The Things You Should Know

The  Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ministry of  Statistics and Programme Implementation has released the estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the second quarter (July-September) Q2 of 2019-20  on 29th November. The GDP growth rate for the second quarter is 4.5% .  Growth in the Gross Value Added (GVA) for the second quarter is at  4.3% .  This is the 6th consecutive quarter where GDP growth has fallen. With 4.5% growth, India's economy registered weakest growth in more than 6 years. Major reason could be the Manufacturing sector. Manufacturing sector registered contraction, the growth is -1.0%  while in case of Service sector and Agriculture sector, the growth is flat. GDP at Constant (2011-12) Prices in Q2 of 2019-20 is estimated at ₹35.99 lakh crore, as against ₹34.43 lakh crore in Q2 of 2018-19, showing a growth rate of 4.5 percent . Quarterly GVA (Basic Price) at Constant (2011-2012) Prices for Q2 of 2019-20 is estimated...

On Thursday in Rajya Sabha, Minister of External Affairs told Rajya Sabha about the rejection rate of H1B visa during the question hour in a response to the questions asked by Jose K Mani and Kupendra Reddy.  About 24% of new petitions seeking H1-B visas for the US were denied in the 2019 fiscal year, the External Affairs Ministry said.   Krupendra Reddy, Starred question No. 48:  Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that nearly a fourth of all fresh H-1B visa requests have been rejected by the US which has hit hard the IT companies of our country; (b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and (c) the remedial steps taken/being taken by Government in this regard? Answer by Minister of External Affairs, Dr S. Jayshankar:- The H-1B visa application process has become more complex for employers worldwide, including for Indian IT companies, due to certain recent administrative changes in the H-1B prog...