Nirmala Sitharaman

China's non-tariff walls a major export hurdle: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says China has denied market access to Indian products despite repeated requests, while calling for a review of India's trade pact with Asean.

FM Sitharaman, JBIC governor discuss clean energy and critical minerals

India and Japan explore deeper cooperation in semiconductors, electric mobility and data centres, including through the $600 million India-Japan Fund

India wants to push rupee trade to help forex-starved nations: Sitharaman

India wants to promote trade settlements in rupee to help partner countries facing a shortage of hard currencies so that they continue importing essential goods, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday. When countries struggling to access hard currencies often face difficulties in maintaining trade despite their need to import goods, and local currency settlements could help address the problem, she said in an interaction with the Atlantic Council on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank annual meetings at Bangkok, Thailand. "One of the things that we in India want to do is to settle in rupee, whatever the payment is got to be done by those countries which import goods from us," she said. She said India was working towards facilitating rupee and local currency settlements to ensure that trade continued with countries facing foreign currency constraints. "Rupee and local currency settlements are something which we want to do for the benefit of countries which are starved of

India-US trade deal would be concluded at the earliest: Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday expressed hope that the India-US trade agreement would be concluded at the earliest, in the interest of global trade and bilateral economic ties between the two countries. "I think recently the Indian Commerce Minister has also spoken that they expect and wish to have the agreement signed soon. Negotiations have been going on. I hope, in the interest of global trade and in the interest of trade between the two partners, India and US, the trade agreement gets concluded at the earliest," she said. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said the first phase of the India-US trade pact has been finalised and is undergoing legal drafting. On trade with China, Sitharaman said the growing trade imbalance and persistent restrictions on market access for Indian products remained major concerns, despite years of engagement with Beijing. India has consistently sought market access in China for products such as generic medicines, ..

China's trade barriers remain a hurdle to closer bilateral ties: Sitharaman

Finance Minister said that Chinese non-tariff barriers are restricting Indian exports of generic drugs, beef, and vegetables, complicating efforts to strengthen trade and improve bilateral relations

RBI to continue efforts to contain rupee volatility: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Open to views on long-term capital gains tax and securities transaction tax, says FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Govt open to debate on LTCG tax, STT ahead of Budget: FM Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said investors in India and abroad have raised questions about capital gains taxation, STT and whether different asset classes should be taxed on similar lines

FM Sitharaman urges multilateral action on global steel overcapacity

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says unilateral tariffs only redirect surplus steel and calls for multilateral disciplines on subsidies, citing India's growing steel demand

FM Sitharaman meets Singapore Prez, PM; discusses boosting bilateral ties

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday met Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and discussed further strengthening bilateral cooperation. "Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt @nsitharaman called on H.E. Mr. @Tharman_S, President of Singapore, at The Istana, in Singapore, today. The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange views on taking forward the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and further strengthening bilateral cooperation," the finance ministry said in a post on X. Singapore Prime Minister, in a separate post on X, said, "We had a good discussion on global economic developments and on navigating the ongoing energy crisis. She also shared updates on developments in India and new opportunities for investment and cooperation". Besides, Sitharaman also met Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. "There are many opportunities for Singapore companies to participate in India's long-term growth prospects. ..

GST Council unveils major reforms, eases penalties and speeds up refunds

Measures ease compliance through simpler registrations, quicker refunds, wider tax credit access and relief on penalties and enforcement

GST reforms address 99% of rate, process issues, says FM Nirmala Sitharaman

The FM said the Council has also taken steps to make the movement of goods smoother by limiting inspections, detention and seizure to officers of the supplier or destination state

An elusive US deal

India must remain focused on its long-term interests

Trade negotiations with US have reached a 'plateau': FM Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says further concessions for either side 'very difficult'

New bilateral investment treaty framework to get Cabinet nod: Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said a new template for bilateral investment treaties is ready and is expected to get Cabinet approval soon in a bid to make it more investor-friendly. The new template, being prepared over the last one-and-a-half years, seeks to address shortcomings in the model approved in 2016 and provide sharper protection to investors from both sides, she said. India has continued negotiations on investment protection agreements even as the new template is being finalised, she said at the Munich Security Conference here. The latest agreement, with Saudi Arabia, goes beyond the 2016 framework and incorporates elements that are more sharply focused on protecting the interests of investors from both countries, she said. India has also concluded similar agreements with the UAE, Oman and some Central Asian countries, Sitharaman said. "We have a new template which will be approved shortly. But in the meanwhile, we've not halted the process. We are ...

India, US have reached a plateau in trade talks, says FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Giving or taking more beyond that plateau would be 'very, very difficult' for both countries, Sitharaman said at an event in New Delhi

Private sector investment must lead next growth cycle: FM Sitharaman

Sitharaman calls for private investment and higher R&D spending to drive India's next growth phase, strengthen innovation and build resilience amid global uncertainty

India's small businesses chase a new dawn amid reforms and financing push

With legislative reforms and improved financing, MSMEs are poised for a credit revolution despite lingering global headwinds

Two trade bodies meet FM, withdraw from No UPI Day protest on October 2

AICPDF and AIMRA have withdrawn from the October 2 protest after urging the government to defer the proposed UPI MDR and raise the threshold limit to ₹5 lakh

Sitharaman discusses BIT, FTA, UPI expansion with Qatar during Doha visit

Finance minister discusses Qatar's $10 billion investment commitment, proposed BIT and FTA talks, while seeking wider adoption of India's UPI payment system

FM Sitharaman to launch ₹1 trn Rayalaseema horticulture hub this Friday

The three-year plan envisages ₹40,352 crore in public investment and about ₹60,000 crore from the private sector across 201 clusters in 10 districts.