NEW DELHI: India and Canada concluded the third round of negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) late last week (July 6-10), with notable progress being made across issues. Both the countries are hopeful of concluding the negotiations by the end of 2026. Once the agreement is reached,...
NEW DELHI: The Railway Ministry is considering building the proposed East-West dedicated freight corridor (DFC) through the public-private partnership (PPP) model. Given an earlier unsuccessful PPP experiment for the Sonnagar-Dankuni section on the Eastern DFC, the ministry is planning a different structure for the East-West section dividing the project...
MUMBAI: Foreign investors who rediscovered their appetite for Indian debt in June have now widened their interest to equities as well in July. After months of persistent selling, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) have turned net buyers in July, investing $2.59 billion (Rs 24,662 crore) in the first 10 days...
NEW DELHI: Government is considering extending its cybersecurity push beyond CCTV cameras by introducing a similar regulatory framework for a wider range of internet of things (IoT) devices, including smart meters, amid concerns that these devices remain vulnerable as they are imported, mainly from China. While no final decision...
NEW DELHI: After talks between Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese in Melbourne, India and Australia on Thursday announced 18 outcomes, including deepening their defence and maritime security cooperation, which underscored the vital role of the bilateral partnership in ensuring a peaceful Indo-Pacific region....
NEW DELHI: Asian Development Bank on Thursday lowered India’s GDP growth projection to 6.6 per cent as against 6.9 per cent estimated earlier for the current fiscal on concerns of higher energy prices fuelled by the Middle East crisis. Despite the growth moderation, India still continues to be the...
BHUBANESWAR: Growing land-use changes, industrial expansion and rapid urbanisation are creating an alarming network of thermal hotspots across Odisha, posing an emerging threat to public health and the state’s long-term economic growth, according to a study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar. The study warns...
India has emerged as the fastest-growing major economy in intangible investments, with spending on assets such as software, research and development (R&D), intellectual property and organisational capabilities reaching $78.2 billion (around Rs 6.7 lakh crore) in 2023, according to the World Intangible Investment Report 2026. Highlighting the report’s findings,...
NEW DELHI: The labour ministry, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), has begun a feasibility study to develop an international reference classification of occupations based on skills and capabilities, a framework aimed at helping global capability centres (GCCs) better match talent demand with workforce supply, Additional Secretary...
NEW DELHI: After talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on Tuesday, India and Indonesia announced 20 outcomes, including the latter procuring BrahMos cruise missiles and Astra air-to-air missiles from New Delhi — a deal worth over $600 million. The two sides also agreed...
UNITED NATIONS: Foreign Direct Investment inflows to India increased by 44 per cent in 2025 to $39 billion, according to the UN, which said the country continued to strengthen its position as a major investment destination. The 2026 World Investment Report, released Tuesday by United Nations Trade and Development...
NEW DELHI: India’s rising solar penetration is causing power-grid stress, according to a new working paper by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM). The paper argued that growth in renewables, without adequate expansion in storage and without implementing other policies to smooth the net load, would...
MUMBAI: A report by State Bank of India (SBI) has proposed that all infrastructure loans be accorded priority sector status to boost investment in infrastructure. Alternatively, it suggested exempting such loans from the calculation of adjusted net bank credit (ANBC) for priority sector lending (PSL) purposes. Reserve Bank of...
NEW DELHI: India has listed several flaws in the way the US has launched and conducted an investigation into the alleged forced-labour content from imports in Indian merchandise shipped to that country. It also suggested bilateral dialogue to address any specific concern of the US in this regard. In...
NEW DELHI: Women-centric cash transfer schemes in Maharashtra and Odisha significantly increased beneficiaries’ savings and spending while improving the financial position of other household members, according to a working paper by the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (PM-EAC). The paper, titled Unconditional Women Cash Transfer Programmes in India: Evidence...
NEW DELHI: As India’s merchandise trade deficit with Japan nearly tripled from $5.18 billion in 2015-16 to $15.4 billion in 2025-26, the government is reviewing the existing free trade agreement (FTA) with the island nation. While officials acknowledge that it is difficult for Indian exporters to make significant inroads...
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Union Minister Amit Shah on Monday announced that the government will soon facilitate the promotion of a cooperative life insurance company and also help set up a cooperative for utility aggregation on the lines of ‘Bharat Taxi’. “We will soon launch a utility aggregator cooperative on the...