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India and Sri Lanka will leverage their cooperative sector networks to strengthen the supply of essential commodities and ensure food security across the island nation, the Indian High Commission said on Tuesday. The National Co-operative Exports Limited (NCEL), an umbrella body of Indian co-operatives in overseas markets, has signed an agreement with COOPFED, the apex federation of consumer cooperative societies in Sri Lanka, to strengthen cooperation in the supply of essential commodities, food security and cooperative development, the High Commission said. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) provides for a framework for leveraging the cooperative networks and expertise of the two organisations. "Under this partnership, essential food items will be supplied from India to Sri Lanka through the cooperative networks of NCEL and help minimise shortages and improve availability at affordable prices," the Indian mission said. In addition to the supply of agricultural and food ...
The government is expected to extend the duty refund scheme - Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) - for exporters, an official said on Tuesday. The scheme will end on September 30. The official said the ministry is in discussion with the finance ministry on the issue. The scheme, launched in 2021, provides for a refund of taxes, duties and levies that are incurred by exporters in the process of manufacturing and distribution of goods and not being reimbursed under any other mechanism at the Centre, state or local level. Refunds under the scheme range from 0.3 per cent to 3.9 per cent. The budget allocation under the scheme for 2025-26 stood at Rs 18,232 crore. The budget for the scheme for this fiscal was Rs 10,000 crore.
India's exports to China, South Africa, Brazil and Russia grew 34 per cent to USD 19.9 billion in April-August 2026-27, led by a 39 per cent jump in shipments to China, highlighting the growing importance of the BRICS bloc for India's export growth. "As India deepens its engagement with the BRICS bloc, strongest momentum is coming from the BRICS members, especially Core BRICS founding partners-- China, South Africa, Brazil, and Russia," an official said. BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with Indonesia joining in 2025. Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam became BRICS partner countries last year. According to the commerce ministry data, exports to the four core BRICS economies grew by 34 per cent, rising from USD 14.9 billion in April-August 2025-26 to USD 19.9 billion in April-August ...
The government on Tuesday hiked windfall gains tax on export of petrol and diesel, and reduced it marginally on ATF for the next fortnight. The rate of special additional excise duty (SAED) along with road and infrastructure cess on export of diesel now stands at Rs 25 per litre, up from Rs 24 a litre. SAED on export of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) has been set at Rs 19 per litre, compared to Rs 19.5 per litre earlier. The duty on petrol exports has been hiked to Rs 1.5 per litre effective September 1, up from zero earlier. The Finance Ministry in a notification said the duty hikes will be effective from September 1. Amid escalating tensions in West Asia, the Government imposed an export duty on diesel and ATF on March 27 and revised the rate every fortnight. Beginning May 16, the levy was imposed on petrol exports. The ministry also said that there is no change in the existing duty rates on petrol and diesel cleared for domestic consumption. The windfall tax was levied to incre