Economy
Reliance Industries secures US licence to buy Venezuelan crude oil
India's largest private refiner gets US general licence to purchase Venezuelan crude directly, potentially diversifying its crude slate and resuming imports after previous sanctions eased
 "Reliance Industries secures US licence to buy Venezuelan crude oil")
India's Q1 edible oil imports fall 2% on lower soybean, sunflower purchases
Palm oil imports rose 18 per cent to 1.91 million tonnes in the November 2025-January 2026 quarter from 1.62 million tonnes a year earlier
 "India's Q1 edible oil imports fall 2% on lower soybean, sunflower purchases")
Nomura drops April rate-cut call on firmer inflation, RBI 'stealth easing'
Last week, Nomura had assigned a 65 per cent probability that the Reserve Bank of India would cut its policy rate by 25 basis points to 5 per cent
 "Nomura drops April rate-cut call on firmer inflation, RBI 'stealth easing'")
As Budget renews push for social sectors, gap in implementation persists
Spending on health and education as percentage of GDP is modest and below policy targets
 "As Budget renews push for social sectors, gap in implementation persists")
New CPI Series: Economists expect a prolonged pause on RBI's repo rate
Next step may be a rate increase as and when the inflation rate grows
 "New CPI Series: Economists expect a prolonged pause on RBI's repo rate")
New CPI series will have less instability structurally, says Pronab Sen
Former chief statistician says the revised cpi was overdue, supports excluding free pds items and sees little immediate impact on rbi policy decisions
 "New CPI series will have less instability structurally, says Pronab Sen")
New consumer inflation data to bolster policy responses: CEA Nageswaran
At 2.75%, January price rise well below RBI's target of 4%
 "New consumer inflation data to bolster policy responses: CEA Nageswaran")
Piyush Goyal slams Rahul Gandhi over US deal, says farmers fully protected
Commerce minister Piyush Goyal accused Rahul Gandhi of spreading lies on the India-US interim trade deal, asserting that farmers' interests were fully safeguarded and exports would rise
 "Piyush Goyal slams Rahul Gandhi over US deal, says farmers fully protected")
New CPI series pegs India's retail inflation at 2.75% in January
Officials stressed that the December number under the old series and the January print are not comparable
 "New CPI series pegs India's retail inflation at 2.75% in January")
2024 CPI series rebasing halves index value; inflation rate unchanged
Shift to CPI 2024 base sharply lowers headline index levels in back series, but inflation rate remains identical across rural and urban segments
 "2024 CPI series rebasing halves index value; inflation rate unchanged")
Volatile items such as food and oil have lower weight in new CPI series
Rural still has more weighting than urban despite drop from earlier series
 "Volatile items such as food and oil have lower weight in new CPI series")
Power sector reforms central to tackling India's climate finance problem
According to the NITI AAYOG study, the first step towards climate financing is strengthening power discoms'finances and reducing the risk of default
 "Power sector reforms central to tackling India's climate finance problem")
US LNG imports hinge on pricing: Petronet LNG CEO Akshay Kumar Singh
Petronet LNG chief says any additional US LNG imports will hinge on pricing; Q3 consolidated net profit declines 2.4% to Rs 845.50 crore
 "US LNG imports hinge on pricing: Petronet LNG CEO Akshay Kumar Singh")
Brazil President to hold talks with PM Modi during Feb 18-22 India visit
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to hold bilateral talks with PM Modi, attend AI Impact Summit and lead business delegation during five-day state visit
 "Brazil President to hold talks with PM Modi during Feb 18-22 India visit")
India's January retail inflation comes at 2.75%; govt revises base year
January 2026 CPI-based inflation: The inflation remained close to the Reserve Bank of India's lower tolerance threshold
 "India's January retail inflation comes at 2.75%; govt revises base year")
How India can reframe global economic cooperation in a multipolar world
India seeks to convene, align and anchor a shifting global order by building platforms where governments, capital and enterprise forge the partnerships shaping future prosperity
 "How India can reframe global economic cooperation in a multipolar world")
Indian textile exporters may get zero-duty US access, easing B'desh impact
Commerce Minister indicates sector may get zero-duty US market access similar to Bangladesh; industry says cotton exports and farmers unlikely to be hit
 "Indian textile exporters may get zero-duty US access, easing B'desh impact")
Govt likely to roll out 8 components of export promotion mission next week
In November last year, two schemes were approved by the Union Cabinet with a combined outlay of over Rs 45,000 crore
 "Govt likely to roll out 8 components of export promotion mission next week")
Free trade agreement lifts hopes of India-EU organic food traders
According to experts from the organic food sector, the agreement opens up $60 billion worth of opportunities for Indian organic product exporters in the EU
 "Free trade agreement lifts hopes of India-EU organic food traders")
Trump hails trade deal with India as historic, says US coal exports to rise
"We're now exporting coal all over the world, and the quality of our coal is supposed to be, the finest anywhere in the world," he said
 "Trump hails trade deal with India as historic, says US coal exports to rise")