Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said that despite a global slowdown, "we are" in the positive zone

To bolster its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047, India needs to substantially increase the size of its quality workforce and investment in R&D in science and technology, including by the private sector, a top Indian official has said. In an interview with PTI on the sidelines of the PANIIT 2024 meeting in a Maryland suburb of Washington DC, Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, said that one of the key challenges that India has is shortage of trained manpower in R&D sector and "that requires to be enhanced substantially. Given the size and scale of our country, we need a large number of quality R&D workforce to drive the science and technology landscape of the country, he said. Another thing is that we need substantial investment in the R&D sector as a percentage of our GDP, which has been really much lower than the world average, Karandikar said in response to a question. India has taken the initiative to set up a very ...

Germany's economy shrank 0.3 per cent last year as Europe's former powerhouse struggled with more expensive energy, higher interest rates, lack of skilled labour and a homegrown budget crisis. Europe's largest economy has been mired in stagnation since the last months of 2022 amid those multiple challenges. The International Monetary Fund expected Germany to be the worst-performing major developed economy last year, a major turnaround from its place as a model for how to expand when other nations were struggling. German's economy likely also shrank 0.3 per cent in the fourth quarter after stagnating in the third quarter, the Federal Statistical Office said on Monday in an initial rough estimate. Official figures for the last three months of 2023 are expected to be announced January 30. Meanwhile, there's an ongoing debate about why Germany has stalled. Energy intensive industries must pay higher natural gas prices after losing Russia's cheap supply following its invasion of Ukraine,

The interim Budget 2024-25 on February 1 will likely see the central government boost investment, while still sticking to the fiscal consolidation path

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that the country can develop only if various welfare schemes reach all, asserting that it is his guarantee that everyone - even those in the remotest of areas - will benefit from them. Releasing the first instalment of Rs 540 crore to one lakh tribal beneficiaries of a rural housing scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) via video conferencing, he said the 10 years of his government have been dedicated to the poor. Invoking Shabari, a tribal woman depicted in the epic Ramayana who served berries to Lord Ram during his stay in forests, the prime minister said it is natural for him to remember her when he has undertaken a special religious ritual till the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22. "The story of Shri Ram is not possible without Mata Shabari," he said, asserting that she played a big role in the transformation of 'prince' Ram into 'maryada purushottam' Ram. "Be it

The commerce ministry has called a meeting of all stakeholders, including government officials and trade sector experts, on January 20 to discuss issues which are likely to figure in the WTO meeting, an official said. The 13th Ministerial Conference (MC) of World Trade Organization (WTO) is scheduled from February 26-29 in Abu Dhabi, the UAE. MC is the highest decision-making body of the 164-member WTO, which monitors global exports and imports besides adjudicating disputes between member countries. India is the member of the organisation since 1995. The issues which would figure in the MC 13 include agriculture, food security, dispute settlement reform, e-commerce moratorium, and fisheries subsidies. "We are meeting all the stakeholders on January 20," the official said. On the food security issue, India has called for finding a permanent solution to the issue of public stockholding for food security in the ministerial-level meeting. It has dismissed arguments for alternative fo

Moody's Investors Service on Monday said the strength of the next government's mandate following parliamentary elections this year will influence the medium-term trajectory for fiscal consolidation and governance in India. It said a moderation in economic conditions in the US and the persistence of subdued growth in the euro area in 2024 will further dampen demand for goods produced in Asia Pacific and curb global commodity prices, but large emerging markets like India will be able to mitigate the impact. Moody's in its 2024 outlook for APAC sovereigns said that the forthcoming elections, particularly those with greater likelihood of leadership transitions, including Indonesia, pose a degree of policy uncertainty as governments seek to manage key geopolitical relationships, especially regarding China and the US, current economic and fiscal strains, and longer-term commitments toward addressing climate change. The prevalence of social risks amid political transition could undermine .

Investments from American institutions in Indian real estate market declined 39 per cent last year to USD 1.35 billion amid global uncertainties, according to JLL India. During 2022, US-based institutional investors had pumped USD 2.2 billion in Indian real estate. American funds have generally been the biggest investors in Indian real estate market. According to the JLL India report released on Monday, the total institutional investments in Indian real estate rose 14 per cent to USD 5,878 million (USD 5.87 billion) in 2023 from USD 5,151 million in the previous year. The consultant said this reflected India's resilience in the face of global economic headwinds. JLL anticipates investor confidence in the Indian growth story to continue in 2024 as well. In 2023, the largest contributors were foreign institutional investors with 63 per cent share in the total investments. However, the share of inflow from Americas, the conventionally highest contributor in investments, witnessed a

Positive rate of inflation in December, 2023 was primarily due to an increase in prices of food articles, machinery & equipment, other manufacturing, other transport equipment

The country's wheat stocks at state warehouses stood at 16.47 million metric tons as of Jan. 1, the lowest since 2017

The Indian economy has withstood all geopolitical shocks in the last couple of years and it will also be able to navigate the uncertainties that lie ahead, RBI Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member Jayanth R Varma said on Sunday. Varma further said he expects a benign outcome in 2024 where inflation comes down and growth remains robust. "The Indian economy has withstood all these shocks ( Russia-Ukraine war, Israel-Hamas war, rising oil prices, Houthi attacks) in the last couple of years, and I do not believe that the geopolitical situation will be significantly worse in coming months than what we experienced in the recent past," he told PTI in an interview. Moreover, Varma, a professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, said the continued slowdown in China has led to sharply reduced demand for energy and other commodities, and this too has ameliorated the adverse effects of supply shock. "On the whole, I have a great deal of confidence that India will be able to ..

The Centre, state governments and industry representatives will meet on January 16 to discuss ways to boost the country's exports, an official said. Issues which are expected to figure in the meeting include rupee payment challenges, need of global shipping, and challenges being faced by traders on account of the Red Sea crisis, and uncertain global economic situation due to the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel-Hamas conflict. The meeting will be chaired by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. They all are members of the Board of Trade (BoT). "There are over 135 members of BoT. It is meeting on January 16 at Bharat Mandapam," the official said. Headed by the minister, the board includes participants from various states, Union Territories, and senior officials from the public and private sectors. In the meeting, representatives of export promotion councils present their views on the export sector. The board provides an opportunity to have regular discussions and consultations

The government has clarified that there are no import restrictions on certain IT hardware products such as desktop computers. In a circular to customs authorities and industry, the commerce ministry arm Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has said only the import of laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers, ultra small form factor computers and servers is restricted and imports of these goods are allowed against a valid import authorisation. "The given import restriction does not apply to any other goods such as desktop computers, etc, under the tariff head 8471," it said. In international trade parlance, every product is categorised under an HSN (Harmonised System of Nomenclature) code, or tariff heads. It helps in systematic classification of goods across the globe. HS Code 8471 includes products related to automatic data processing machines and units. It includes a mouse, printers, scanners, and CD drives. In August 2023, the government imposed restrictions on ..

India's trade minister Piyush Goyal and Tai held their annual trade policy talks in New Delhi on Jan. 12. Tai is on a three-day visit to India

The commerce ministry has called a high-level inter-ministerial meeting on January 17 to discuss the way forward on the trade front in the wake of ongoing problems in the Red Sea, a senior official said on Saturday. Senior officials from five ministries -- external affairs, defence, shipping and finance (department of financial services) and commerce -- will participate in the deliberations. The commerce ministry has also set up an internal strategic group, comprising additional secretaries of the ministry, to discuss global issues impacting the country's trade on a daily basis and prepare a strategy so that India's response can be quick and decisive. "This Wednesday, we are holding an inter-ministerial consultation. We will be discussing the way forward," the official said. The situation around the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping route connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean, has escalated due to recent attacks by Yemen-based Houthi ...

Discussions on E1, E2 visas aimed at enhancing bilateral trade and investment

USTR Katherine Tai emphasizes open communication with India on import policies

Brent crude futures rose $1.08, or 1.4%, to $78.51 a barrel by 1:25 p.m. ET (1825 GMT), after earlier surging over $3 to more than $80

Retail inflation in December, on the other hand, rose to a four-month high because of a seasonal spike in the prices of vegetables, fruits, and pulses that the Reserve Bank of India has already factor

While the average Indian consumer's cost of living rose by 5.69 per cent compared to the previous year, it rose 8.73 per cent in Odisha, 7.07 per cent in Gujarat and 6.95 per cent in Rajasthan