Economics
Trade, fiscal policy, banking, agriculture and economic indicators
Govt. alters aviation fuel norms to allow for blending with non-petroleum sources
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas issued the Aviation Turbine Fuel (Regulation of Marketing) Amendment Order, 2026, dated April 17, 2026, which came ...
Intensifying extreme heat events raise risks to agri-food systems, says report
A joint report titled *Extreme Heat and Agriculture* released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Meteorologic...
Iran seizes two ships in Strait of Hormuz after Trump extends ceasefire
Hours after the United States extended a ceasefire arrangement with Iran, Iranian forces seized two commercial vessels — the MSC Francesca (Italian-owned) an...
Caution at MPC as war muddies view
The minutes of the Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) April 2026 meeting (held April 6–8, 2026) revealed that members voted unanimously ...
Three vessels hit by gunfire in Strait of Hormuz, crews safe
At least three merchant vessels were struck by gunfire in the Strait of Hormuz, with crews reported safe; one vessel, hit 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman...
Iran tankers go dark to sail past US blockade laden with crude
Despite a US naval blockade of Iranian ports, at least 34 Iran-linked tankers and gas carriers successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz by disabling or ma...
Goodwill is the only saviour for Indian exporters hoping for U.S. tariff refunds
Following the US Supreme Court's February 20, 2026 ruling that struck down reciprocal tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (...
India likely to grow 7% in FY27 on domestic demand, investments; inflation to remain in range: EAC-PM chairman Dev
The Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), S. Mahendra Dev, stated that India is likely to grow at 7% in FY27 (2026-27), w...
India seen to line up three buffers for its economy amid the Iran storm: Fitch unit
BMI Research (a unit of Fitch Solutions) identified three strategic buffers India is deploying to protect its economy from the spillover effects of the ongoi...
Govt overhauls six-decade-old sugarcane law; seeks comments on draft by May 20
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has circulated a draft Sugarcane (Control) Order, 2026, proposing to repeal and replace the Su...
Gujarat-bound ship among two vessels seized by Iran near Hormuz
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized two container ships — the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas — in the St...
Hormuz crisis casts long shadow on India growth, inflation risks rise: RBI MPC minutes
The Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), in its April 2026 meeting (April 6–8), kept the benchmark repo rate unchanged at 5.25% while fla...
RBI proposes measures to strengthen Prepaid Payment Instruments framework
The Reserve Bank of India issued a draft framework proposing specific security and operational measures for Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs), inviting stak...
The K-pop cash flow: South Korean beats power India's FDI remix
The South Korean President's State Visit to New Delhi (April 19–21, 2026) catalysed a major push for large-scale South Korean Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)...
DPIIT rolls out multi-sectoral regulatory relaxations to bolster industrial supply chains
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) announced a package of multi-sectoral regulatory relaxations to ensure uninterrupted supp...
West Asia crisis, inflation weighed on RBI panel’s decision on interest rate: MPC minutes
The minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting held April 6–8, 2026 (the 60th MPC meeting) revealed that all six members voted unanimously to kee...
Agriculture exports up 2.8 pc to USD 52.55 bn in 2025-26
India's agricultural and allied product exports reached USD 52.55 billion in FY2025-26, registering a 2.8% growth over the previous year — an all-time high f...
India likely to breach budgeted fiscal deficit target for FY27: BMI
BMI Research (a unit of Fitch Solutions) has projected India's fiscal deficit for FY2026-27 to reach 4.5% of GDP, exceeding the government's budgeted target ...
RBI issues Draft Master Direction on Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs), 2026
The Reserve Bank of India released a draft Master Direction on Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs), 2026, for public consultation — replacing the existing 202...
Minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee Meeting, April 6 to 8, 2026
The 60th meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), held during April 6–8, 2026, unanimously voted to keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 5.25%, main...