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The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) in India slowed to 5 per cent in April, a three month low, as against 5.4 per cent in March, revealed the data provided by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on Friday. The IIP growth rate was recorded at 4.6 per cent in April 2023, the government said in a press release.The previous high of IIP was recorded at 11.9 per cent in October 2023, which slowed to 2.5 per cent in November, 4.2 per cent in December and 4.1 per cent in January 2024.As per the data, the growth rates of the three sectors in April 2024, Mining, Manufacturing and Electricity stood ate 6.7 percent, 3.9 percent and 10.2 percent year-on-year respectively."Within the manufacturing sector, the growth rate of the top three positive contributors to the growth of IIP for the month of April 2024 are – “Manufacture of basic metals” (8.1%), “Manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products” (4.9%), and “Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers” (11.4%)," MoSPI said.According to use-based classification, the capital goods segment grew by 3.1 per cent in April, but it expanded by 4.4 per cent in the same month of last year.The output of consumer durables grew by 9.8 per cent during April compared to a decline of 2.3 per cent in 2023.The output of non-durable consumer goods decreased by 2.4 per cent after rising by 11.4 per cent in April 2023.Goods related to infrastructure and construction saw a marginal growth of 8.0 per cent in April 2024, against a 13.4 per cent expansion YoY.The data also revealed that, in comparison to the same period last year, the output of primary goods increased by 7 per cent in April 2024 as against 1.9 per cent.The core sector makes up 40.27% of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), making it a lead indicator of industrial activity.

Indian capital markets regulator the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) launched a free, voluntary online investor certification examination on Tuesday, with an aim to help individuals, especially beginners, gain comprehensive knowledge about stock market investing.Known as 'Sebi Investor Certification Examinations' or SICE, the examination has been developed in collaboration with the National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM) and this voluntary certification aims to help investors test their knowledge of markets and investing, Sebi said in a statement."It is designed to assist individuals in their journey towards gaining comprehensive knowledge about investing in the Indian securities markets," the statement said.Ananth Narayan G, whole-time member of Sebi, during the launch highlighted that the new certification examination is a significant step towards enhancing digital financial education in the securities market. "This online exam will help enhance investors' understanding of the investment process and the associated risks in the securities market and thus promote an efficient approach to investment aligned with the risk appetite of the investor," he added.Benefits of Sebi's online certification exama) Develop a foundational understanding of basic concepts of finance, i.e saving, investment, budgeting and inflation among other things.b) Knowhow of the structure of securities markets, including primary and secondary markets and role of stock exchanges, depositories, and regulatory bodies.c) Learning about risks associated with investment such as credit risk, market risk, and liquidity risk and understand risk management concepts, i.e. hedging and diversification.d) Recognise the importance of due diligence, ethical behavior, and transparency in investment practices and familiarising investors about their rights and responsibilities, disclosure requirements, and dispute resolution mechanisms.e) Information about various government schemesWho can enrol?Anyone who is keen on learning about the Indian financial markets may take the SEBI Investor Certification Examination (SICE). There is no eligibility requirement with regards to age as well as educational qualification to take the SICE exam.How to enrol?Step 1: Visit NISM Online Certification System https://certifications.nism.ac.in. Fill in the online registration to register for SICE.Step 2: Once your registration is approved, you can enrol for the exam on the NISM Online Certification System. Select the city as 'Online' and select your preferred date and time of exam.Step 3: Submit the filled form.Step 4: Admit card will be generated mentioning your exam details.Once enrolled, candidates can appear for the exam within 6 months from the date of exam.Exam pattern, duration and validityThe examination consists of a total of 50 questions to be completed within a duration of 60 minutes. The exam is free of cost. The validity of the certificate is 2 years.Study material can be downloaded from the NISM website https://api.nism.ac.in/cmp/. Alternatively, the enrolled candidates can also download the study material from their certification portal. Apart from the above study material, Candidates shall go through the content available on the SEBI Investor Website (https://investor.sebi.gov.in/iematerial.html).(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)

The mercy petition of Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Arif alias Ashfaq convicted in the nearly 24-year-old Red Fort attack case has been rejected by President Droupadi Murmu, officials said on Wednesday. This is the second mercy plea rejected by the President after assuming office on July 25, 2022. The Supreme Court had dismissed a review petition by Arif on November 3, 2022, affirming the death penalty awarded to him in the case. However, a death row convict can still knock on the doors of the top court seeking commutation of his sentence on the ground of prolonged delay under Article 32 of the Constitution, feel experts. The mercy petition from Arif, received on May 15, was turned down on May 27, the officials said, quoting the President's secretariat order of May 29. The Supreme Court, while upholding the death sentence, noted that there were no mitigating circumstances in Arif's favour and emphasised that the attack on the Red Fort posed a direct threat to country's unity, integrity, and sovereignty. The attack, which took place on December 22, 2000, saw intruders opening fire at the 7 Rajputana Rifles unit stationed within the Red Fort premises, resulting in the deaths of three Army personnel. Arif, a Pakistani national and a member of banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was arrested by Delhi Police four days after the attack. "Appellant-accused Mohd. Arif alias Ashfaq was a Pakistani national and had entered the Indian territory illegally," the top court's order of 2022 had said. Arif was found guilty of conspiring with other militants to carry out the attack, with the trial court sentencing him to death in October 2005. The Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court upheld the decision in subsequent appeals. The trial court had said that the conspiracy to attack the Red Fort was hatched at the house of two conspirators in Srinagar, where Arif had illegally entered in 1999 along with three other LeT militants. The three militants -- Abu Shaad, Abu Bilal and Abu Haider -- who had also entered the monument, were killed in separate encounters. Despite multiple legal challenges, including review and curative petitions, Arif's plea for mercy was rejected, highlighting the severity of the crime and the threat it posed to national security. The Delhi High Court had confirmed the trial court's decision in September 2007. Arif then approached the Supreme Court challenging the high court's verdict. The top court had in August 2011 also sided with the order of awarding the death sentence awarded to him. Later, his review petition came up before a two-judge bench of the apex court which dismissed it in August 2012. A curative petition was also rejected in January 2014. Thereafter, Arif had filed a petition submitting that review petitions in matters arising out of award of death sentence be heard by a bench of three judges and in open court. A constitution bench of the apex court had in its September 2014 judgement concluded that in all cases in which death sentence was awarded by the high court, such matters be listed before a bench of three judges. Before the September 2014 verdict, the review and curative petitions of death row convicts were not heard in open courts but were decided in chamber proceedings by circulation. In January 2016, a constitution bench had directed that Arif shall be entitled to seek re-opening of the dismissal of the review petitions for an open court hearing within one month. The apex court had rejected the review petition in its verdict delivered on November 3, 2022. This decision comes after President Murmu rejected another mercy petition last year in a separate case, demonstrating a firm stance on cases of heinous crimes.