Business

PM Modi urges self-reliance in critical minerals & fertilisers India is pushing ahead with plans to achieve self-sufficiency in critical minerals, with exploration already underway at over 1,200 sites, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during his Independence Day address. Speaking from the Red Fort on the nation’s 79th Independence Day, he noted that the global…

The government is set to expand the proposed Maritime Development Fund (MDF) to Rs 70,000 crore, 2.8 times the allocation announced in the February Budget, to accelerate growth in shipbuilding, ship repair, port-linked infrastructure and shipping tonnage, ET reported, citing multiple sources. The Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC), led by the finance ministry’s expenditure secretary, has…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of GST 2.0, with rate cuts to be rolled out by Diwali, is a timely and strategic step to strengthen the Indian economy, according to tax experts.From the Red Fort on Independence Day, Modi said GST rates will be lowered on everyday-use goods as part of reforms to the eight-year-old…

The Income Tax Department has released the Excel utility for Income Tax Return (ITR) Form 6 for the assessment year 2025-26, enabling eligible companies to file their returns for the financial year 2024-25.“Kind Attention Taxpayers! Excel Utility of ITR-6 for AY 2025-26 is now live and available for filing.” tax department posted on X. ITR-6…

Shoppers in the US kept up a healthy pace of spending in July, particularly at auto dealerships, even as President Donald Trump’s tariffs began taking a toll on jobs and pushed some prices higher.Retail sales rose 0.5% last month, slowing from a revised 0.9% in June, according to the Commerce Department’s report released Friday. The…

When Oakland resident Terrence Dwyer got a flyer advertising a solar system small enough to fit on his deck — and that plugs into a regular wall socket — he didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely, let’s do this right away,” he said.Such “plug-in” or “balcony” solar kits, long popular in Europe for their affordability and easy installation,…

US stocks hovered near record highs on Friday as Wall Street moved towards closing another winning week, buoyed by hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in September.The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged in early trade, a day after notching a fresh all-time high, and was on track for its fourth winning week…

India and Singapore held the fourth meeting of their Joint Working Group on Trade & Investment (JWGTI) at Vanijya Bhawan in New Delhi on Thursday, focusing on ways to deepen economic cooperation and identify fresh areas of collaboration. The meeting came a day after the third India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable, marking a week of intensive bilateral…

The next round of negotiations to review the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) will be held on October 6-7, 2025, at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, hosted by Malaysia, the Commerce Ministry said.The tenth round of talks concluded in New Delhi between August 10 and 14, with the Joint Committee focusing on advancing…

AI image India is facing a difficult strategic choice after the US imposed a steep 50% country-specific tariff on most Indian goods, on top of existing duties, according to the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI).Founder Ajay Srivastava was quoted by news agency PTI as saying that the options range from negotiating or retaliating to diversifying…