The newsletter discusses the range of topics covered in various The Hindu Data Points between April and June this year
Data Point is a stand-alone feature appearing in The Hindu’s opinion pages from Monday to Thursday every week. It uses data and graphs to convey stories and provide opinion-free answers to questions on daily affairs. Topics range from governance and politics to education and sports. The team analyses and interprets numbers to uncover the latest stories of the day, further contextualising data through Data Point podcasts and videos.
Let’s review the stories told through numbers in the second quarter of 2023.
World and India
In the second quarter of 2023, the United Nations marked 75 years of peacekeeping missions, honouring over 4,000 fallen peacekeepers. Data revealed that Indian troops accounted for the highest number of lives lost throughout the organisation’s history. Additionally, it was noted that poorer or middle-income countries made significant contributions in terms of troop and expert deployments.
In May, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won a close re-election, extending his rule for another five years after 20 years in power. Despite a geographical divide in voting patterns, concerns have grown over the erosion of secular values, limitations on political and civil liberties, and Turkey’s severe economic crisis. We examined the socio-economic impact of Erdogan’s conservative leadership during his two-decade rule.
The Russia-Ukraine war which began in February 2022, heavily affected the global economy, particularly the energy and food markets. Many countries, particularly in Europe, heavily relied on Russian oil, leading to supply restrictions and increased prices due to sanctions. These factors took a toll on the Eurozone’s economy, resulting in all 20 Eurozone countries entering a recession in the first quarter of 2023. Another consequence of the sanctions on Russian oil by Europe and the U.S. was that Russia started exporting oil at a cheaper rate attracting many other countries to buy crude from the country. In February 2023, Russia surpassed Saudi Arabia to become the second biggest exporter of crude oil to India in FY23.
Data also revealed that though the European countries and the U.S. banned or limited imports of Russian crude oil and petroleum products by the end of 2022, they have increased their intake of processed petroleum products from nations like India and China which have emerged as the primary importers of Russian crude oil post the Ukraine invasion. The report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air observed how this loophole weakens the sanctions imposed on Russia.
The economy
With the rise in oil imports of India from Russia, data revealed how refineries in Gujarat were at the centre of this sudden boom in the export of petroleum products in the country.
Data further looked at the State-wise and district-wise product exports, showing the top exports of each State and the districts that formed the highest share of a State’s exports in FY23.
The Reserve Bank of India withdrew ₹2,000 banknotes from circulation on May 19, 2023. Data showed how as of March 2023, the share of ₹2,000 notes in the total value of banknotes in circulation had dipped to 10.8% compared to the 50% share they had by the end of March 2017.
In the past year, payments through UPI transactions have gone up drastically. Data revealed that while the volume of the number of transactions has gone up, in value terms it remains the same. Further, the struggle by banks to keep up with UPI payments has led to transaction failures.
Governance and policy
The death of Khadeer Khan, allegedly due to police brutality following his identification from security camera footage as a suspect in a chain-snatching incident, highlighted concerns regarding CCTV surveillance. Data revealed that Delhi and Chennai had the highest density of CCTV cameras per square mile, while Indore and Hyderabad had the highest number of CCTV cameras per 1,000 people. Surprisingly, despite widespread CCTV surveillance, the crime rates in most cities did not decrease.
Debates on stray dogs have sparked nationwide discussions. The Bombay High Court deemed cruelty towards strays unacceptable, while the Supreme Court recognised feeding as humane but emphasised the need to protect people from dog attacks. Amid growing concerns over attacks on children, data on state-wise dog populations and instances of dog attacks were analysed.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the new Parliament on May 28, 2023, and the new building coming into use from the next Parliament session, we reviewed the performance of the MPs in the old building. Data revealed that the 17th Lok Sabha, entering its final year, was likely to be the shortest full-term Lok Sabha since 1952.
Prompted by claims of higher development and advancement in the southern States, the Data team initiated a series examining inter-district disparities in progress. Tamil Nadu’s data showed that development primarily concentrated in advanced districts like Chennai, Kanyakumari, and Coimbatore, while indicators lagged in poorer districts such as Ramanathapuram, Pudukkottai, Ariyalur, and Perambalur.
The triple-train collision in Odisha’s Balasore, one of the deadliest tragedies to happen in India, raised questions about rail travel safety. Data showed that the number of railway accidents has dropped about 80% in the last decade from about 1,390 accidents per year in the 1960s. But data also revealed that among the consequential train accidents, 55% had occurred due to negligence or failure of the Railways staff and that the budgetary allocation for track renewal dipped to 7.2% in FY24.
The State of Karnataka prepared to elect its new government to power in May 2023. We looked at how the State performed across socio-economic indicators before the elections. It was revealed that between 2015-16 and 2019-21, on a majority of social indicators, the State’s ranking worsened.
Politics
As Karnataka State elections neared, the data team observed the growing bipolar contests favouring the BJP. Additionally, an analysis of MLA assets highlighted Karnataka’s MLAs as the wealthiest in the country, averaging assets exceeding ₹30 crore. We also analysed the increasing assets of Indian MLAs over time in a Data Point video.
On May 13, the counting day of the Karnataka elections, the data team produced various online stories on the election trends at various stages of counting. Further, we produced a full-page graphic analysing the region-wise results, the gains and holds of parties, the change in vote share patterns and the urban-rural divide.
Stories based on post-election analysis showed how higher turnout and bipolar contests in Karnataka’s urban seats favoured BJP this election. Data revealed that in this election, Karnataka had the highest share of BJP seats that lost their deposits among States where the BJP had won more than 10% of seats in the recent elections, pointing towards a growing polarity in voting patterns
Court, law and crime
On May 1, the Supreme Court eliminated the cooling-off period of six to 18 months in cases where a marriage is irretrievably broken. Data indicated that this judgment could alleviate the suffering of Indian women seeking a divorce, as a higher proportion of divorced/separated women experienced emotional, physical, and sexual harassment from their most recent husbands compared to currently married women.
The recent India Justice Report 2022 highlighted the issue of case pendency in high courts yet again. Data showed for instance, how in the Rajasthan High Court, the clearance rate of cases was only 65% in 2022.
Education
In June, China surpassed the U.S. as the biggest contributor to nature and science journals, according to The Guardian. Data revealed that for more than half a decade now, researchers whose primary affiliation is a China-based institution, have been publishing more papers than those in the U.S. and have also now overtaken the U.S. in terms of the quality of research output as well.
The Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) provisional data for 2022-23 show that out of the 35,443 government schools in Jharkhand, 7,239 are single-teacher schools. Data revealed that while Jharkhand (30.9%) had one of the worst situations in terms of the share of single-teacher schools, quite a few States such as Andhra Pradesh (34%), Telangana (30%) and Karnataka (29%) had an equal or higher proportion.
Health and Gender
While in the first quarter of 2023, we analysed in detail, the share of diabetes and hypertension among Indians across sex and age categories, a study by the Indian Council of Medical Research–India Diabetes prompted us to look at the prevalence of non-communicable diseases across States and regions. Data revealed a higher prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, abdominal obesity and hypertriglyceridemia in urban regions.
An article by the World Bank showed the pay disparity between public and private healthcare workers. Also, it looked at the gender disparity in the pay of health workers across the globe. Studies on the U.S. healthcare system also revealed a gender gap in clinical trials and the research funding given for diseases dominant among women.
In May, a United Nations report showed that India was among the 10 countries that together accounted for 60% of global maternal deaths, stillbirths and newborn deaths. Data revealed that India lagged in implementing all three major interventions recommended by the UN to reduce maternal deaths: four antenatal care visits or ANC visits (during pregnancy), the presence of a skilled attendant at birth, and postnatal care (after childbirth) within the first two days after birth.
Sports
As the IPL season 2023 was ongoing, a look at data revealed that the run rate had peaked in the 2023 season, compared with the last 15 seasons.
We also looked at the exceptional decade India had in Tests, especially at home, where it won almost three-fourth of the matches it played.
When China’s Ding Liren won against Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi in the World Chess Championship final, it marked a significant moment in chess history. Data showed how Ding is only the second Asian to win the coveted title after Indian legend Viswanathan Anand, who wore the crown five times. Further, data revealed the nationality of the champions to win the classical version of the World Chess Championship.
On June 11, 36-year-old Novak Djokovic won a record 23rd Grand Slam. Data looked at how the trend of older players winning championships is more pronounced in the men’s game with the average age of winners since 2003 being 27.
Environment and Science
Reports of shrinkage of sea ice cover prompted the Data team to look into the decrease in sea ice extent in Antarctica, which fell to the lowest levels ever recorded in February 2023, due to global warming. A data video contextualising the climate issue was also released.
Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall in Gujarat in June. Data showed how the number of cyclonic disturbances in the North Indian Ocean has declined considerably over the past four decades. Further, it was revealed that Biparjoy was part of a new pattern wherein while the number of cyclonic disturbances decreased, their intensity increased
Unusual rains in Chennai prompted us to look at the maximum temperatures recorded across cities in June. Data revealed that the year 2023 recorded extreme June temperatures across many Indian cities, with Chennai (28.2°C) and Chandigarh (26.3°C) witnessing the lowest-ever maximum temperatures recorded on a June day in the last seven decades, while Thiruvananthapuram (34.5°C) recorded its hottest June day in the same period.
Fortnightly figures
- 243.2 mm was the cumulative rainfall in the monsoon season this year, which is 2 per cent above the normal of 239.1 mm. The eastern and northeastern regions have recorded a 17% deficiency; north India has witnessed 59% excess rainfall and deficiency in south India has reduced from 45% to 23%. The bountiful rains in many parts of India in the first eight days of July have bridged the rainfall deficit for the entire country, according to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) data.
- 27,180 “grave violations” were committed against children around the world in 2022. The record-high number verified by the United Nations for the year 2022, included 24,300 violations committed in 2022 and 2,880 committed earlier but verified only in 2022. Violations affected 18,890 children (13,469 boys, 4,638 girls, 783 sex unknown), with the conflicts between Israel and Palestine and Congo and Somalia holding the highest share. “Grave violations” include the recruitment and use of children by combatants, killings and injuries, sexual violence, abductions and attacks on schools and hospitals.
- 17.01 degrees Celsius was the global average temperature on July 3, marking the hottest day to be ever recorded globally, according to data from the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction. This has surpassed the August 2016 record of 16.92C (62.46F) as heatwaves sizzled around the world. Scientists have attributed the heatwave to climate change, combined with an emerging El Nino pattern.
- 340 mass shootings occurred in the U.S. in 2023, according to data collected by the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as an incident in which at least four people are shot, excluding the shooter. At least three people were killed and eight wounded in a mass shooting in Fort Worth, Texas, in a parking lot on July 3, 2023. In a separate shooting incident on the same day, five people were killed and two were injured in Philadelphia. U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the violence and renewed his calls to tighten America’s gun laws.
- ₹100 per kilogramme was the modal price of tomato on June 30, 2023, in at least 50 cities, most of them in Uttar Pradesh, where the degree of fall in quantity at mandis was relatively high compared to other States. Data from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution’s Price Monitoring Division show that prices of rice, wheat, tur dal, sugar, milk, tea (loose), potato, onion and tomato had increased from a month earlier. The price of salt alone was unchanged. While the 0.5% month-on-month increase in milk price was the least, the prices of all three essential vegetables had risen, with potato up 8.8%, onion 11.1% higher and tomato almost twice as high as in the last week of May.
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