretion is available for the period from 1980 to 2016. According to this data, 48% of the coastline was stable along the west coast when compared to 28% along the east coast. Only 1% of the coastline along the west coast had undergone high erosion, 2% faced moderate erosion, and 24% faced low erosion. In contrast, 11% of the coastline on the east coast faced high erosion, 5% faced moderate erosion, and 22% faced low erosion. Accretion was high along 8% of the coastline in the east and 2% in the west.
The data from the report indicates that the level of erosion and accretion is highly varied along the shoreline on the east and west coast. Even across states, there is considerable difference. This difference can be attributed to natural causes or human interventions. It should be noted that the reports have not considered the coastline of the island territories which are highly vulnerable to rising sea levels and changing coastlines.
Measures of the Central Government
The Government of India has implemented measures like Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Guidelines and Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI),  to address coastal erosion and manage coastal zones sustainably. The National Disaster Management Authority has prepared a draft policy on “Mitigation and Rehabilitation measures for people displaced by Coastal and River Erosion” to deal with the extensive displacement of people caused by coastal and river erosion following the XVth Finance Commission’s recommendations. Further, the environment ministry has delineated the hazard line for the entire coast of the country which indicates the changes in shoreline, including sea level rise due to climate change. This line is to be used by agencies in the coastal states as a tool for disaster management including planning of adaptive and mitigation measures.
Featured Image: Coastal Erosion

created: December 25, 2023