Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations advance as parties agree to intensify talks toward a balanced, equitable pact.
India and EFTA officials advanced comprehensive negotiations for a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement, discussing modalities of engagement and following prior expert meetings. Both sides agreed to intensify talks, schedule further meetings, and pursue a fair, equitable and balanced agreement grounded in trust and respect, aiming to enhance integrated supply chains, trade and investment flows, and economic opportunities.

Customs seizure of smuggled gold at international airport following intelligence-led interceptions resulting in arrests and judicial custody.
Two intelligence-led airport interceptions produced seizures of smuggled foreign gold concealed on passengers and in hand baggage: one search near a residence recovered gold paste hidden in knee caps and pouches yielding 13.28 kg, and an airport search of a Sri Lankan national revealed gold paste inside chocolate packets yielding 10.06 kg; both persons were arrested and remanded to judicial custody.

Drug seizure: heroin found concealed in imported brooms exposes engineered smuggling method and NDPS Act arrests continue investigation.
Seizure at a land-border check post revealed heroin clandestinely packed inside hollow cane/bamboo sticks concealed within imported brooms; the importer used fake local identity documents in apparent collusion with a domestic associate. Both principal suspects were arrested and charged under the NDPS Act, 1985, and investigations continue to unravel the broader smuggling conspiracy and gather evidence for prosecution.

Startup collaboration drives cross-border innovation, shared platforms, and startup capacity-building through workshops and incubator exchanges.
The forum advanced startup collaboration by establishing common platforms, conducting bilateral startup-to-startup meetings, and delivering a workshop on bilateral and multilateral engagement models to strengthen startup ecosystems. It included a delegation visit to an incubator and a startup showcase to share know how on funding, mentorship, scaling support, and opportunities for market expansion, building on prior virtual forums, a centralized startup hub, and a focused mentorship program.

Pension eligibility under Atal Pension Yojana covers non-taxpaying citizens aged eighteen to forty, securing a lifelong guaranteed pension.
Any Indian citizen with a savings bank account who is not an income taxpayer and who joins between eighteen and forty years may open an APY account; the subscriber is entitled to a minimum guaranteed pension payable for life from age sixty, with the same pension payable to the spouse on subscriber's death and the accumulated pension wealth as at subscriber's age sixty payable to the nominee on death of both subscriber and spouse.

India U.S. partnership to deepen trade and investment ties, encourage U.S. bases in India and scale exports through reforms.
India U.S. partnership is positioned as a strategic economic collaboration to deepen trade and investment, encourage U.S. firms to establish bases in India for regional expansion, and scale exports through reforms improving ease of doing business, labour competitiveness and logistics. The statement highlights targeted sectoral cooperation across merchandise and services, the use of institutional platforms such as the Indo Pacific Economic Framework and U.S. India CEO Forum to coordinate policy and investment, and frames reform and climate commitments as reinforcing conditions for a global manufacturing and trade expansion.

Indirect acquisition: investor's purchase of holding company shares results in a minority stake in an insurance firm.
The Competition Commission of India approved Mr. Sanjay Chamria's acquisition of 11,500 equity shares in Jaguar Advisory Services Private Limited (51.11% of Jaguar), purchased from Poonawalla Fincorp Limited and HDI Global SE, resulting in an indirect acquisition by Mr. Chamria of approximately 5.44% of the equity share capital of Magma HDI General Insurance Company Limited.

Merger control approval for acquisition of passive telecom infrastructure provider leading to consolidation under common infrastructure fund control.
The Competition Commission approved acquisition of 100 percent of the shareholding of Tower Vision India Private Limited by Ascend Telecom Infrastructure Private Limited and GIP EM Ascend 2 Pte. Ltd., transferring control of a provider of passive telecommunication infrastructure in India to investment-vehicle owned Acquirers ultimately controlled by a common infrastructure management group; a detailed order will follow.

Institutional milestone celebrated with campus expansion and enhanced international trade education, marking growth and broader industry engagement.
IIFT celebrated its Diamond Jubilee as an institutional milestone, outlining its evolution into a centre of excellence in international trade and business education, academic and administrative reforms at Delhi and Kolkata campuses, the inauguration of a Kakinada campus, and collaborations to advance its vision. The Institute announced a GIFT City campus becoming operational from July 2023, noted achievements such as AACSB accreditation and expanded management development and executive education offerings, and released a commemorative issue of the Foreign Trade Review.

Repayment at par: holders must provide bank mandate for electronic credit or surrender securities twenty days before maturity.
Outstanding balance of 7.16% GS 2023 is repayable at par on May 20, 2023; no interest accrues from that date. Payment will follow sub regulations 24(2) and 24(3) of the Government Securities Regulations, 2007 by pay order with bank particulars or by electronic credit where available; holders must submit bank details in advance or, lacking those particulars, tender duly discharged securities at designated paying offices twenty days before the due date to obtain discharge value.

Trade and Economic Partnership talks to resume; parties commit to resolving outstanding issues and deepening cooperation.
High-level officials from India and EFTA States met to advance resumption of negotiations on a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement, review the state of talks, identify challenges from the global trade environment, and commit to continue efforts to resolve outstanding issues, explore ways to advance negotiations, and deepen the economic partnership toward a more inclusive global trading system.

Open network interoperability ensures fair marketplace access, inviting all e commerce platforms to join and compete.
ONDC is an interoperable digital marketplace inviting all e commerce platforms to join, aimed at expanding market access for local languages, small businesses, artisans and farmers by enabling wider price discovery, larger markets, reduced commission burdens, real time settlement and non preferential treatment so that no seller gains built in priority, thereby promoting equitable access, competition and improved consumer choice.

Administrative appointment: Secretary role at Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade filled, marking a senior civil service transfer.
Administrative appointment: Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh has assumed the office of Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, succeeding the previous Secretary who moved to another central ministry. The notice records this senior-level transfer within the central civil service and summarizes the officer's qualifying administrative experience, including prior secretarial leadership in the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying and various central and state-level senior postings.

Appointment of Secretary: Rajesh Kumar Singh assumes charge at Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, succeeding predecessor.
Appointment of Secretary: Rajesh Kumar Singh has assumed charge as Secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, succeeding the outgoing incumbent; he is an Indian Administrative Service officer of the 1989 batch from the Kerala cadre with prior Secretary-level and senior central and state government assignments.

Integrated national infrastructure planning platform awarded for innovation; enhances interdepartmental coordination and optimizes project planning.
PM GatiShakti NMP is an integrated national infrastructure planning platform consolidating over fourteen hundred data layers from Central Ministries and States/UTs to enable unified access for optimized planning, faster clearances, reduced project pendency and cost-effective implementation. An institutional framework-Empowered Group of Secretaries, Network Planning Group and Technical Support Unit-functions at national and sub national levels to govern and provide technical support. The programme promotes a convergence-based Area Approach for sustainable socio-economic infrastructure development and has undertaken regional workshops to onboard stakeholders and build implementation capacity.

Education policy alignment with NEP 2020 stresses quality, affordability and institutional engagement to boost entrepreneurship.
India's education priorities emphasize alignment with the National Education Policy, 2020 to secure high quality education, affordability and flexibility, and call on institutions to engage with private sector and government to leverage student and faculty strengths for public benefit. The address also promotes entrepreneurship, innovation and gender inclusion-highlighting notable female enrolment-and advocates a VUCA approach (Vision, Understanding, Clarity and Agility) to prepare graduates to create solutions for diverse sectors and support inclusive growth.

Regulatory reform fosters transparency and investment in real estate, enabling growth and startup opportunities with infrastructure support.
The Real Estate sector is presented as a major source of employment and startup opportunities underpinned by budgetary infrastructure investment and increased housing outlay. RERA is depicted as a key reform improving transparency and governance, while simplified GST and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code have strengthened lender confidence and sector resilience. Policy and legislative measures, including decriminalisation efforts and the Jan Vishwas Bill, are framed as enhancing trust, consumer redressal and ease of doing business.

Economic cooperation agreements expand sectoral collaboration and commit to resolving market access issues through bilateral consultations.
The co chairs emphasised enhanced bilateral economic engagement and identified priority sectors for cooperation-notably Renewable Energy, Civil Aviation (automation, surveillance, NavAids), High Speed Rail, Shipping and Ports, Infrastructure, Pharmaceuticals, Technology, Innovation, and Defence. They reviewed legal instruments including MOUs on Migration and Mobility, an Agreement on Social Security, and Cyber Security cooperation, and agreed to resolve exporters' Market Access Issues through bilateral discussions, while seeking progress on India EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations during the upcoming Spanish EU Presidency.

Direct tax collections trend: time series release shows stronger revenue performance and improved collection efficiency indicators.
Updated Time Series data through F.Y. 2021 22 reports large increases in net and gross direct tax collections compared with F.Y. 2013 14, the highest Direct Tax Buoyancy over the past 15 years, an increased Direct Tax to GDP ratio, and a reduced cost of collection as a share of receipts; the datasets are released in annual and provisional formats and published on the official income tax website to support research and analysis of tax administration effectiveness.

Bilateral economic cooperation focuses on green transition, technology collaboration and defence industrial co development to boost market access.
Bilateral economic and commercial engagement expanded across investment, trade and sectoral cooperation, with emphasis on mobilising private and public investment and business partnerships to accelerate exports and market access. The programme prioritises a green transition, technology cooperation and industrial modernisation, identifying opportunities in renewable energy, mobility, buildings, energy efficiency, industrial processes and agri-technology. Critical and emerging technologies and defence industrial collaboration were addressed as strategic areas for deeper cooperation, with focus on joint design, indigenous development and leveraging bilateral ties for broader market engagement.