Category: Politics

The Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT) has urged Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to immediately operationalise the social security measures for gig and platform workers under the Code on Social Security (CoSS), 2020. In a letter sent to the minister earlier this week, the workers’ body said that more than two crore app-based workers, […]

Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal Thursday said talks for a free trade agreement (FTA) between India and New Zealand are progressing fast and expressed hope that the pact will be finalised soon. Goyal, who is on his first official visit to New Zealand from November 5 to 8 to review the progress of the FTA […]

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said discussions are underway between the Finance Ministry and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on ways to build world-class, large banks from India, indicating that the government is exploring possibilities beyond mere amalgamation of existing lenders. “I repeat that India needs a lot of big banks, world-class banks,” Sitharaman said while […]

The market regulator, Sebi, is considering increasing the proposed limit on the fees that mutual funds can pay to brokerages. This comes after it had earlier proposed a sharp reduction in these fees as part of a broader overhaul of mutual fund structures, sources told news agency Reuters. This step by the market regulator would help […]

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Wednesday said strengthening people-to-people ties and discussions on labour mobility will be a key component of the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with India. He said a large number of Indian students are looking to study in New Zealand, particularly as opportunities in the US are getting closed while […]

The Congress on Tuesday said a bill introduced in the US Senate proposing a 25 per cent tax on any American person making an outsourcing payment will “light a fire in the Indian economy” if it becomes a reality. The opposition party said the bill reflects a growing mindset in the US that while blue-collar jobs […]

In the latest sign of warming ties with Beijing, New Delhi plans to quickly clear pending proposals by local companies for importing electronics parts, shoes, household items of daily use, steel products, raw materials and other goods from China and other countries. India had stopped approving such imports after ties with China worsened following border skirmishes […]

India’s export diversification strategy to cushion the impact of steep 50% tariffs imposed by the US has begun showing results with its cotton readymade garment exports growing to the UAE, France and Japan in September while they fell 25% on-year to the US. Disaggregated official data for September shows marine products exports to the US were […]

Seeking prudent tax reforms for facilitating the ease of doing business, chartered accountants’ apex body ICAI on Monday suggested various measures in the Union Budget 2026-27 to mitigate litigation, reduce compliance burden and prevent tax avoidance. The ICAI has proposed exclusion of F&O trading and speculation business from the scope of presumptive income, introduction of optional […]

India is preparing to nearly triple its incentive programme for rare earth magnet manufacturing to over ₹7,000 crore ($788 million) as it seeks to build domestic capacity in a sector currently dominated by China, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The proposal, which awaits cabinet approval, marks a major increase from the earlier $290 […]