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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Festive Surge

India’s bazaars have glittered this Diwali with the unmistakable glow of consumer confidence. The country’s festive sales crossed a staggering Rs. 6 lakh crore with goods alone accounting for Rs. 5.4 lakh crore and services contributing Rs. 65,000 crore. More remarkable still, the bulk of this spending flowed through India’s traditional markets rather than e-commerce platforms. After years of economic caution and digital dominance, Indians are once again shopping in person and buying local....

Festive Surge

India’s bazaars have glittered this Diwali with the unmistakable glow of consumer confidence. The country’s festive sales crossed a staggering Rs. 6 lakh crore with goods alone accounting for Rs. 5.4 lakh crore and services contributing Rs. 65,000 crore. More remarkable still, the bulk of this spending flowed through India’s traditional markets rather than e-commerce platforms. After years of economic caution and digital dominance, Indians are once again shopping in person and buying local. This reversal owes much to policy. The recent rationalisation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which trimmed rates across categories from garments to home furnishings, has given consumption a timely push. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s September rate cuts, combined with income tax relief and easing interest rates, have strengthened household budgets just as inflation softened. The middle class, long squeezed between rising costs and stagnant wages, has found reason to spend again. Retailers report that shoppers filled their bags with everything from lab-grown diamonds and casual wear to consumer durables and décor, blurring the line between necessity and indulgence. The effect has been broad-based. According to Crisil Ratings, 40 organised apparel retailers, who together generate roughly a third of the sector’s revenue, could see growth of 13–14 percent this financial year, aided by a 200-basis-point bump from GST cuts alone. Small traders too have flourished. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) estimates that 85 percent of total festive trade came from non-corporate and traditional markets, a robust comeback for brick-and-mortar retail that had been under siege from online rivals. This surge signals a subtle but significant cultural shift. The “Vocal for Local” and “Swadeshi Diwali” campaigns struck a patriotic chord, with consumers reportedly preferring Indian-made products to imported ones. Demand for Chinese goods fell sharply, while sales of Indian-manufactured products rose by a quarter over last year. For the first time in years, “buying Indian” has become both an act of economic participation and of national pride. The sectoral spread of this boom underlines its breadth. Groceries and fast-moving consumer goods accounted for 12 percent of the total, gold and jewellery 10 percent, and electronics 8 percent. Even traditionally modest categories like home furnishings, décor and confectionery recorded double-digit growth. In the smaller towns that anchor India’s consumption story, traders say stable prices and improved affordability kept registers ringing late into the festive weekend. Yet, much of this buoyancy rests on a fragile equilibrium. Inflation remains contained, and interest rates have been eased, but both could tighten again. Sustaining this spurt will require continued fiscal prudence and regulatory clarity, especially as digital commerce continues to expand its reach. Yet for now, the signs are auspicious. After years of subdued demand and inflationary unease, India’s shoppers appear to have rediscovered their appetite for consumption and their faith in domestic enterprise. The result is not only a record-breaking Diwali, but a reaffirmation of the local marketplace as the heartbeat of India’s economy.

The Fighter for Reservation

Mahadev Jankar

Mahadev Jankar has dedicated his life for the cause of the Dhangar community to which he belongs. Known as a very honest and down to earth social worker, he has chosen the politics as the means to achieve the goals he has set for the community. His party, the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, had been a part of the ruling Mahayuti for a long time. However, he was unhappy within the alliance and had announced that he is quitting the alliance. The BJP, however, left one seat for the party and now the results shall decide whether he is with the NDA or has finally quit.


Born on April 19, 1968, in the small village of Palsawade in the Satara district, Mahadev Jagannath Jankar’s journey to politics began with his education. He completed his B.Tech in Electrical Engineering with a gold medal from Walchand College of Engineering, Sangli. Despite receiving lucrative job offers, he chose to dedicate his life to social work and the upliftment of the underprivileged. His commitment to social service was so strong that he vowed never to marry or have a family of his own, focusing entirely on his mission to bring about social change.


In 2003, Jankar founded the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, aiming to represent the interests of the backward classes and marginalized communities. His political career saw him contesting various elections, including the Madha Lok Sabha seat in 2009 and the Baramati Lok Sabha seat in 2014. Although he did not win these elections, his efforts garnered significant support and respect from the people. He put up a great fight against Supriya Sule and lost by a thin margin.


Jankar’s dedication and hard work for the Dhangar community paid off when he was elected as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) of Maharashtra on January 23, 2015. His political journey continued to ascend as he was appointed as the Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development, and Fisheries Department in the Maharashtra government on July 8, 2016. He served in this position until November 9, 2019.


Jankar has been a vocal advocate for rights of the Dhangar community, particularly their demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. The Dhangars, who account for up to 9% of Maharashtra’s population, currently receive 3.5% reservation under the Nomadic Tribe (NT) category. However, they have been fighting for ST status, which would grant them 7% reservation. This demand has led to significant protests and clashes over the years, with the community feeling marginalized and overlooked by successive governments.

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