Recovery tracker: Higher power generation, improved freight numbers

Power generation gap widened over 2019

There were signs of more people moving around in the latest week.

Retail and recreation visits were 10.1 per cent higher than it was before Covid-19 took hold, showed mobility data from search engine Google. It uses anonymised location data to track how people are moving during the pandemic. Shopping for essentials and workplace visits also saw a rise (<see chart 1>).

The gap in vehicle registrations compared to 2019 narrowed in the latest week. There were around 348,000 registrations. This is 11.2 per cent lower than in 2019. The previous week had a 12.8 per cent gap over 2019 (<see chart 2>).

The Indian Railways saw growth in quantity of goods carried. It was up 15.95 per cent year-on-year in the latest week compared to 13.55 per cent in the previous week. Freight revenue, or the money made from carrying these goods, grew at 26.99 per cent in the latest week compared to 26.31 per cent previously (<see chart 3>).
 

Power generation in the country increased last week and the gap over 2019 levels widened. The power producers in the country generated 4,361 million units (MUs) of electricity per day on average in the latest week, based on reporting day data. It was 4,295 MUs per day in the previous week. In comparison, power generation was 3,653 MUs per day during the corresponding week in 2019 (<see chart 4>).

The number of airline passengers and flights showed some signs of moderation. The latest Sunday numbers were higher than the previous week. At around 353,000; there were nearly 10 per cent more passengers on August 7 than on the previous Sunday (<see chart 5>).

Traffic congestion was lower than before, showed data from global location technology firm TomTom International. Mumbai was 36 per cent lower than 2019, while New Delhi traffic congestion was down 35 per cent. Mumbai traffic has increased, while congestion was lower in New Delhi (<see chart 6>).

Business Standard tracks these indicators as a way of getting a weekly picture of the economy. Official macroeconomic data is often released with a lag. Analysts globally track similar indicators to get a more current sense of the economic situation after the pandemic; amid restrictions and other government interventions to control its spread.

The traffic data is for Monday 9 am. Google data is released with a lag. The latest is as of August 3. All other data is as of Sunday, August 7.