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A team of officials from the US is expected to visit India next week for talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement, sources said on Thursday. The visit is crucial as India and the US are working to finalise the first tranche of the pact. "The team is likely to come next week. Dates are being finalised, and discussions are on," said one of the sources. This visit of the US officials would be the second after the imposition of a 25 per cent tariff and an additional 25 per cent penalty on Indian goods entering the American market for buying Russian crude oil. Earlier, the team had visited on September 16. On September 22, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also led an official delegation to the US for trade talks. He was accompanied by the then special secretary in the ministry, Rajesh Agrawal and other officials. Agrawal is now India's commerce secretary. The USA's Chief Negotiator for the pact is Brendan Lynch. The next week's visit would be important as Agrawal h
The Board of Trade (BoT) is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, chaired by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, to discuss strategies to boost India's exports amid the steep tariffs imposed by the US, an official has said. Headed by the minister, the board includes participants from various states, Union territories, and senior officials from the public and private sectors. In the meeting, representatives of export promotion councils, along with other participants, will present their views on the export sector. "The BoT is meeting on November 25," the official said. The meeting is important as the country's exports fell by a steep 11.8 per cent to USD 34.38 billion in October on account of the impact of high tariffs by the US, while the trade deficit widened to a record high of USD 41.68 billion, mainly due to a jump in gold imports. India and the US are negotiating a bilateral trade agreement. The first phase of the pact is expected to be announced soon, which would address the
India and Afghanistan have decided to appoint dedicated commercial attachs in each other's capitals to revitalise bilateral trade currently valued at over USD 1 billion. The decision has been taken during a bilateral meeting between Afghanistan's Minister of Industry and Commerce Hajji Nooruddin Azizi and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasad here on Thursday. "In yesterday's meeting with the External Affairs Minister and the Minister of State for Commerce, both sides agreed to depute trade attaches in each other's embassy to oversee and support bilateral trade cooperation. Afghan minister will soon be sending a trade attache to the embassy here," M Anand Prakash, Joint Secretary (PAI division), said on Friday. Prakash also stated that the air freight corridor on the Kabul-Delhi sector and Kabul Amritsar routes have been activated. "Cargo flights on these sectors will commence very soon.This will significantly enhance and further strengthen our bilateral trade,"
The Trade Intelligence and Analytics (TIA) portal will open up new insights for importers, exporters, startups, and MSMEs of the country, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said. Launching the portal here on Tuesday, he said the platform will help exporters better utilise the free trade agreements implemented by India so far. Developed by the Department of Commerce, the TIA Portal is a one-stop trade intelligence and analytics platform that integrates multiple global and national databases along with macro-economic indicators into a unified analytical model offering over 270 analytics. The platform provides real-time, interactive insights on India and global trade, commodities and sectoral analytics, market intelligence, including export opportunities, and competitor analysis. It also includes automated trade reports and tracking of trade trends for manufacturing sectors related to PLI (production linked incentive) and critical minerals. Vanlalram Sanga, Economic Advi
Domestic PMI data, US Federal Reserve meeting minutes and the progress on India-US trade deal negotiations are likely to influence movement in the equity market in the week ahead, according to analysts. Market direction in the next week will hinge on macro triggers such as domestic PMI data, Federal Reserve meeting minutes and the progress on India-US trade deal negotiations, analysts said. Moreover, the trading activity of foreign investors would also influence the equity market trends. "Looking ahead, market direction will hinge on key macro triggers such as India's PMI data, US jobless claims, FOMC minutes and progress on US-India trade negotiations. "A prudent approach would be to focus on sectors with strong fundamentals, clear earnings visibility, and structural tailwinds -- positioning portfolios for potential upgrades in H2FY26," Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Ltd, said. Last week, the BSE Sensex surged 1,346.5 points, or 1.62 per cent, while the NSE Nift
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said India is negotiating free trade agreements at present with countries, including the US, European Union, New Zealand, Oman, Peru and Chile. He also said that India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) would be happy to join hands with the state government to develop a world class convention centre - Andhra Mandapam - like Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The minister added that lowering trade barriers globally will help promote free flow of goods, services and capital. India has already implemented free trade agreements with countries such as UAE, Australia and four nation European bloc EFTA. "We are currently negotiating with the EU, US, Oman, New Zealand, Chile and Peru and many more wanting us to start negotiations," he said here at CII Partnership Summit 2025. To promote ease of doing business, he said the Centre has removed as many as 42,000 compliances and abolished 1,500 laws.
The two schemes with an outlay of Rs 45,000 crore approved by the government for exporters will help industry tackle long-standing challenges such as affordable finance, compliance complexities, and branding gaps, exporters say. They said that the Export Promotion Mission (Rs 25,060 crore) and the Credit Guarantee Scheme (Rs 20,000 crore) will strengthen India's export ecosystem and global competitiveness. Sanjay Budhia, Chairman of CII's National Committee on Exports and Managing Director of Patton International Ltd, said these measures aim to empower MSMEs, first-time exporters, and labour-intensive sectors, ensuring resilience amid global trade uncertainties. Budhia said, "By integrating financial and non-financial interventions under one umbrella, it tackles long-standing challenges such as affordable finance, compliance complexities, and branding gaps, unlocking new opportunities for MSMEs" He added that digital integration with existing trade systems will transform the export
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on Thursday said it has received another 13 applications with an investment commitment of Rs 1,914 crore in the fourth round of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for white goods. The application window for this round was open from 15th September 2025, till 10th November 2025. White goods are ACs and LED Lights. Among the 13 applicants, one is an existing PLI beneficiary committing an additional investment of Rs15 crore, while nine applicants have applied for manufacturing air conditioner components with a cumulative investment of Rs 1,816 crore, it said. These investments focus on producing copper tubes, aluminium stock, compressors, motors, heat exchangers, control assemblies, and other high-value components. The remaining four applicants have proposed Rs 98 crore investment for LED component manufacturing, including LED chips, drivers, and heat sinks. Proposed investments span 6 states, covering 13 .
The successful rollout of the Export Promotion Mission, approved by the government on Wednesday, will depend on swift issuance of detailed guidelines, adequate funding, and building strong coordination mechanisms, think tank GTRI said on Thursday. The government approved Rs 25,060 crore Export Promotion Mission which seeks to strengthen India's export competitiveness, particularly for MSMEs, first-time exporters, and labour-intensive sectors. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said the total outlay of Rs 25,060 crore over six years is less than Rs 4,200 crore per year. Last year alone, the Interest Equalisation Scheme cost more than Rs 3,500 crore, leaving very limited funds for the many activities, such as branding, packaging, trade fairs, compliance, and logistics, it said. Another issue, it said, eight months of 2025-26 have already passed and older programmes like MAI (market access Initiative) and IES, which operated until last year, have made no payouts this year, ..
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday said he held a meeting with EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic to discuss outstanding issues related to the proposed trade pact. The meeting was important as Goyal is scheduled to visit Brussels next week to give an impetus to the ongoing negotiations for the proposed trade agreement between India and the European Union. "Had a productive engagement focused on the positive resolution of the outstanding issues with respect to the India-EU FTA with Mr @MarosSefcovic, EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, ahead of my Brussels visit starting next week," Goyal said in a post on X. Goyal's visit follows the conclusion of the 14th round of talks between the two sides from October 6 to October 10. Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal has also held talks with European Commission (EC) Director General for Trade (DG-Trade) Sabine Weyand in Brussels. Engagements between the two sides have increased as they have decided to conc