From India’s CPI inflation edging above the Reserve Bank of India’s target for a second straight month, to Natarajan Chandrasekaran stepping down as Tata Sons chairman, youth unemployment climbing sharply among females, petroleum product consumption rebounding on the strength of transportation fuels, and government school enrolment falling by 15 million students since FY19 — here are this week’s news in numbers.
Steady inflation
India’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation inched up to from 4.38% in June, according to data released by the statistics ministry. Food inflation, which makes up nearly 35% of the CPI basket, rose to 5.5% from 5.3% in June. Eight of 12 key CPI divisions recorded higher inflation in July, with restaurants and accommodation services reporting the sharpest increase.
While the headline figure stayed almost steady, it was above the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) 4% medium-term target for a second consecutive month. Economists expect inflation to climb further in the coming months, keeping the door open for a rate hike at the central bank’s upcoming policy reviews.
Leadership exit
Just six days before the Tata Group’s annual general meeting on 18 August, Natarajan Chandrasekaran announced he would and not seek another term.
The decision followed a months-long standoff with Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata over the performance and strategic direction of some newer businesses. Chandrasekaran was appointed in February 2017 and given a second term in 2022, he will leave when his current term ends on 20 February 2027.
The group’s performance diverged across his two terms. Listed Tata companies’ market capitalization surged three-fold to ₹23.2 trillion between FY17 and FY22, twice the Sensex’s pace. However, in the next four years, it rose just 4% to ₹24 trillion.
Jobless youth
India’s unemployment rate among youth aged 15-29 years rose to 15.9% in Q1 FY27, up from 15% in Q4 FY26 and 14.6% in Q1 FY26, as per the latest quarterly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data released by the statistics ministry.
While the youth unemployment rate among men increased to 14.5% in Q1 FY27 from 14.1% in Q1 FY26, it rose sharply among females, climbing to 19.6% in Q1 FY27 from 17.7% in Q4 FY26 and 16% in Q1 FY26.
The rise was sharper among females in the rural region where the youth unemployment rate rose to 17.1% in Q1 FY27 from 12.4% in Q1 FY26.
Numbers talk
₹1,000 crore: The increase in allocation for e-two-wheeler incentives under PM E-Drive to ₹2,767 crore from ₹1,772 crore, with subsidies extended till FY28 and eligible vehicles raised to 4.57 million.
₹50,000 crore: The proposed third phase of India’s Green Energy Corridor, for which the renewable energy ministry is set to seek Union cabinet approval, aims to ease congestion in the green power grid, reported.
$4,000: The new fee employers must pay for H-1B extensions, alongside a $4,500 fee for L-1 extensions, under US immigration rules, applying to larger firms where over half the workforce holds H-1B or L-1 status.
₹77,000 crore: The proposed capital investment by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s (BSNL) over five years to add 200,000 4G sites, strengthen its network, roll out 5G in high-traffic areas and improve customer support.
5%: Indian cinema footfall rose to 378 million in H1 2026 from 362 million a year earlier, reversing three years of decline, according to media consulting firm Ormax. However, it remained below 400 million in H1 2022.
Consumption rebounds
Petroleum product consumption returned to positive territory in July, rising 2.9% year-on-year after three straight months of contraction, according to a Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) analysis. The demand weakness traces back to March, when the disrupted regional energy supplies. However, the contraction had eased in June, with volumes falling 3.5% year-on-year against a sharper 8.1% decline in May.
The turnaround in total petroleum-product consumption was driven primarily by transportation fuels — high-speed diesel and motor spirit, which roughly make up 60% of total consumption. Transportation fuel consumption showed sustained resilience through 2026, climbing to a near double-digit 9.8% in July, sharply up from 3.4% growth in July 2025.
Education exodus
Government and government-aided school enrolment fell by 15 million students since FY19, from 159 million students in FY19 to 144 million in FY26, data from the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) shows. Over the same period, the number of such schools shrank from 1.17 million to 1.08 million.
While a Niti Aayog report and several experts attribute part of this fall to demographic shifts — the 3-17 age population dropped by nearly 20 million — the trend runs deeper. Private schools gained seven million students in the same window, pointing to a distinct shift away from government schooling, briefly reversed during the pandemic, toward private alternatives.