The finance ministry has clarified that its letter to state chief secretaries, urging them to align their bonus policy to promote pulses, oilseeds, and millets, was an advisory and not a directive. This clarification comes in response to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin's criticism, who called the advisory a 'treacherous act against farmers'.
'The West Asia or the Gulf crisis has shown that what we develop as national infrastructure when things are not as bad as they could be, we forget to plan for adversities.'
'Whether you will bring this down and cause hurt to senior citizens, who are probably living on that little interest rate that they earn out of it... But equally, if I just look at the kitty of the National Small Savings Fund, it is from that same kitty that I'm borrowing.'
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has proposed a 20-point policy agenda to the finance ministry, including a conflict-linked emergency credit line guarantee scheme and tax rationalisation on energy inputs, to support MSMEs, exporters, and energy-intensive industries affected by the ongoing West Asia war.
Revenue collection next financial year may be affected, and, along with this, subsidies on food and fertilisers can go up if the war in West Asia drags for long, according to experts.
'It's a changing world and the opening up doesn't mean that concerns with regards to security have gone away.'
With the Iran war escalating sharply and crisis deepening in the global energy market, India on Monday unveiled a coordinated plan to support exporters and shippers caught in the fallout.
'The contours of the trade deal need to be reworked now.'
Gold imports climbed 349.22 per cent to $12.07 billion in January, while silver imports rose 127 per cent to $2 billion.
On Agri Stack, Expenditure Secy V Vualnam says it's progressing well; using IT, farmers will be able to choose exact fertiliser quantities needed, reducing crowding at fertiliser outlets.
'Based on the joint statement, a formal agreement will be drafted, which may take a month or month-and-a-half to finalise. We aim to sign the formal agreement by mid-March.'
The Competition Commission of India, following its preliminary inquiry, said the airline appeared to have caused an appreciable adverse effect on competition by restricting its services.
New Delhi will substantially reduce tariffs on industrial and agricultural goods while continuing to protect sensitive sectors. Tariffs on some agricultural products that are not traditionally considered sensitive will be brought down to zero, while in the case of relatively sensitive items, duties will be reduced in a graded manner and quotas will be imposed.
'Global uncertainty is something which definitely occupies the minds of officials when we are preparing for the Budget.'
'The trade deficit in some sectors is huge and that is an area of opportunity to localise.'
India has been on an FTA-signing spree of late. Since 2021, it has signed eight trade agreements, three of which -- with the UK, Oman and New Zealand -- were finalised in 2025 alone.
Nirmala Sitharaman moved into her Kartavya Bhavan office on October 2, in time to get the work on the Budget 2026-2027 going.
The Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF), in an application to the Competition Commission of India (CCI), has alleged that technology company Apple is using dilatory and delaying tactics in the regulator's investigation against the company and has sought interim relief for Indian startups and digital companies, according to people close to the development.
'The immediate impact for India will be very minimal as the share of Venezuela in our total overseas production is very low.'
A 500 per cent tariff would effectively shut out India's goods and services exports to the US.
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