Any other year would have seen Delhi's streets dotted with effigies in varying sizes being burned on Dussehra. The pandemic, however, cut sales to less than 20%.
Dussehra and Diwali festivals typically increase demand for consumer goods, with more diesel-powered trucks hitting the road to deliver everything from clothes to refrigerators.
Bigger grants cannot guarantee local autonomy unless states also improve how they share resources and responsibilities with Panchayats and municipalities.
For the first time in three months, crude from Gabon, Congo and Libya has also arrived, as Indian refiners turn to alternative suppliers amid uncertainty over Gulf shipments.
Multiple headwinds make the turbulence Modi is battling as he steps into his 26th year in public office. This has brought the 3-point Modi proposition under the greatest pressure since 2014.
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