Niti Ayog

Niti Aayog seeks fiscal support to boost auto component manufacturing

NITI Aayog on Friday suggested the government to provide fiscal incentives for auto components manufacturing and to develop brownfield large-scale auto clusters for positioning India as a key player in global automotive markets. The report titled "Automotive Industry: Powering India's Participation in Global Value Chains" was launched by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery. The report envisions the country's automotive component production growing to USD 145 billion, with exports tripling from USD 20 billion to USD 60 billion by 2030. "The government should provide operational expenditure (Opex) support to scale up manufacturing capabilities, with a focus on capital expenditure (Capex) for tooling, dyes, and infrastructure," it said. It outlines several strategic fiscal and non-fiscal interventions aimed at enhancing India's global competitiveness in the automotive sector. "The government should also support cluster development for fostering collaboration between firms through com

US tariffs to have small, indirect impact on India: NITI member Virmani

The US reciprocal tariffs will have a small indirect effect on India given the domestic economy's low dependence on foreign trade, NITI Aayog member Arvind Virmani said on Friday. He further said that in the medium term, the negative factors emanating from the imposition of tariff would be minimised with the implementation of the first phase of the proposed USA-India Bilateral Trade Agreement. In the long term, the eminent economist said the final BTA with US will aim to enhance the potential gains during the next 5 to 10 years. The US has announced 26 per cent reciprocal tariffs on India saying New Delhi imposes high import duties on American goods. "This (26 per reciprocal tariffs) will have a small indirect effect on India given our low trade dependence," he said. Virmani explained that the reciprocal tariffs are calculated by a formula which includes US trade deficit with a country and imports from that country. He said every country is however feeling the effect of increased

US tariffs unlikely to impact India, may create opportunities: NITI Aayog

The US plan to impose reciprocal tariffs will not have much impact on India and create several opportunities for the country, Niti Aayog Programme Director Pravakar Sahoo said on Friday. Compared to Mexico, China and Canada, which account for 50 per cent of America's total imports, India is favourably placed, he added. "We are looking at the data at a very dis-segregated level...these are preliminary results, but I can just give you the overview that we are not going to lose. This reciprocal tariff is not going to affect except very specific sectors and in fact, there are opportunities to really capture," he added. Sahoo was speaking after the release of the second edition of Niti Aayog's quarterly trade watch. He said that a detailed analysis of the reciprocal tariff plan's impact on India will be presented in the next edition of the report. The three main competitors in the US market are - Canada, Mexico and China. They account for 50 per cent of the USA's total imports of USD 3

Working to boost our role in global value chain for MSMEs: Niti Aayog CEO

Niti Aayog is working on a programme to improve India's penetration into global value chains for growth of domestic micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), CEO of the government think-tank B V R Subrahmanyam said on Wednesday. Observing that MSMEs are more affected by regulations than large companies, he said the prime minister has taken a major step towards deregulation and a task force under the cabinet secretary is working on it. Subrahmanyam was addressing a gathering after launching 'the Digital Excellence for Growth and Enterprise', or 'Dx-EDGE', a platform to empower MSMEs with the tools, knowledge and ecosystem needed to become future-ready, competitive and resilient. Dx-EDGE is a national initiative spearheaded by CII with the support of NITI Frontier Tech Hub (NITI FTH) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to drive digital transformation across India's MSMEs. The Niti Aayog CEO further said it is a fact that some of the big manufacturers have moved t

Parliamentary committee slams 'amateur planning' in NITI Aayog budget

The committee strongly feels that there is a dire need for a more realistic assessment of the envisaged targets and expenditures thereon, the panel said

Women's financial inclusion has a North India problem; large states trail

Share of women living in areas underperforming in financial inclusion will only increase over the next decade

States' investment friendliness index to be launched in 2 months: NITI

NITI Aayog member Arvind Virmani has said that work on the second phase of the investment friendliness index of states is in progress and it is expected to be released in a month or two. The Union government in its FY26 Budget announced the launch of the 'Investment Friendliness Index of States' in 2025 to further the spirit of competitive cooperative federalism. This index will motivate states to review regulations to identify what is impeding investment. The initiative aims to promote healthy competition among states to attract private investment. The Ministry of Finance is working on the parameters related to 'Investment Friendly Index of States' in consultation with NITI Aayog and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). In an interview with PTI-Bhasha, Virmani said, "The first phase of preparing the index has been completed. Work is going on in the second phase. In this, suggestions are being taken from the industry. The opinion of the industry is ..

Govt must cut tariffs to progress, says Niti Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam

Tariff does not protect any country and India needs to cut tariffs for its own good, irrespective of who tells India to do so, NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam said on Friday. Addressing the 69th Foundation Day of All India Management Association (AIMA), Subrahmanyam further said that being open to the world has to be among the top five priorities of India if it wants to become a developed country. To cut tariffs, India must complete trade agreements with the European Union, the United Kingdom and other major economies, he added. The Niti Aayog CEO stressed that deregulation at both centre and the state levels are critical for making India a part of the global supply chains. There is interest in India but people visit, see and fly to other countries, he said. Subrahmanyam pointed that Indonesia, Vietnam, Turkey and others have been beneficiaries of 'China plus one' strategy of global companies. He argued that global value chain needs more than PLI (production linked incentive) --

Bold reforms, energy security crucial for Viksit Bharat 2047: Niti Aayog

Bold reforms, sustainable energy strategies, and a leadership role in global trade would be key to achieve Viksit Bharat by 2047, government think tank NITI Aayog has said. Trade liberalisation, tariff reductions, and technological collaborations were explored as potential avenues to enhance India's global trade standing, it said. The observations were made by panellists at a conclave titled 'Towards Viksit Bharat @ 2047: Strengthening Economy, National Security, Global Partnerships, and Law', which was organised by NITI Aayog in New Delhi on Thursday. The panellists stressed the need for increased private sector investment in research and development, fiscal consolidation, and integration into global supply chains. "The consensus was that bold reforms, sustainable energy strategies, and a leadership role in global trade would be key to achieving Viksit Bharat by 2047," it said. According to the Aayog, sovereign credit ratings, energy security, and access to critical raw materials

Odisha fiscally healthiest; Punjab, AP, WB laggards: NITI Aayog report

Serious concern on debt sustainability in West Bengal, Punjab, says report

Govt exploring the possibility of setting up dedicated space parks

Move may be key to achieving Centre's goal of $11 billion space-related export by 2033

Testing of energy storage systems needed for transition: NITI Aayog member

India must establish nationally accredited testing facilities for battery energy storage systems to support its ambitious clean energy transition goal, suggested NITI Aayog member V K Saraswat on Thursday. According to a statement, speaking at FICCI's Energy Storage Conference 2024, he highlighted the significant gap in testing and certification infrastructure as India aims to deploy over 238 gigawatt hours of battery storage capacity by 2030 to balance its expanding renewable energy network. He called for authorising third-party testing and certification till the time the government sets up storage certification agencies. Saraswat underlined that India requires a universal standard for all types of energy storage systems. While the Bureau of Indian Standards has developed 17 specifications for energy storage systems, with more under development, he pointed out, the country lacks adequate facilities to verify compliance with these standards. He also underscored that coal will have

Centre sanctions Rs 1,115 cr for disaster mitigation and projects in states

A high-level committee, headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has approved Rs 1,000 crore for various disaster mitigation and capacity-building projects in 15 states. The committee also approved another project for training and capacity building of civil defence volunteers in all states and Union territories at a total outlay of Rs 115.67 crore, according to an official statement. According to an official statement, a sum of Rs 139 crore each was approved for Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, Rs 100 crore for Maharashtra, Rs 72 crore each for Karnataka and Kerala, Rs 50 crore each for Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, and Rs 378 crore for the eight Northeastern states -- Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura. The committee, comprising Union ministers for finance and agriculture and the vice chairman of the NITI Aayog as members, considered the proposal to mitigate landslide risk in 15 states for funding from the National Disaster Mitigatio

Govt should add coking coal to critical minerals list: Niti report

The government must include coking coal in the list of critical minerals and provide special dispensation to enhance the domestic production of the key raw material for steel production, according to a Niti Aayog report. The report 'Enhancing Domestic Coking Coal Availability to Reduce the import of Coking Coal', said considering India's commitments to Net Zero by 2070, the country's interests would be better served by fully utilising the proved reserves of medium coking coal (16.5 billion tonne) in India for metallurgical purposes. "Government of India (GoI) must include coking coal in the list of critical minerals since coking coal constitutes approximately 42 per cent of the cost of steel which is an essential commodity for infrastructure development and downstream industries, which are large job creators in India," the report said. The European Union has declared coking coal as a critical raw material along with 29 other raw materials which include green energy' minerals like ..

India should be part of RCEP, CPTPP: Niti Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam

India should be a part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, Niti Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam said on Thursday. India pulled out of the RCEP in 2019 after entering negotiations in 2013. The RCEP bloc comprises 10 ASEAN group members (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos and Vietnam) and their six FTA partners - China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. "India should be a part of RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) and CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) and become a member," Subrahmanyam said at an event organised by industry body Assocham. CPTPP is a free trade bloc spanning five continents, made up of Pacific rim countries of Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Japan. "I don't think we have captured the 'China plus o

Jairam Ramesh slams NITI Aayog over call to pause emission-reducing gear

Congress leader and former Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday said sulphur dioxide emissions from power plants contributed significantly to air pollution and any argument suggesting that such emissions were of no concern to public health in India was ridiculous. His remarks came over a media report, which claimed the NITI Aayog had proposed halting the fitting of equipment to cut sulphur emissions at coal-fired power plants. However, there was no official word from the NITI Aayog. In a post on X, Ramesh said India was the world's largest emitter of sulphur dioxide and these emissions from power plants contributed significantly to air pollution. "A decision had been taken earlier that the power plants must install fluoride gas desulpharisers. First, a deadline of 2017 was fixed. This was later extended to 2026. Now it appears that the all-knowing NITI Aayog wants the deadline scrapped altogether," the Congress general secretary in-charge communications said. "To arg

Unprecedented work being done under PM-ABHIM: Niti Aayog member VK Paul

He said 30,000 critical care beds will be created in the country under PM-ABHIM to strengthen secondary health care

NITI Aayog calls for power plants to pause installing sulphur reducing gear

NITI Aayog recommended the federal environment and power ministries to direct coal-based power plants to stop placing fresh orders for the de-sulphurisation gear, the document showed

Size of Indian economy can easily double by 2030: NITI CEO Subrahmanyam

India could easily double the size of its economy by 2030, NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam said on Wednesday. At an event organised by the Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI), Subrahmanyam added that climate change is an opportunity for India to become a leader in climate technology. "Our economy should easily double by 2030...India's ambition to become the third-largest economy by 2026-2027 necessitates a cohesive grand strategy," he said. Currently, in US dollar terms, India is the fifth largest economy with a size of about USD 3.7 trillion in nominal terms. "India will be a big dominant player, it already matters and it will matter much more in global affairs, by 2047," he said. Subrahmanyam said by 2047, India will be among the world's youngest nations demographically, poised for prosperity, with a projected per capita income of around USD 18,000 to USD 20,000. "This growth is significant as India is expected to emerge as a major global player, building on the substantial ..

FDI from China better for local manufacturing boost: Niti member Virmani

Niti Aayog member Arvind Virmani on Sunday said it is better for India to get Chinese firms to invest and produce goods here to boost local manufacturing than to keep importing goods from the neighbouring country. Virmani was responding to a pitch made by the pre-budget Economic Survey on July 22 for seeking foreign direct investment (FDI) from China to boost local manufacturing and tap the export market. "So, there is a trade-off the way an economist looks at it...So, the trade-off is that if there are going to be some imports, which we are anyway going to import for 10 years, 15 years from China, then it is better to get Chinese firms to invest in India and produce the same goods here," he told PTI in an interview. As the US and Europe are shifting their immediate sourcing away from China, it is more effective to have Chinese companies invest in India and export the products to these markets rather than importing from the neighbouring country, according to the Economic Survey. "S