Reports and Indices
▪ Indians fear fake news but are less concerned about press freedom
▪ In India, the share of people who believe that media freedom exists is higher than the share of people who believe it is important
▪ The data indicates that many citizens view misinformation as stemming from sources such as social media, WhatsApp, or other non-governmental actors, rather than from state
censorship or suppression.
▪ In India, 65% of the respondents said that made-up news and information is a very big problem in the country.
▪ This is one of the highest rates among the 35 countries surveyed and places India among the top 10 nations where this concern is most strongly felt.
▪ This dichotomy has serious implications for press freedom in India, which has been deteriorating rapidly.
▪ In 2024, India ranked 159 out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders.
▪ While India has consistently ranked below 100 since 2003, the situation has worsened significantly in recent years.
IIP grows 3% as electricity, manufacturing output surge
▪ Electricity production surged 2.7 percentage points to 6.3% in March as summer spikes demand; consumer durables and construction see the sharpest increase at 6.6% and 8.8% respectively
▪ The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) grew 3% as electricity and manufacturing sector production surged in March 2025, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
▪ In the use-based classification, consumer durables and construction registered the sharpest increase in growth, coming at 6.6% and 8.8% respectively.
▪ These sectors grew at 3.7% and 6.8% respectively in February.
▪ On a year-on-year basis, IIP growth came in at 4%, making it the slowest in four years.
