Economics
Trade, fiscal policy, banking, agriculture and economic indicators
Iran War: Fertiliser, agri-input stress emerges; Kharif outlook hinges on policy, farmer choices
The West Asia conflict and Strait of Hormuz blockade are creating significant stress in India's fertiliser supply chains, with serious implications for khari...
India agrees to longer WTO e-commerce moratorium, opposes plurilateral push without safeguards
At the WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) held in Yaounde, Cameroon (March 2026), India agreed to an extended moratorium on customs duties on electroni...
‘India is 100% import‑dependent for Helium, making many industries acutely vulnerable to global disruptions’
Ashok Chandak, President of the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA), has warned that India is 100% import-dependent for helium — a critica...
Iran fires missiles at Israel after Trump threatens weeks of strikes
Iran launched missile attacks against Israel in response to US President Donald Trump's threats of "weeks of strikes" against Iran's nuclear and energy infra...
India pushes China for balanced trade as Piyush Goyal, Wang Wentao interact in 1st such meet in 7 yrs
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on the sidelines of the WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yao...
Governor is bound by council of ministers’ advice on release of convicts from prison: Madras high court
The Supreme Court has reiterated the settled constitutional position that the Governor is bound by the advice of the Council of Ministers when exercising pow...
India’s Russian crude purchases hit 9-month high in March amid West Asia war, but discounts vanish
India's crude oil imports from Russia climbed to a 9-month high of approximately 1.96 million barrels per day (mbpd) in March 2026, sharply up from 1.04 mbpd...
FinMin says indirect tax collection exceeds FY26 RE, cautious about FY27
The Finance Ministry confirmed that indirect tax collections have exceeded the FY26 Revised Estimate (RE) of ₹15.52 lakh crore — with the overall achievement...
LIC, New India Assurance, GIC continue to remain Domestic Systemically Important Insurers: IRDAI
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has continued to designate Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), The New India Assur...
West Asia crisis: Govt to assess impact of recent tax concessions on its indirect tax revenues
The Union government has initiated an assessment of the fiscal impact of recent tax concessions — including customs duty exemptions on petrochemicals and exc...
Govt plans rare earth magnet push; pre-bid meeting set for 7 April
The government has opened global bids to set up rare earth permanent magnet manufacturing units under a Rs 7,280 crore incentive scheme sanctioned by the Uni...
Several measures announced to cushion exporters from Gulf conflict impact: DGFT
The government announced full customs duty exemption on 40 specified critical petrochemical feedstocks and polymers, effective April 2 to June 30, 2026, thro...
Road ministry to compensate for price hike and volatility in commodity prices to contractors
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways announced a temporary compensation mechanism for highway developers to offset commodity price volatility, effecti...
India stood alone to oppose IFD pact at WTO meet, won't join crowd just to look better: Goyal
At the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) held in Yaoundé, Cameroon (March 30 – April 2, 2026), India was the sole dissenting voice against incorporating...
India, UK FTA may come into force in next 30 to 45 days, says Piyush Goyal
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal announced that the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), signed on July 24, 2025, is likely to come into...
UPI growth stays relentless with 22.64 billion March transactions, says Department of Financial Services
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) recorded 22.64 billion transactions in March 2026 — its highest-ever monthly volume since launch in April 2016, according to...
Centre pushes states on fertiliser black-marketing, MSP procurement; 9.25 crore farmer IDs created
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired a virtual meeting with state agriculture ministers ahead of the Kharif season, directing states to c...
West Asia crisis: Govt exempts import duty on key petrochemical products till June
The Ministry of Finance, effective April 2, 2026, granted a full customs duty exemption (Basic Customs Duty reduced to zero) on 40 critical petrochemical fee...
Rupee jumps to 93.53 vs dollar after RBI steps to curb speculative trades
The Indian rupee appreciated sharply — gaining up to 1.8% to trade at 93.14 per US dollar on April 2, 2026 — its biggest single-day gain since September 2013...
India defence exports hit Rs 38,424 Crore in FY26, Rajnath lauds 62% surge
India's defence exports in FY 2025-26 reached a record Rs 38,424 crore (approximately USD 4.6 billion), a 62.7% surge over the previous fiscal year's Rs 23,6...