Page 2 - Nirmala Sitharaman

FMs to discuss trade, digital currency in runup to Brics meet on Sept 12-13

Sitharaman will chair the September 1-2 meeting ahead of the Brics Summit, with members set to explore mechanisms to cut transaction costs and boost intra-bloc trade

India, Canada can add certainty to global growth: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Finance minister pitches India as a stable investment destination as the two countries seek to conclude an investment protection agreement by the end of this year

Sitharaman pitches deeper India-Canada financial partnership in Toronto

The finance minister said the partnership could expand across infrastructure, fintech, clean energy, digital finance and capital markets, backed by Canadian institutional capital

FM Sitharaman to visit Canada and US from August 25 to September 2

Finance minister will hold bilateral and investor meetings in Canada and the US, and lead the Indian delegation at the G20 finance ministers' meeting in Asheville

A fragile climb: India's trekking push faces test of safety, sustainability

Nirmal Purja's icy death has rekindled questions about safety, overcrowding and tourism in the mountains

Singapore PM meets Indian ministers, discusses ways to boost bilateral ties

Prime Ministrer Lawrence Wong on Thursday met visiting Indian ministers ahead of the fourth India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) and discussed ways to build on the progress made in bilateral ties, particularly in advanced manufacturing, digitalisation, sustainability and connectivity. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, and Minister of State for Electronics & IT Jitin Prasada are in the city-state to participate in the ministerial-level meeting. In a series of social media posts, Wong said it was a pleasure to catch up with Sitharaman, Jaishankar, Goyal and Prasada ahead of the ISMR, which began on Thursday. The leaders discussed how Singapore and India can "build on the good progress made through ISMR" and take the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership further, especially in advanced manufacturing, digitalisation, sustainability and connectivity. Wong said the discussions also covered ..

Build relationship with youth: FM Nirmala Sitharaman to PSBs

Sitharaman also asks state-owned banks to strengthen priority-sector lending and launch a month-long 'Banking for Youth' campaign from October 2

Govt to set up high-level banking committee soon: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Deliberations at PSB Confluence to act as template for panel

Govt to soon constitute panel on 'Banking for Viksit Bharat': Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said the government would soon constitute a high-level panel on 'Banking for Viksit Bharat'. In this year's Budget, the Finance Minister had proposed a high-level committee on 'Banking for Viksit Bharat', to comprehensively review the sector and align it with India's next phase of growth. Addressing the two-day PSB Confluence here, Sitharaman said, "We expect the announcement of the high-powered committee to look into the banking sector... soon the committee will be announced." She said the committee would give its thoughts and recommendations to the government. "I propose setting up a 'High Level Committee on Banking for Viksit Bharat' to comprehensively review the sector and align it with India's next phase of growth, while safeguarding financial stability, inclusion and consumer protection," she had said in the Budget speech on February 1, 2026.

PM internship scheme seeks to bridge skills gap, says FM Sitharaman

Sitharaman said the scheme gives young people hands-on workplace experience and industry exposure to address the gap between formal training and employers' expectations

Startup tech deployment should move beyond major cities: FM Sitharaman

The finance minister said government support should go beyond funding, with technologies having relevant public applications deployed quickly in districts and public facilities

Brics face constraints in mobilising private capital at scale: Sitharaman

The finance minister said public funds should catalyse private investment, while stable policy frameworks and multilateral institutions must help reduce investment risks

Communists in India are total cowards, cannot face facts: FM Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday termed communists in India as "total cowards" while lashing out at CPI (M) member John Brittas, accusing him of spreading confusion in the country over the charging of fees on UPI payments. In her reply to the discussion on The Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, in the Rajya Sabha, Sitharaman took exception to Brittas walking out of the house without listening to her reply after he made allegations while moving a resolution to disapprove of the Income-Tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, promulgated on June 5, 2026. Brittas alleged that the government has decided to charge fees on UPI payments due to pressure from the US, just like it was exerted on Brazil, and was going against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertion that "India's digital payment ecosystem had been developed as a free public good". The CPI (M) member, who was allowed to move his resolution by Deputy Chairman Harivansh after a brief commotion, had walked out wh

1991 reforms were born of compulsion, not choice: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Adds economy became top of agenda only circa 2000

Tariff on most items to be in single digits in FY28 Budget: FM Sitharaman

The government aims to bring customs duty on most items to single-digit rates by the FY28 Budget while continuing tariff rationalisation and asset-focused borrowing

Reit, Invit investors to regain dividend tax break; SPV surcharge will rise

The government proposes restoring tax-free REIT and InvIT dividends while raising the surcharge on SPVs to keep the changes revenue-neutral

IMF estimates Indian economy will hit $5 trillion in FY29: FM Sitharaman

Indian economy is set to cross USD 5-trillion mark in FY29 as per the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the government has adopted a broad-based growth strategy to achieve the milestone, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. As per the World Economic Outlook database (April 2026) published by the IMF, India's GDP at current prices is projected to be around USD 5.1 trillion by 2028-29, she said in a written reply. "The government has adopted a broad-based growth strategy focusing on enhancing agricultural productivity, promoting manufacturing, supporting MSMEs, expanding infrastructure, improving logistics and ease of doing business, creating an efficient and streamlined tax system through income tax and GST reforms, fostering innovation and digitalisation, strengthening human capital, and ensuring energy security," she said. The strategy is complemented by sustained emphasis on public capital expenditure, liberalising the FDI regime, boosting ..

Sitharaman tables Tax amendment Bill to ease rules for funds, data centres

Finance ministry says Bill aims to provide stable and predictable tax treatment, simplify compliance, and make India more attractive for global investment and manufacturing

Monsoon Session: Taxation, Bankers' Books Bills on Lok Sabha's agenda today

The Lok Sabha will take up the Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026 for consideration and passage, a day after it was introduced in the House

Govt introduces Bankers' Books Evidence Act to replace British era law

The government on Monday introduced a Bill to replace British era legislation with the objective to include digital and virtual records as admissible evidence in the court of law in sync with digital dependence of the banking system. The Bill was introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha. The new law to be called the Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 2026 is going to repeal or replace the Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 1891. "With the advancement of technology and growth of digital banking, bank records are increasingly created, stored and maintained using contemporary technology (instead of physical record). It has, therefore, become necessary to modernise and strengthen the existing legal framework to meet the requirements of the present banking system," the statement of objects and reasons of the Bill said. The bill proposes to expand the scope of the definition of 'bankers' books' to include all forms of records maintained by banks, whether in physical, ...