Economy

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

India's Russian oil imports down 18% in Jan-Oct 2025, US imports zoom 83%

India slightly cut its reliance on Russian crude in early 2025, while imports from the US surged 83.3 per cent in value to $7.8 billion, reflecting a strategic shift toward alternative crude sources

States' debt burden and fiscal gaps persist, leaving capital spending muted

10 states with the highest debt to GSDP ratio have debt levels above 30% of GSDP

Five reasons customer-specific AI will outperform generic models in 2026

As AI reshapes customer-facing decisions, models trained on enterprise data, policies and real interactions are emerging as more relevant, controllable and defensible than generic systems

Landmark free trade milestone in 2025 injects momentum behind India-UK ties

The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations dominated the headlines for the major part of the year as both sides looked determined to get the deal over

India in talks with US to join Pax Silica silicon supply chain block

After being left out initially, India is now in talks with the US to join the Pax Silica silicon supply chain initiative, with a US official signalling possible entry in early 2026 as the bloc expands

The great trade balancing act: India weathers US tariffs, diversifies trade

One lesson India learnt the hard way in 2025 was the danger of excessive dependence on the US market

Shake up: Odisha leads in GST growth, Telangana in direct taxes

Odisha was one of the few states to have outpaced the 14 per cent compensation-cess growth benchmark built into GST at its inception

India on track to be among largest regional networks: WTCA's Wang

India is set to emerge as one of WTCA's largest regional networks, with World Trade Centers expanding to around 50 cities as demand for premium offices, logistics and new-age sectors rises

CII lays out fiscal strategy to bolster macro stability ahead of budget

Ahead of the FY27 Union Budget, CII has outlined a four-point fiscal strategy focused on debt discipline, transparency, revenue mobilisation and spending efficiency