Domestic certified reference material boosts import substitution and supports Make in India, aiding cement industry standards.
National Awards recognized energy, environment, total quality and circular economy excellence in cement plants and grinding units, reaffirming commitments to water positivity and plastic negativity. The conference released an Indian Certified Reference Material for gypsum to substitute imported CRMs and support domestic manufacturing, issued the 8th edition of cement plant operational guide norms, and announced carbon footprint quantification and offsetting through an NCB incubated StartUp, while hosting technical papers, posters, an exhibition, and StartUp interactions.

Taxpayer outreach recognized for innovative public engagement, enhancing GST and Customs awareness through interactive helpdesks and multilingual resources.
The CBIC pavilion was awarded a Bronze Medal for Public Communication for deploying interactive exhibits, multilingual audiovisual tutorials, brochures and staffed helpdesks to simplify GST and Customs procedures, provide on the spot guidance and resolve hundreds of direct queries during the trade fair; a Customs K9 demonstration and downloadable materials further supported taxpayer outreach.

India-EU Free Trade Agreement: call for stronger political will and CBDR recognition to address EU green measures
Ministers urged stronger political direction to expedite the India EU Free Trade Agreement, Investment Protection Agreement and Agreement on Geographical Indications, and called for recognition of the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibility in implementing EU sustainability and social measures. They flagged concerns about the trade impact of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and the EU Deforestation Regulation on Indian exporters, while noting ongoing bilateral dialogues to strengthen resilient supply chains and deepen investment ties.

Trade promotion through targeted seafood and wine tasting strengthens market access and export positioning in the EU.
Promotion of Indian seafood and wine exports to the European market through an Embassy-hosted tasting that showcased premium seafood varieties paired with Indian wines to demonstrate product quality and market readiness; the event highlighted export growth trends, Vannamei shrimp expansion, and the role of EU approved processors in facilitating access to the EU, while mobilising APEDA, MPEDA and diplomatic channels for targeted trade diplomacy and sectoral promotion.

AITIGA review negotiations advance with textual progress and initiation of tariff talks, aiming to conclude the agreement review.
The 6th AITIGA Joint Committee meeting in New Delhi advanced the formal review of the Agreement through multilateral and bilateral consultations. Eight Sub-Committees addressed market access, rules of origin, SPS measures, standards and technical regulations, customs procedures, trade remedies, economic and technical cooperation, and legal and institutional provisions. Delegations reported progress in textual negotiations and initiated tariff discussions, while chief negotiators developed a coordinated approach to unresolved issues. The process continues under political exhortation to expedite conclusion of the review in 2025, with the next session scheduled to follow up on the negotiation roadmap.

Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement expands market access and services liberalisation while facilitating investment and technology collaboration.
The Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement establishes broad tariff liberalisation and market access for goods-complete for non agricultural products and concessions on processed agricultural products-paired with reciprocal tariff offers across many sub sectors. It advances services liberalisation through Mode 1 (digital delivery), Mode 3 (commercial presence) and Mode 4 (temporary movement of key personnel), and promotes investment facilitation, technology collaboration and institutional engagement to support early ratification and implementation.

Free Trade Agreement negotiations to resume, aiming to bridge gaps and secure a balanced, mutually beneficial trade deal.
Resumption of bilateral Free Trade Agreement negotiations between India and the United Kingdom is announced, with talks to recommence in early 2025 and dates to be finalised through diplomatic channels. The negotiations will resume from prior progress and focus on bridging remaining gaps to secure a balanced, mutually beneficial and forward looking Free Trade Agreement, with both sides collaborating closely to address outstanding issues and expedite closure of the trade deal.

Free Trade Agreement equity and balance sought; India requires transparency and aligned economic systems in FTA negotiations.
India conditions entry into Free Trade Agreements on equity, balance and fair trade, seeking partners that are transparent, open and whose governmental economic systems align with India; transparency and systemic compatibility are operative criteria. The Government emphasises basic amenities and the combination of democratic governance, demographic advantage, demand and decisive leadership to attract investment, and prioritises skill development through announced schemes and enhanced corporate social responsibility support for vocational training.

Integrated multimodal connectivity to alleviate corridor congestion and enhance logistics efficiency under the national master plan.
The Network Planning Group assessed eight rail and road capacity augmentation projects under the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, applying principles of integrated multimodal connectivity, last mile linkage, intermodal connectivity, and synchronised implementation to identify measures expected to alleviate corridor congestion, enhance freight and passenger throughput, improve linkages to ports and industrial hubs, and support regional economic integration through infrastructure upgrades and targeted alignment works.

Taxpayer awareness and grievance resolution amplified through a trade facilitation pavilion with expert helpdesks and multilingual outreach.
The GST and Customs Pavilion promotes trade facilitation and taxpayer engagement by offering six expert helpdesks for immediate grievance resolution and procedural guidance, interactive digital displays of departmental initiatives, multilingual tutorial videos, outreach events, and a career guidance counter; a Red Panda mascot reinforces CBIC's messaging on duty, precision and trust while balancing trade facilitation with oversight.

Selection of training partners for mid career programme via open tender to deliver multi phase IRS capacity building.
NACIN seeks Training Partner(s)/Partner Institute(s) through an open tender Request for Proposal on the public procurement portal to organise and deliver Phase III, Phase IV and Phase V of the Mid Career Training Programme for IRS (Customs & Indirect Taxes) officers, requiring submission of bids by the published deadline to provide capacity building services, course delivery, and related logistics.

Monetary policy flexibility guided by financial stability objectives supports calibrated inflation control while preserving systemic resilience.
India addressed pandemic-era and post-pandemic shocks through a full monetary policy cycle under flexible inflation targeting, agile liquidity operations, and coordinated fiscal-monetary measures to align inflation with the target while supporting growth. Complementary regulatory and supervisory reforms-investment valuation norms, scale-based NBFC rules, tiered cooperative bank oversight, enhanced off-site analytics and SupTech, cybersecurity standards, and ongoing Basel III, ECL, LCR and climate-disclosure initiatives-have been deployed to strengthen financial stability alongside payment-system innovations.

Exports growth led by engineering, electronics and services boosts total export performance while imports also rise.
Estimates for October 2024 and April-October 2024 show year on year increases in merchandise and services exports, with services generating a substantial cumulative surplus; imports also rose, producing a negative trade balance that widened in absolute terms for the cumulative period. Engineering goods, electronic goods, chemicals, rice and textiles were major export drivers, while non petroleum and non gems & jewellery exports recorded significant gains. October services data are provisional and cumulative figures have been adjusted using quarterly balance of payments updates.

Trade fair expansion and ITPO development drive MICE growth, digital kiosks, virtual fairs and export promotion at IITF.
Union Minister inaugurated IITF 2024 and announced expansion of ITPO and MICE infrastructure, enhanced digital transaction kiosks at fairs, exploration of revenue sharing models, and promotion of virtual fairs; the release set out event operational details including dates, ticketing channels, entry logistics, concessions, exhibitor and partner participation, and described IITF as a platform to showcase export potential and foster B2B and B2C engagement aligned with the "Viksit Bharat @2047" theme.

Insurance period reduction for stored customs cargo eases costs and synchronising licences with AEO status streamlines compliance.
The mandated insurance period for cargo stored in Customs-controlled areas has been reduced as a trade-facilitation measure, lowering insurance costs and improving CCSP cash flow. Licence renewal requirements for Customs Cargo Service Providers holding AEO authorisation have been withdrawn by making CCSP licences synchronous with AEO status, removing a separate renewal process and streamlining compliance for internationally accredited operators.

Electric vehicle production scale-up to drive cost efficiency and position India as a global mobility technology hub.
Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 is a large-scale, industry-led and government-supported exposition designed to unite the automotive and mobility value chain, showcase advances (including EV and battery technologies), attract investment and expand exports, and accelerate EV production to achieve cost efficiencies, coordinated by EEPC India with broad industry partner support.

Gender inclusivity drives customs supply chain reforms, emphasising empowerment of women entrepreneurs and workplace support.
Gender inclusivity in the customs supply chain is presented as a policy priority focused on reducing workplace bias and empowering women entrepreneurs. The seminar identified emotional, physical and financial barriers affecting women, emphasized leadership representation in logistics and manufacturing, and described CBIC and private-sector initiatives-such as wellbeing support, targeted recruitment and leadership development-as coordinated mechanisms to integrate gender inclusivity and expand women's participation in customs-related economic activities.