Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held a telephone conversation to review progress in bilateral ties, covering trade, defence, and energy, against the backdrop of heightened trade friction due to the 'Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026'.
US President Donald Trump stated that the US and India are 'pretty close' to finalising a trade deal, which he expects to be significantly different from previous agreements. This announcement comes amidst ongoing discussions between officials from both nations, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to India and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal's meetings with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, following an initial framework agreement in February.
Indian tennis icon Leander Paes is poised to contest the presidency of the All India Tennis Association (AITA), backed by the Bengal Tennis Association. This sets up a potential three-way battle against current Davis Cup captain Rohit Rajpal and interim president Chintan Parikh, pending Paes's success in the Sportsperson of Outstanding Merit (SOM) election.
'It is a blunt and dangerous attempt to pressure India to sign BTA on one-sided terms.'
A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce has urged the Indian government to swiftly conclude the proposed India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), while ensuring India's interests are protected, recommending complete exemption for key export products like generic medicines and smartphones from future US tariff increases.
'India's farmers will be unable to compete with the US, given the subsidies that the latter provides its farmers.'
India and the United States have reviewed progress on a proposed interim bilateral trade agreement, discussing market access, digital trade, and non-tariff barriers, as they race to finalise a deal before a temporary 10 per cent US tariff regime expires on July 24.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced that a US team is expected to visit India next month for trade talks, following an earlier Indian delegation's visit to Washington, DC, in April to finalise an interim pact and advance negotiations for a broader bilateral trade agreement.
The United States and India are on the verge of finalising a landmark bilateral trade deal, aiming to boost trade to USD 500 billion by 2030, according to US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bethany Poulos Morrison. The agreement seeks to open India's 1.4 billion-strong market to American goods on reciprocal terms, with ongoing high-level discussions to recalibrate the pact after recent changes in US tariff policy.
India and the US have reported positive progress in recent trade talks in Washington, agreeing to maintain engagement to finalise a bilateral trade agreement, which now requires recalibration following new US tariffs.
Responding to a question on the trade deal being negotiated between the two countries, Trump said India had taken advantage of US policies for years and charged tremendous tariffs.
Chief negotiators from India and the US are set to begin three-day talks in Washington to recalibrate the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) framework, following significant changes in the US tariff landscape, including a new 10 per cent tariff imposed on all countries.
Indian tennis icon Leander Paes has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), marking a significant transition from his celebrated sports career to the political arena, ahead of assembly elections in West Bengal.
'When negotiators meet next, they may like to bring new issues to the table.'
Paes had joined the Trinamool Congress in 2021 and campaigned for the party during the Goa elections in 2022.
'The contours of the trade deal need to be reworked now.'
India and the United States are committed to finalising an interim trade agreement, despite recent challenges including the US imposing a blanket 10 per cent surcharge and India's decision to wait for a new global tariff architecture. The US Trade Representative's annual report highlights India's maintained high import tariffs and various non-tariff barriers across several sectors.
Piyush Goyal on Friday rejected reports suggesting that India is planning to hold off trade deal with the United States for several months.
Talks on the proposed trade deal between India and the United States will resume after the year-end holidays, coinciding with Sergio Gor -- a close aide of American President Donald Trump -- taking charge as the US Ambassador to India in early January, according to a person privy to the development.
President Trump is celebrating the US-India trade deal as a landmark achievement, with a major focus on boosting American coal exports to India and other trade partners.
Indian tennis legend Leander Paes on Saturday formally took charge as president of the Bengal Tennis Association, succeeding Hironmoy Chatterjee after the body's Annual General Meeting.
The agreement addresses non-tariff barriers and promotes increased trade in technology products and cooperation between the two countries.
The verdict marks a notable shift from a series of recent wins for Trump at the Supreme Court.
Greer said that India has taken down some digital services taxes and is moving tariffs down.
The ruling is expected to have wide-ranging consequences for global trade, businesses, consumers, inflation trends and household finances across the country.
David Perdue said in a post on X that the US-India relationship delivers real results through close cooperation in diverse areas, including defence, energy and through Quad engagement.
The turning point came with the appointment of Sergio Gor as the US ambassador to India.
India's exports to the US contracted 8.6 per cent to $6.3 billion in October, while imports rose 13.9 per cent to $4.5 billion leading to a trade surplus of $1.8 billion during the month.
The first phase of the proposed India-US bilateral trade agreement (BTA) is 'nearing closure' and would address the hefty 50 per cent tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Indian goods, in addition to resolving America's market access issues, a government official said on Monday.
The proposed trade deal with the 27-nation European Union (EU) is expected to provide zero-duty access to the $95 billion European market for Indian textile and apparel manufacturers. Currently, India's share of the European market is just 6 per cent, or $5.5 billion.
'...but I would not like to put a timeline to it'
The Indian government informed Parliament that India and the US are engaged in negotiations for a mutually beneficial multi-sectoral bilateral trade agreement. The two countries also cooperate on strategic, economic, and defense matters, managing divergences through high-level dialogues.
India and the US are expected to sign the first phase of a bilateral trade agreement by mid-March, which will result in the US lowering import duties on Indian goods. India will then begin reducing import duties on certain US goods.
India and the US are expected to sign the first phase of a bilateral trade agreement by mid-March, which will result in the US lowering import duties on Indian goods. India will then begin reducing import duties on certain US goods.
India is hopeful of resuming negotiations on the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA) with the US soon and addressing the issue of high tariffs imposed by Washington on Indian goods will be key to striking the deal, a government official said on Thursday.
An Indian commerce ministry team has reached Washington for another round of talks from Monday on the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA), an official said. Chief negotiator of India and special secretary in the Department of Commerce, Rajesh Agrawal, will join the team on Wednesday.
'There are very few issues and a political call needs to be taken about some of them.'
Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) member Sanjeev Sanyal on Thursday said he is not concerned about the rupee at all, arguing that even China and Japan witnessed exchange rate weaknesses during their high growth phases.
The rupee plunged 38 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.32 against the US dollar on Thursday amid uncertainty over the India-US trade deal. Forex traders said the rupee is expected to trade with a negative bias as the delay in the trade deal between India and the US may continue to dent investor confidence.
India's manufacturing sector activity eased to a nine-month low in November, mainly owing to softer rise in sales and production amid reports of challenging market conditions, a monthly report said on Monday. The seasonally adjusted HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) falling to 56.6 in November from 59.2 in October, highlighted the slowest improvement in operating conditions since February.
