Economy & Policy News

Govt may revise LPG subsidy formula as US imports push up costs

The oil companies are seeking to include US LPG prices and the much higher shipping costs from the US

GST Council may weigh 5% levy on air, water purifiers as AQI worsens

The GST Council may consider cutting tax on air and water purifiers from 18% to 5%, amid worsening air quality and calls to treat them as essential public health equipment

RBI to consolidate more circulars across departments to cut compliance cost

After consolidating over 9,000 Department of Regulation circulars into 244 master directions, RBI said it will take up similar exercises across other departments to ease compliance

SFB asset quality worsens in FY25; GNPA rises to 3.6%: RBI report

RBI's Trends and Progress report said small finance banks saw weaker asset quality and lower profits in FY25, even as balance sheets expanded at a faster pace than other banks

Industrial production grows 6.7% in November, highest in two years

The National Statistics Office (NSO) revised the industrial production growth to 0.5 per cent for October 2025 from the provisional estimate of 0.4 per cent released last month

India to set up committee to oversee New Zealand FDI commitment under FTA

India and New Zealand announced the conclusion of the free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations on 22 December, under which Wellington has committed $20 billion in FDI over the next 15 years

From UK FTA to US tariff duels: What 2025 revealed about India's tradecraft

India spent 2025 rewriting its foreign policy playbook through trade deals, tariff battles and supply chain partnerships, signalling that market access now drives its global engagement

Year-ender 2025: Rural economy steadies as GST cuts offset weak crop prices

Lower crop prices and weak nominal farm growth weighed on rural incomes in 2025, but GST cuts, welfare support, and rising consumption helped stabilise demand and sentiment

Strong fundamentals, major investments to propel India's FDI in 2026

India is also banking on its free trade agreement with the four-nation European FTA, under which the bloc has committed to invest $100 bn in foreign direct investment into the country over 15 years

Govt issues EoI for unified customs portal to integrate ICEGATE, RMS, ICES

CBIC has floated an EoI to shortlist up to eight bidders for building a Customs Integrated System that unifies ICEGATE, RMS and ICES to cut cargo clearance time

Yearender 2025: The economy sailed through, but the waters are uncertain

Real GDP growth surprised on the upside in 2025, but weaker nominal growth, trade uncertainty, and soft demand signal a bumpier road ahead

25 years of PM Gram Sadak Yojana: 95% of rural road targets achieved

As of December 2025, nearly 787,520 kilometres (km) out of a total sanctioned length of 825,114 km of rural roads had been completed under various phases of the scheme

8 months into FY26, states have spent only 38% of the budgeted capex

Sixteen of 21 states spent under half of their budgeted capex in the first eight months of FY26, while the Centre's capex stood at 55.1 per cent of BE in April-October

Piyush Goyal may travel to Canada in February to resume FTA talks

Piyush Goyal may visit Canada in February, paving the way for restarting stalled India-Canada trade talks after a two-year diplomatic freeze over the Nijjar controversy

Retailers step up hiring of women from shop floors to leadership roles

Retailers are planning to ramp up women hiring across store floors and leadership pipelines, citing higher retention and better customer experience as organised retail expands

Small business credit exposure rises 16% to ₹46 trillion: CRIF-Sidbi report

Small business credit exposure rose 16.2 per cent to ₹46 trillion as of September 2025, though growth moderated from the previous quarter amid cautious underwriting and seasonality

Gold reserves, foreign currency assets push forex kitty by $4.4 bn

RBI data show gold reserves and foreign currency assets rose during the week, aided by a $5 billion USD/INR buy-sell swap and intervention in the rupee market

Indian Railways to double originating train capacity in 48 cities by 2030

Indian Railways plans to double the capacity of major cities to originate new trains by 2030 through terminal upgrades, new terminals and maintenance facilities to meet travel demand

Subsidised onion sale begins as NCCF offers Rs 19/kg in Delhi-NCR

Onion retailing will be done through mobile vans operating across the Delhi-NCR region at 16 locations, including INA Market, R K Puram, Model Town, and Shalimar Bagh

India imposes anti-dumping duty on Chinese steel, refrigerant gas

As per a separate notification, India said it has imposed anti-dumping duty on imports of 'Calcium Carbonate Filler Masterbatch' exported from Vietnam. It is widely used in plastic industry