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New Delhi, Apr 6 (PTI) Public procurement platform Government e-Marketplace (GeM) facilitated transactions worth Rs 5.03 lakh crore in 2025-26, down 7.4 per cent from the previous fiscal, a senior official said on Monday. GeM facilitated transactions worth Rs 5.43 lakh crore in 2024-25. GeM CEO Mihir Kumar said the decline in growth can be attributed to a reduced contribution from the coal ministry, whose share in total sales fell from 34 per cent to 20 per cent in 2025-26 (Rs 1,02,219 crore). ...Read More >
Middle East War Impact: The World Bank on Thursday said India is well placed to weather the current global energy shock with ample buffers, including high foreign exchange reserves, fiscal space and low inflation, which will support growth despite global headwinds. Addressing a conference a day after raising India's GDP growth projections for the current fiscal to 6.6 per cent, the World Bank said India had dealt well with the trade turbulence last fiscal and the Indian economy entered the curr ...Read More >
New Delhi, Apr 9 (PTI) The World Bank on Thursday said India is well placed to weather the current global energy shock with ample buffers, including high foreign exchange reserves, fiscal space and low inflation, which will support growth despite global headwinds. Addressing a conference a day after raising India's GDP growth projections for the current fiscal to 6.6 per cent, the World Bank said India had dealt well the trade turbulence last fiscal and the Indian economy entered the current Mi ...Read More >
New Delhi, April 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday said he had meaningful virtual interactions with several world leaders to further strengthen bilateral ties and trade. Goyal has a "constructive virtual interaction" with Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, the UAE. "We discussed opportunities to further strengthen India-UAE trade ties and expand avenues for deeper bilateral cooperation. Look forward to advancing our strategic pa ...Read More >
New Delhi, Apr 6 (PTI) Public procurement platform Government e-Marketplace (GeM) facilitated transactions worth Rs 5.03 lakh crore in 2025-26, down 7.4 per cent from the previous fiscal, a senior official said on Monday. GeM facilitated transactions worth Rs 5.43 lakh crore in 2024-25. GeM CEO Mihir Kumar said the decline in growth can be attributed to a reduced contribution from the coal ministry, whose share in total sales fell from 34 per cent to 20 per cent in 2025-26 (Rs 1,02,219 crore). ...Read More >
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao, have met on the sidelines of a WTO event India and China have held talks aimed at expanding bilateral trade, on the sidelines of the World Trade Organization's ministerial conference, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has said. The talks between Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao, come amid a thaw in trade tensions "Met Mr. Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce of China, on the sidelines of ...Read More >
MSN - New Delhi: India and Canada are set to reconvene the Joint Commission on Trade in the north American nation at the end of May, or early June, as the two countries look to step up their trade partnership and finalise a free trade agreement before the end of this calendar year. "With Canada, we have broadly zeroed in at the end of May, or some time in June will be having a joint commission to expand trade in Canada," Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal told a press briefing Thursday ...Read More >
Gandhi said India should be at the forefront of the global technology race but is instead being "kept in the dark" about critical issues related to data protection and usage. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday raised concerns over India's data sovereignty, alleging a lack of transparency from the government on how citizens' data will be protected amid ongoing digital trade negotiations with the United States. Gandhi said India should be at the forefront of the global technology race b ...Read More >
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday raised concerns over India's data sovereignty and asserted that the country should be leading the global tech race, but instead it is being kept in the dark about how its data will be protected. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said India's data belongs to its people and in the AI economy, it can be one of its biggest strengths - to build AI, grow companies, and create jobs. "So I asked the government some important questions about the ...Read More >
New Delhi, Apr 6 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday raised concerns over India's data sovereignty and asserted that the country should be leading the global tech race, but instead it is being kept in the dark about how its data will be protected. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said India's data belongs to its people and in the AI economy, it can be one of its biggest strengths - to build AI, grow companies, and create jobs. "So I asked the government some important questio ...Read More >
Hyderabad: The Chintan Shivir on the Pharmaceutical Sector, organized by the Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council of India (PHARMEXCIL), with the support of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, concluded successfully today in Hyderabad. This event marked the continuation of the series of discussions, following successful editions in Chandigarh and Ahmedabad, and served as a platform for strengthening India's pharmaceutical export agenda. The inaugural session, chaired by ...Read More >
New Delhi, April 4 (SocialNews.XYZ) Europe's fragile economic outlook amid geopolitical tensions could have ripple effects on India's trade and sectoral competitiveness with the latter to gain from FTA, a new report has said. The report from EY noted that India could gain from new opportunities with deeper trade engagement with Europe and rising competitiveness in sectors such as textiles. Tariff and trade policy changes by the United States as well as West Asian conflict will act as headwinds ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], April 4 (ANI): Europe's economic outlook remains fragile amid global trade tensions and geopolitical risks, which could have ripple effects on India's trade and sectoral competitiveness, according to a new report by EY The EY European Economic Outlook (March 2026) notes that trade policy changes, tariffs, and geopolitical uncertainties continue to shape economic prospects in Europe, potentially affecting global trade flows and competition with countries like India. The repor ...Read More >
Last month in March, Chinese Foreign Minister called for enhanced cooperation between India and China. Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Mumbai, Qin Jie, spoke about the future of India-China ties and expressed optimism as he recalled the meeting between PM Modi and President Xi Jinping. He added that the BRICS Summit, which will take place in New Delhi, will provide an opportunity to further deepen ties. The Consul General told reporters, "For the future of the relationship ...Read More >
India is looking to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with New Zealand in the 4th week of April, said India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. In December 2025, India and New Zealand had announced conclusion of a trade agreement which opens skilled employment pathways through a new Temporary Employment Entry Visa pathway for Indian professionals in skilled occupations, with a quota of 5,000 visas at any given time and a stay of up to three years. This pathway covers Indian profession ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The next six weeks could see at least three of the trade deals finalised by India -- with Oman, the UK and New Zealand -- being operationalised, even as it seeks to ensure a preferential duty advantage in the US, once Washington finalises its strategy after the Supreme Court setback on reciprocal tariffs.Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal told reporters that India and New Zealand are looking to sign the free trade agreement (FTA) in the fourth week of April, while talks are u ...Read More >
New Delhi: India is looking at preferential market access for its products in the US, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday, adding that the country's trade pact with the US is the 'best' as compared to its competitor countries. "Our relations are very robust. We have a deep strategic partnership on several aspects- technology, defence, trade and investments, and our approach is that India should get preferential market access," Goyal told reporters here as one year elaps ...Read More >
New Delhi: The government on Thursday imposed import curbs on all forms of articles of gold, silver and platinum, a move aimed at checking misuse of free trade agreements (FTAs). These restrictions will apply irrespective of any prior contract, irrevocable letter of credit, advance payment, shipment status, or any other commitment, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification. Accordingly, the benefit of transitional arrangements shall not be available. "The Import Po ...Read More >
New Delhi, Apr 2 (PTI) The government on Thursday imposed import curbs on all forms of articles of gold, silver and platinum, a move aimed at checking misuse of free trade agreements (FTAs). These restrictions will apply irrespective of any prior contract, irrevocable letter of credit, advance payment, shipment status, or any other commitment, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification. Accordingly, the benefit of transitional arrangements shall not be available. " ...Read More >
New Delhi, Apr 2 (PTI) The India-UK free trade agreement (FTA), signed in July last year, is likely to come into force in the next 30-45 days, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. Goyal held a bilateral meeting with Peter Kyle, UK's Secretary of State for Business and Trade, on the sidelines of the 14th ministerial conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) last month in Cameroon. "The United Kingdom is also very pleased at the speed with which the India-UK Free ...Read More >
New Delhi, April 2 (UNI) India is working towards bringing into force a free trade agreement with Oman from May 1, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday at a presser after a series of engagements at the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization in Cameroon. Highlighting the outcome of his bilateral meeting with Oman's leadership, Goyal said, "We are working towards bringing into effect the agreement with Oman... on 1st of May 2026," signalling a key step ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], April 2 (ANI): Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday asserted that India is pushing for "preferential access" and the "best possible deal" in its ongoing trade engagement with the United States, underlining that the country is currently in a "very sweet spot" among emerging economies. "Our approach is that India should get preferential access, market access and, having got the best deal compared to any of our competitors or any other emerging or develo ...Read More >
These restrictions will operate irrespective of any prior contract, irrevocable letter of credit, advance payment, shipment status, or any other commitment, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification. The government on Wednesday announced curbs on imports of gold, platinum and silver jewellery with immediate effect, a move aimed at checking misuse of free trade agreements (FTAs). These restrictions will operate irrespective of any prior contract, irrevocable letter ...Read More >
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday emphasised the need for early restoration of peace in West Asia during a phone conversation with his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten, which also focused on strengthening India-Netherlands ties. "Exchanged views on the situation in West Asia and emphasised the need for early restoration of peace and stability in the region," PM Modi said on social media. This was the first conversation between Modi and Jetten, who became the Prime Minister last month. India ...Read More >
The Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday adopted a resolution moved by Congress MLA and AICC spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Rathore under a private member's Bill, raising serious concerns on the impact on the Himachal-based apple growers over the proposed Free Trade Agreements (FTA) of India with the US, European Union (EU), and New Zealand. Moving the resolution, Rathore said the issue was not merely related to trade policy but directly affected the livelihoods of over 1.5 lakh apple-growing f ...Read More >
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], March 31 (ANI): Congress MLA and spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Rathore said that the proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement with the United States, being projected as a diplomatic success, could prove "devastating" for domestic apple growers who operate on small landholdings of one to two acres, compared to large-scale orchards of nearly 100 acres in the US. Calling it a case of "structural inequality," Rathore underlined stark differences in productivity and state s ...Read More >
Shimla, Mar 31 (PTI) In order to compete with apples from countries like the US and New Zealand, Himachal must improve the quality of its own produce, Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi said on Tuesday. Responding to a discussion in the state assembly on a resolution introduced by Congress MLA Kuldeep Singh Rathore during the Private Members' Business session, he said rootstocks procured at a cost of Rs 130 crore by the previous BJP government for establishing high-density plantations in th ...Read More >
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], March 31 (ANI): Raising serious concerns over the impact of proposed Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with countries including the United States, European Union and New Zealand, Congress MLA and AICC spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Rathore on Monday moved a resolution in the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha recommending that the government formulate a comprehensive policy to protect the state's apple and fruit growers. The resolution, introduced on the 14th day of the ong ...Read More >
New Delhi [India]March 30 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister of Netherlands Rob Jetten discussing the security situation in West Asia and stressed the need for early restoration of peace and stability in the region. During the conversation, they also discussed ways to further deepen ties between New Delhi and Amsterdam. Significantly, Prime Minister Jetten said he looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Modi to the Netherlands soon ...Read More >
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], March 31 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday said the state government is reviewing the recent increase in entry tax and will consider rationalisation to avoid any law and order situation, while defending the rollout of robotic surgery in public hospitals. Speaking to the media in Shimla, Sukhu said protests over the entry tax hike were based on "misconceptions" and asserted that the levy is not new. Also Read | Kanpur Sho ...Read More >
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