Page 14 - Nirmala Sitharaman

Vizhinjam port showcases New India, India bloc may take note: Sitharaman

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took a swipe at the INDIA bloc on Friday, noting that the Vizhinjam port showcased "New India" as the-then Kerala chief minister Oomen Chandy of the Congress asked the Adani Group to build it and incumbent Pinarayi Vijayan of the CPI(M) invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate it. She said in a post on X, "Vizhinjam port has showcased New India. Late Shri Oomen Chandy of the Congress invited Adani to build the port, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of the CPI(M) invites Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate it. I.N.D.I Alliance leaders may take note." Modi officially commissioned the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, stating that the capacity of this transshipment hub would triple in the coming years, allowing some of the world's largest cargo ships to dock smoothly. He also took a dig at the INDIA bloc and the Congress, saying the presence of Vijayan and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor at the .

'Stay ethical, avoid temptation': FM Sitharaman's advice to UPSC achievers

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addresses 2024 UPSC batch in Chennai, urging officers to uphold integrity, avoid unethical gains and specialise early in their careers

Private sector a trusted partner in development: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

First facilitation centre for PM internship scheme launched in Kolkata

Make UPI robust to prevent disruptions, FM Nirmala Sitharaman tells NPCI

UPI, India's real-time payments system, faced a fourth glitch in more than two weeks on April 12

India growth story largely intact amid turbulent times: FM Sitharaman

The latest Economic Survey had estimated India's GDP growth in the range of 6.3-6.8 per cent for FY26

Finance secretary Seth to lead Indian delegation as FM cuts short US visit

"Finance secretary and secretary DEA Ajay Seth shall represent India in the absence of FM," a senior finance ministry official said

Sitharaman cuts short US, Peru visit after Pahalgam terror attack

Following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is cutting short her official visit to the US and Peru and will depart for India at the earliest, according to an official statement on Wednesday. Sitharaman arrived in the US on Sunday for a six-day visit, after which she was scheduled to travel to Peru for a five-day trip. "Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. @nsitharaman is cutting short her official visit to the USA-Peru. She is taking the earliest available flight back to India to be with our people in this difficult and tragic time," the Finance Ministry said in a post on X. This comes as 26 people were killed after terrorists opened fire at a famed meadow near Kashmir's Pahalgam town on Tuesday. Most of those killed were tourists. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, also cut short his two-day visit and departed for New Delhi on Tuesday night, as the terror attack sent ...

Threefold rise in trade restrictions since 2019: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Speaking at the Stanford University, the FM flagged a threefold increase in trade restrictions since 2019 with both advanced and emerging economies striving to protect domestic production and jobs

Bold reforms, capacity boosts key to India's growth in next two decades: FM

India's quest for sustained growth over the next two decades hinges on a new paradigm, driven by bold reforms, enhanced domestic capabilities, and strategic institutional collaborations suited for the evolving global landscape, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Monday. The last two Union Budgets have laid the groundwork for this transformation, with a clear multi-sectoral policy agenda, she said, while speaking at Hoover Institution at Stanford University California. In the last decade, she said the government has undertaken structural reforms, rationalising over 20,000 compliances, decriminalising business laws and digitising public services to reduce friction. She further said a significant thrust on infrastructure development has also created a strong foundation for manufacturing-led growth by bolstering investor confidence over the last 10 years. This has been enabled by a more than four-fold increase in the union government's capital expenditure between 2017-18 and t

FM Sitharaman meets business leaders in San Francisco, discusses investment

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met several senior executives and business leaders in San Francisco and discussed bilateral areas of cooperation in sectors such as technology, artificial intelligence, energy and digital infrastructure as well as opportunities to enhance investment collaboration between India and the US. Sitharaman arrived in San Francisco Sunday as she began her 11-day trip to the US and Peru with an interaction with the Indian diaspora in the Californian city. On Monday, she held several meetings with business leaders and corporate executives. The minister met Silicon Valley venture capital firm a16z General Partner Anjney Midha and technology company VMware Chief Executive Officer Raghu Raghuram in San Francisco. She discussed the remarkable transformation in technology space driven by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and suggested that a16z and VMware "may like to explore collaboration across sectors" within the domain of AI including in education,

No question of fiscal deficit going out of control: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Sitharaman's comment comes at a time when forecasting agencies have pared down their FY26 growth estimates for India amid growing global uncertainty

We hope to sign first phase of bilateral pact with US by Oct: FM Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said India is "actively engaging" with the new US administration and hopes to conclude the first tranche of the bilateral trade agreement "positively" by fall (September-October) this year. "We are one of the countries which is actively engaged with the new administration of the United States of America to see how best we can get a bilateral trade agreement done," he said during an interaction with the Indian diaspora here. Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to launch talks for a bilateral trade deal amid the lurking fear of reciprocal tariff being imposed by Washington. "Equally, the priority that we gave to engage with the government here is more than obviously seen with the Prime Minister himself visiting the United States in February. You had the Commerce and Trade Minister come. I have come here because I also have the IMF and World Bank meeting. "I am scheduled to meet the treasury

First phase of India-US trade deal likely by fall this year: Sitharaman

Addressing the Indian diaspora in San Francisco, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the issue of reciprocal tariff is part of a broader trade negotiation strategy

Nirmala Sitharaman arrives in San Francisco for five-day US visit

She will participate in an event featuring the Indian diaspora in San Francisco and interact with the Indian community settled there

FM Sitharaman to attend G20, IMF-World Bank meets during US, Peru visit

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will participate in G20 meetings and attend Spring Meetings of the IMF-World Bank, among other bilateral engagements, during an 11-day official trip to the US and Peru, the finance ministry said on Saturday. Sitharaman is leaving for the official trip on Saturday night. The finance minister will also interact with top CEOs from prominent fund management firms during a Roundtable meeting with investors, besides holding bilateral meetings with CEOs from top information technology (IT) firms based in San Francisco. As part of the US visit, she would land in San Francisco to deliver a keynote address at the Hoover Institution at the Stanford University on April 20. Sitharaman will also participate in an event featuring Indian diaspora in San Francisco and interact with the Indian community settled there, the finance ministry said in a statement. During her visit to Washington, USA, from April 22-25, Sitharaman will participate in the Spring Meetings

Sitharaman to assess RRB consolidation as 'One state-one RRB' takes effect

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to review the implementation and progress of 'One state-one RRB' on May 6. One state-one RRB will become a reality from May 1 with consolidation of 15 Regional Rural Banks across 11 states to achieve better operational efficiency and cost rationalisation. With this fourth round of consolidation of regional rural banks (RRBs), the number would reduce to 28 from the existing 43. According to sources, the Finance Minister is scheduled to hold a meeting with RRBs and review various issues including consolidation. RRBs in 11 states - Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan - are to be merged into one entity, for each of these to realise the goal of One state-one RRB. In Andhra Pradesh, Chaitanya Godavari Grameena Bank, Andhra Pragathi Grameena Bank, Saptagiri Grameena Bank and Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank sponsored by Union Bank of ...

India to navigate global disruptions with policy agility: FM Sitharaman

Speaking at the 150th anniversary celebration of the BSE, Sitharaman acknowledged the risks posed by "tariff wars" but expressed confidence in India's resilient economy

FinMin sets Rs 17.31 trillion MSME lending target for PSBs in FY26

MSME lending target for PSBs raised 19.5%

India bets on policy agility to beat global supply chain woes: Sitharaman

The finance minister praised the resilience of India's financial markets amid global uncertainties and commended the growing confidence of retail investors

FM Nirmala Sitharaman urges Austrian firms to harness India opportunity

Lays out priority areas like digital tech, infra, RE among others to enhance ties