Five things to watch out for on Monday

Chhattisgarh elections : The first phase of voting in Chhattisgarh will take place on Monday. Amid tight security arrangements, 18 assembly constituencies, including 12 'red zone' seats, will go for polls in this round of voting. The elections in the state have been marred with violence with reports of many Naxal attacks including one in which a Doordarshan cameraman and two policemen died. The remaining 72 seats of Chhattisgarh assembly will go to vote on November 20.

 

RBI policy meet: The RBI will announce the latest inflation data on November 12.  According to a poll, the Indian retail inflation slowed to its slowest pace in 12-months in October as food and fuel costs fell, keeping the official consumer prices gauge below the central bank's medium-term target for a third consecutive month. With the rupee gaining slightly against the dollar, a recent cut in fuel taxes and easing global crude oil costs, consumer price inflation slowed to 3.67 per cent in October from 3.77 per cent, it says. Will the RBI increase the rates again like other emerging market central banks?

 

RCEP meet:  A meeting of trade ministers of Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) member countries, including India and China, will start in Singapore on Monday. In this meeting, India will look to push negotiations to liberalise norms to promote services trade.  The nation already has a free-trade agreement with ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations), Japan, and South Korea and is negotiating similar pacts with Australia and New Zealand. The major concern for India is that it has a trade deficit with 10 countries in this grouping. Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu will represent India in the meeting.

 

Modi in Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit his parliamentary constituency Varanasi today. He will receive inland vessel MV RN Tagore, India’s first container vessel that sailed from Kolkata on 30th of last month. He will also open the newly constructed Multi-Modal Terminal on the river Ganga, which is a part of the government’s Jal Marg Vikas project to develop the stretch of Ganga between Varanasi and Haldia for navigation of large vessels. The Prime Minister will also inaugurate two National Highways projects and three sewage infrastructure projects.

 

Courts: The courts will open on November 12 after their Diwali break. Many crucial cases, will be heard today. The Supreme Court will hear Alok Verma case, the Malegaon blast case and the government will have to file its reply in the Rafale scam case. The top court will also entertain a review petition on the issue of the entry of women in Sabarimala. Other cases to watch are a plea Rakesh Asthana in a bribery case in Delhi High Court and MJ Akbar versus Priya Ramani case.