A monograph titled ‘Heat and Cold waves in India: Process and Predictability’ published recently by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, and Ministry of Earth Sciences, indicated that it was not a one-off instance. The report analysing data since 1960 indicated that Gujarat had recorded a significant drop in cold waves and rise in heat waves.

According to the report, seven weather stations – Bhuj, Deesa, Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Veraval, Surat, and Dwarka – recorded a significant drop in cold wave days (CWD) from 1970 to 2020. On the other hand, two stations – Bhuj and Rajkot – recorded significant rise in heat wave days (HWD), Deesa, Veraval and Surat logged rise, and Ahmedabad drop in HWD based on data from 1961 to 2020.

The criteria for heat wave and cold wave are at least 40 degrees celsius and 10 degrees celsius temperatures respectively, and deviation of up to 5 degrees for two consecutive days at more than one weather station.
In terms of frequency of heat waves, Rajkot and Deesa recorded a significant rise, whereas Bhuj recorded a rise.

Despite showing signs of easing, the prices in Haryana continue to remain above the comfort levels for both the rural and urban Population as the state endures a significantly high rate of compared to other states in the region and at the national level.

The sustained high level of inflation has put a continued strain on the pocket of the Haryana residents, affecting the overall cost of living. Inflation refers to the rate of increase in prices over a given period of time, lowering the purchasing power of consumers and pushing the cost of living.

Despite the rate falling below theReserve Bank of Indias (RBI) upper Tolerance limit of 6%, the inflation rate of the state remained higher than the all-India level, which stood at 4.70%.

Haryana featured among the states with the high rate of inflation, which was largely pushed by the surge in clothing, fuel and housing prices. Telangana (6.02%) and Uttarakhand (6.04%) are the other states which reeled under significantly higher rates of inflation.

The other states with high rates of inflation include Kerala (5.63%),Tamil Nadu(5.61%),Bihar(5.33), Uttar Pradesh (5.29%) andAndhra Pradesh(5.18%). The price data is collected by the field staff of the NSO by visiting selected 1,114 urban markets and 1,181 villages covering all the states and UTs.

The RBI will be among the 13 international regulators taking part in GFINs Greenwashing TechSprint. The central bank has invited Indian firms to participate in the event and has opened the application window for all India-based firms and innovators to apply. The window will close on May 21, 2023. RBI will participate in a virtual TechSprint hosted on the Financial Conduct Authoritys (FCA) Digital Sandbox.