PM Modi returns to India after five-nation tour, participation at 17th BRICS Summit
In the first leg of his visit, PM Modi arrived in Ghana's capital city of Accra on July 2. This marked the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the West African nation in over 30 years. During his visit, PM Modi held bilateral talks with the President of Ghana, John Mahama, to review the strong partnership and discuss further avenues to enhance it through economic, energy, and defence collaboration and development cooperation.
The two leaders agreed to elevate bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Partnership. PM Modi highlighted the 'immense scope' for collaboration in areas of critical minerals, defence, maritime security, and energy. PM Modi was also conferred with 'The Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana', the country's highest civilian honour, by President John Mahama. PM Modi called the gesture a 'matter of immense pride.'
On July 3, PM Modi travelled to Trinidad & Tobago, marking his first official visit to the Caribbean nation as Prime Minister and the first such visit at the PM-level since 1999. He met with his counterpart, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, and addressed the country's Parliament.
During his visit, PM Modi announced the decision to issue Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards up to the sixth generation of the Indian diaspora of Trinidad and Tobago, as per the joint statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.
He was also conferred with 'The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago', the nation's highest honour, during a ceremonial event at the President's House in Port of Spain.
PM Modi visited Buenos Aires on July 4, where he held bilateral discussions with Argentine President Javier Milei to review ongoing cooperation and discuss ways to further enhance the India-Argentina partnership in key areas, including defence, agriculture, mining, oil and gas, renewable energy, trade, investment, and people-to-people ties.
PM Modi described his visit to Argentina as a 'productive one', expressing confidence that the discussion with Argentine President Javier Milei will add 'significant momentum' to the bilateral relationship between the two countries. He was also presented with the Key to the City of Buenos Aires during his visit from Jorge Macri, Chief of the City Government of Buenos Aires.
The fourth leg of PM Modi's tour took him to Brazil, where he attended the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro from July 6 to 7.
He also had a State Visit to Brazil and later travelled to Brasilia, where he held bilateral discussions with President Lula on broadening the Strategic Partnership between the two countries in areas of mutual interest, including trade, defence, energy, space, technology, agriculture, health, and people-to-people linkages.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva conferred PM Modi with Brazil's highest civilian honour, 'The Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross.'
In the final leg of his tour, PM Modi visited Namibia, where he addressed the Namibian Parliament -- receiving a standing ovation from the members after his speech. He also received Namibia's highest civilian award, the Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis, from Namibia's President, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. (ANI)
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The Print
31 minutes ago
- The Print
Home Secy Govind Mohan joins IAS/IPS/IRS officers who have benefited from Modi govt's extension culture
In May this year, in the wake of the evolving security situation following Operation Sindoor, the government extended the tenure of Tapan Kumar Deka, a 1988 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, as Director of the Intelligence Bureau for another year. The extension is no aberration since under the Modi government, it has been a longstanding trend to rely on a handpicked group of retired officers to helm and anchor key policy and administration areas. New Delhi: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) Friday extended the tenure of Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan for another year. Mohan, a 1989 officer of the Sikkim cadre, who took charge as home secretary on 22 August 2024 was set to retire on 30 September. In March this year, former Enforcement Directorate (ED) chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra, a retired 1984-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, was inducted into the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) with the rank of secretary. The same month, former cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba was appointed full-time member of the NITI Aayog. Gauba, a 1982-batch IAS officer of the Jharkhand cadre, had previously served as the Cabinet Secretary for 5 years, from 2019 to August 2024. In February, the government had appointed former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Shaktikanta Das as principal secretary-2 to the PM, bringing back the 1980-batch IAS officer, who retired in 2017. Das served as the RBI governor for 6 years, from 2018 to 2024, making him the governor with the second-longest stint in RBI history. The trend has been evident in foreign and economic policy, national security and ideologically significant religious-cultural government projects, and even in deputation of trusted retired officers as the eyes and ears of the Centre in states as governors, advisers or even ministers. Evident since the first term of the Modi government, this trend has grown more prominent over the years. In May 2025, the government completed 11 years in power. In this time, some faces have changed—albeit several key officers continuing in different positions since the first term—but the trend has not. From comfort in working with a few officers who understand the prime minister's overarching governance style and ideological and administrative vision to an impression that there has been an overwhelming concentration of power in the hands of a tiny group of officers who gained the PM's trust over the years in both Gujarat and New Delhi, several opposing takes have come up on the reasons and consequences of this trend. Others include the argument that the trend is evidence of the PM's lack of trust or confidence in his ministers, and the view that an ideologically committed government such as that of the BJP requires a bureaucracy willing to push reform. Lastly, a concern is that the trend is an overt subversion of the spirit of administrative and bureaucratic rules, which stipulate a specified tenure for government servants and allow their re-employment under only the rarest of circumstances. However, eleven years into this government, it is amply clear that under the Modi regime, extensions and re-employment for select officers beyond retirement is hardly an aberration. The most trusted lieutenants P.K. Mishra: In 2014, when Modi moved from Gujarat to Delhi, over half a dozen officers from the state moved with him to the national capital. More than ten years later, one of them—arguably Modi's oldest lieutenant—P.K. Mishra, a 1972-batch IAS officer from the Gujarat cadre, remains the top officer in the Modi dispensation. In Gujarat, Mishra served briefly as principal secretary to the CM until 2004, whereas in Delhi, he has been the PM's right-hand man for an uninterrupted 11 years. While Modi was still the CM, Mishra visited Delhi on central deputation, retiring as Union agriculture secretary in 2008. After returning to Gujarat, he was appointed the chairman of the Electricity Regulatory Commission for five years. In 2014, he came to Delhi with Modi as the additional principal secretary to the PM. Unlike his boss, Mishra enjoyed familiarity and a network in the corridors of the North Block and that came in handy for the PM, who was still making sense of Delhi in his initial years. The additional principal secretary wielded enormous power as the officer-in-charge for all personnel appointments, transfers and administrative reforms. An instance of the measures he conceptualised is the controversial 360-degree evaluation for officers. However, in 2019, he was elevated to the post of principal secretary to the PM, effectively becoming the sole power center in the PMO. The PM's dependence on him is such that at the beginning of Modi's third term, Mishra's retirement was denied when he requested it on health grounds. Ajit Doval: He has been the National Security Adviser since 2014. In 2018, Doval, a retired officer of the Indian Police Service, became the de jure head of the national security architecture when the government amended the structure of the Strategic Policy Group—the first tier and nucleus of the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS)—to make him the NSA head, instead of cabinet secretary. Like the cabinet secretary, Doval was thus given the power to summon secretaries from any ministry to the SPG meeting, signalling a formal shift in India's national security decision-making, from the cabinet secretariat to the NSCS. Until 2019, more than to the home minister, it was to Doval that the agency heads of the Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing, and the National Technical Research Office (NTRO) reported regularly, a retired IPS officer said. Doval was even involved in the key affairs of the Central Bureau of Investigation and the National Investigation Agency. Even now, Doval's influence and power are far beyond the affairs of national security alone. As someone who founded the Vivekananda International Foundation, a Right-of-Centre leaning think tank, before his NSA appointment, Doval has a deep and vast network within the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliates across the country. Many of the government and the RSS' formal and informal outreach programmes to Muslims, for instance, are known to be Doval's ideas. Even in the UPA government, retired IAS officers such as T.K. Nair, who was Manmohan Singh's principal secretary, and the then-PM's NSA Shivshankar Menon from the Indian Foreign Service, held the rank of ministers of state. However, in the case of the Modi government, Mishra and Doval hold the ranks of cabinet ministers, signalling an elevation in the role of retired bureaucrats. Shaktikanta Das: The latest to join the list of Modi's most trusted lieutenants is Shaktikanta Das, appointed principal secretary-2 to the PM on account of Mishra's advancing age. Before his appointment to the PMO, Das served as the RBI governor. An IAS officer of the 1980 batch, Das will likely serve in his current position until 2029. For perspective, the senior-most batch of IAS officers serving as secretaries to the Union government now is 1987. PMO, NITI Aayog, Parliament Secretariat Since Modi came to power in 2014, it has been amply clear that it is the PMO where key decisions become government policies. P.K. Mishra and his predecessor, Nripendra Mishra, have been the most prominent officers in the PMO. Other retired officers like former cabinet secretary P.K. Sinha, appointed principal adviser to the PM—a post created specifically for him—have spearheaded the office over the years. Bhaskar Khulbe and Amarjeet Sinha were also advisers to the PM, to name a few. Amit Khare and Tarun Kapoor: Even now, retired IAS officers Amit Khare and Tarun Kapoor of the 1985 and 1987 batches, respectively, are serving as advisers in the PMO. Khare retired from the government as education secretary but is known to have been instrumental in the National Education Policy and handles the social sector. Kapoor's domain is economic matters. B.V.R. Subrahmanyam: B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, an IAS officer of the 1988 batch, has been the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NITI Aayog since February 2023. He was initially appointed the CEO for two years, with a one-year extension given to him last month. Subrahmanyam, an officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre, was sent to Jammu Kashmir in 2018 on an inter-state deputation, serving as the state's chief secretary until 2021. In this period, the Centre bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union territories and revoked Article 370, taking away the state's special status. P.C. Mody: A retired Indian Revenue Service officer of the 1982 batch, P.C. Mody scored a hattrick in 2021 when the Modi government gave him a third extension as the chairperson of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, making him one of the longest-serving chairpersons of the board. Criticism marked his tenure, with the Opposition saying that the department acted as an extended arm of the ruling party and put pressure on political opponents. Within a few months of his retirement, the same year in 2021, Mody was appointed secretary general of the Rajya Sabha—the first IRS officer to become a member of the Upper or Lower House. In December last year, Mody received an extension in this role. The eyes and ears in the states The trend is not limited to the Centre. Several retired officers who have worked with the PM at the Centre or Gujarat have been deputed to different states as advisers, governors or ministers, arguably as the PM's eyes and ears on the state administrations. A.K. Sharma: A second officer, besides Mishra, had come with Modi from Gujarat. The 1988 batch IAS officer, A.K. Sharma, served in Modi's CMO in Gujarat from 2001 to 2014. When Modi came to Delhi, Sharma joined him as a joint secretary in the PMO before he was elevated to the post of the additional secretary. In 2020, as the pandemic struck and the micro-, small- and medium-scale (MSME) industries sector came under strain, Sharma was deputed as the MSME secretary in a ministry then held by Nitin Gadkari. However, in 2021, Sharma surprised his peers in the civil services by taking voluntary retirement, but only to be sent to Uttar Pradesh, his home state. In UP, he subsequently became a legislative council member (MLC). Sharma holds key urban development and energy portfolios in the Yogi government. Hasmukh Adhia: A 1981-batch retired IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, Adhia served as principal secretary to CM Modi in Gujarat from 2004 to 2006. In 2014, he came to Delhi as finance secretary, where he helmed the government's pet micro-financing schemes and the Mudra Yojana, besides overseeing the implementation of demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax regime. In 2022, Adhia was appointed adviser to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, and he emerged as a parallel power center in Swarnim Sankul-I, the CM's office. In 2023, Adhia was appointed chairman of GIFT City, Gandhinagar, and non-executive chairman of Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Ltd and Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Limited, besides holding the post of the non-executive chairman of the Bank of Baroda. Last year, he consolidated his power as he became the chief principal secretary to the Gujarat Chief Minister—inheriting the all-powerful legacy of 'Super CM' K. Kailashnathan. K. Kailashnathan: Since 2013, when he superannuated, K. Kailashnathan, an IAS officer of the 1979 Batch, served as the chief principal secretary to the Gujarat Chief Minister, a position created especially for him. As Modi moved to Delhi, power and media circles were rife with speculations that Kailashnathan would hold the same powerful position in New Delhi as in the chief minister's office in Gandhinagar. While Mishra was picked instead of Kailashnathan for the new role in Delhi, the latter emerged as the 'Super CM' of the state. According to most insiders, he served as Modi's 'eyes and ears' in his home state while he ruled from Delhi. From industry bigwigs to bureaucrats and even politicians, everyone in Gujarat knew that Kailashnathan's office called the shots in the state. Last year, when his uninterrupted tenure of 11 years ended, Modi's long-time administrative and political trouble-shooter was appointed the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. A.K. Bhalla: After a four-year extension until 2024, A.K Bhalla, a 1984-Batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, became the second-longest serving home secretary in the history of independent India, with a tenure of nearly five years. He was appointed home secretary fifteen days after the Centre scrapped Jammu & Kashmir's special status and bifurcated it into two Union territories. Months into his tenure, protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act spread across large parts of North and Northeast Delhi, and riots also broke out. Through Bhalla's eventful tenure, he gained the unconditional confidence of the Home Minister, which became crystal clear with his December 2024 appointment as the Governor of Manipur, where violence has continued for nearly two years. Less than two months into his appointment, President's Rule was imposed in the state, thereby bringing it under the direct and official control of the Centre. Cultural and global projects For an ideologically motivated government such as the Modi regime, religious, cultural and soft-power-related projects and events such as the inauguration of the Ram Temple or the G-20 Summit, carry immense significance. The government has relied on trusted retired IAS officers for these key projects. Nripendra Misra: In 2014, the Modi government amended the 1997 Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Act overnight to ensure that Nripendra Misra, who served as its chairman, could be re-employed in the government. The Act explicitly prohibited a chairman from government employment after serving as chairman. Misra, an IAS officer of the 1967 Batch who retired from service in 2004, was appointed principal secretary to the PM, a post he retained until 2019. After he hung up his boots in 2020, the Centre gave Misra the mammoth task of effectively building the politically and ideologically crucial Ram Temple in Ayodhya as the chairperson of the construction committee under the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Misra continues to hold the position of the chairman of the Prime Ministers Museum and Library, which has been overhauled and rechristened in the last few years. It was earlier known as the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library. Amitabh Kant: As the G20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant, an IAS officer of the 1980 batch, was the face of all the deliberations and preparations that went into the G20 Leaders' Summit hosted by India in 2023. An officer of the Kerala cadre, Kant served as the CEO of the NITI Aayog for six years from 2016 to 2022, a period during which the government think-tank conceptualised or spearheaded a slew of government reforms, such as popularising digital payments among MSMEs, reforming medical education, introducing Ayushman Bharat, reforming the Medical Council of India, privatisation of railways, highlighting the need for the strategic sale of Air India, and lateral entry in civil services, among others. Bhaskar Khulbe: Khulbe, another retired IAS officer of the 1983 batch, served in the PMO as the PM's secretary from 2016 to 2020. After his retirement, he was brought in as an adviser in the PMO for two years until 2022. The same year, the Uttarakhand government appointed him officer on special duty to look after the reconstruction works at Badrinath and Kedarnath shrines, signalling the project's significance for the PM. Not unprecedented The trend of appointing trusted retired officers in key ex-officio positions or positions that do not fall within the formal governance framework, including secretaries or joint secretaries, is not new. Under the UPA government, for instance, retired officers such as Pulok Chatterji and T.K. Nair became advisers to PM Manmohan Singh. 'It is certainly the prerogative of the government of the day to appoint retired officers in ex-officio positions,' said former IAS officer and Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa. 'Even earlier, retired officers have held positions like the principal secretary to the PM. The government is well within its rights to do so, as long as it does not appoint them in cadre positions,' he said. While this trend often leads to a situation where most officers are outside the 'charmed circle' of power, the idea is perhaps to build a team and continue with it to govern uninterruptedly, Lavasa added. A former IAS officer who retired as secretary in the personnel and training department, Satyananda Mishra, agreed that the trend is not unprecedented. 'The only difference now is one of scale. But this trend has been there since the times of Indira Gandhi when retired officers like P.N. Haksar effectively ran the government,' Mishra said. 'What we see now is only an exaggerated version of the past.' Post-liberalisation, Mishra said, there was a proliferation of tribunals and commissions. For positions in them, the retirement age was 65—a deliberate choice, so officers whose retirement age is 60 can be re-employed for comfortable five-year tenures. However, it is not a trend without dangers, he added. 'One, retired officers who are re-employed are easily dispensable because they do not have the constitutional protections that serving civil servants have,' he said. 'Besides, they are bound to feel more obliged to those who have appointed them.' 'The trend is surely on the rise; we are becoming more and more like the US, where civil servants are picked and chosen by the administration, and civil servants' tenures are seen as coterminous with the government of the day,' he added. 'This is also because, for ordinary citizens, these are non-issues… For them, there is no difference between a serving and a retired officer.' It is also a trend widely found in states. From Awanish Awasthi, the chief adviser to Yogi, to Alapan Bandyopadhyay, chief adviser to Mamata Banerjee, CMs also are increasingly counting on trusted, retired officers in ex-officio positions, allowing them to run the show way beyond their retirement. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also read: For Modi govt's ill-thought-out policies, civil servants haven't been blamed enough
News18
an hour ago
- News18
'Lost All Credibility': Suhel Seth Slams BBC Over 'Fake News' On Air India Crash Report
Last Updated: Seth told the BBC to remember that, as a publicly funded broadcaster, it must not spread what he termed 'state fake news' Businessman and commentator Suhel Seth on Saturday strongly criticised the BBC for what he called 'state-funded fake news" concerning the preliminary Air India crash report. In a video statement shared on the social media platform X, Seth, who is the founder and managing partner of the consultancy firm Counselage India, suggested that the BBC should be rechristened as the 'British Bullshitting Corporation." 'It is absolutely abhorrent for the BBC, which should now rechristen itself as the British Bullshitting Corporation, to cast dispersions on Indian pilots without actually going through the report," he stated. The rogues @BBCWorld — SUHEL SETH (@Suhelseth) July 12, 2025 He accused the BBC of using 'typical ploys" by Western organisations to slander overseas companies and professionals. 'This is not the India of yore," he added, stressing that India 'isn't part of your goddamn colony and never will be." Seth told the BBC to remember that, as a publicly funded broadcaster, it must not spread what he termed 'state fake news". 'It is tragic that the BBC has now lost all credibility. Glastonbury was about antisemitism and today it is about anti-fairness. These rogues need to be taught a lesson," he concluded. The BBC's article, published after the preliminary findings were released, suggested that the pilots 'cut off fuel to the engines" and noted that 'no fault in plane" was found. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released its preliminary findings on Saturday following the crash of Air India Flight AI171 on 12 June. According to the report, the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner lost thrust seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad airport. Fuel supply to both engines was cut off within one second, causing the aircraft to lose altitude and crash within half a minute. The 15-page report confirmed that the fuel control switches for both engines moved from 'RUN" to 'CUTOFF" almost simultaneously. This sequence was captured on the flight data and cockpit voice recorders. One pilot is heard asking the other, 'Why did you cut off the fuel?" to which the co-pilot, who was flying the plane, reportedly responded, 'I didn't." Shortly after, a backup power source known as the ram air turbine (RAT) was deployed, indicating total engine failure. Though the pilots managed to relight both engines, only one regained enough power. A distress call was sent out, but the aircraft crashed into a nearby college hostel just outside the airport, killing nearly everyone on board and several on the ground. The fuel switches were found in the 'RUN" position at the crash site, and there was no mechanical fault reported in the engines or the aircraft. The AAIB did not determine why the switches were moved or who was responsible. It also made no safety recommendations for Boeing 787 operators at this stage. The incident is being further investigated, with assistance from US and UK aviation safety bodies. (With inputs from agencies) view comments First Published: July 12, 2025, 22:58 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
India-US trade deal: Will Donald Trump go for less than 20% tariff rate for India? Top 10 developments to track
A trade deal between India and the US has still not been finalized. (AI image) India-US trade deal: In February this year, US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the intent for a trade deal by fall this year. Come April 2025, and Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on a lot of countries, India being one of them. The American President soon suspended his tariffs for a 90-day period giving countries time to strike a trade deal with the US. That deadline of July 9 has now been extended to August 1. A trade deal between India and the US has still not been finalized. Though, there are indications that an interim agreement may be announced soon. Trump's tariff war has changed the global economic landscape and progress on a trade deal between the world's largest economy (US) and the soon to be fourth largest (India) is being tracked by experts world over. Here are 10 recent developments in the India-US trade deal talks that you should know about: 1) Less than 20% tariff? The United States is negotiating an interim trade agreement with India, aiming to lower proposed tariffs to under 20%, sources with knowledge of the discussions have told Bloomberg. This would give India a competitive advantage over other countries in the region. The preliminary agreement is expected to establish a base tariff rate lower than 20%, in contrast to the 26% that was initially suggested, the report said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo 2) India officials in US Soon Meanwhile, a delegation from India's commerce ministry is scheduled to travel to Washington for fresh negotiations with the US, a government official told PTI earlier this week. The discussions will be both for an interim trade deal and the first part of the bilateral trade agreement. The delegation is likely to arrive in Washington next week, the report said. Last month an Indian delegation, headed by chief negotiator Rajesh Agrawal, were in Washington for discussions. Also Read | 'Unnecessary trade barriers…': US hits out at India's dairy certificate requirements at WTO; raises issue amidst trade deal talks 3) Donald Trump on a tariff letter spree - but no letter for India so far Donald Trump has been on a tariff letter sending spree this week. While the effective date for the reciprocal tariffs has been revised to August 1 from July 9, Trump has intimated over 20 countries of the tariff rates that will be applicable on their exports to the US. India has not been sent any such letter till now. According to a Bloomberg report, India expects a trade deal announcement soon instead of a tariff demand letter. Any interim trade deal announcement would give both India and the US time to negotiate on the final trade that is expected by fall. 4) Trump says deal with India soon Earlier this week, Trump announced that America was nearing a trade agreement with India. "We've spoken to everybody. ...it's all done. I told you we'll make some deals, but for the most part, we're going to send a letter. We're going to say, welcome to the United States if you'd like to participate in the greatest, most successful country ever. I mean we are doing better than ever... We've never had numbers like this. We've never had investment like this. We have more than 90... have much more than 90. But most of those are going to be sent to letter. This is exactly what I said. Now we've made a deal with United Kingdom. We've made a deal with China. We're close to making a deal with India," he said. Also Read | India takes strong stand! Retaliatory tariffs planned against US on steel and aluminium at WTO amidst trade deal talks; check details 5) India not working on deadlines Even as the two countries look to seal a deal, India has made it clear that it is not working on any deadlines. Last week Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said that a deal would be made keeping national interest in mind. 'India never makes a trade deal based on a deadline or timeline; when the deal is good, fully matured, and in the national interest, then we accept it,' he said. 'A free trade agreement happens only when there is mutual benefit. When the deal is made while safeguarding India's interests, keeping in mind that national interest will always remain paramount, then India is always ready to make deals with developed countries,' he added. 6) India's trade deal issues India has maintained a strong position on providing duty concessions to the US for agricultural and dairy products, given their sensitive status. India's policy has consistently protected its dairy sector across all previous trade arrangements. Additionally, India continues to uphold its ban on genetically modified food crops, which contrasts with the United States' agricultural practices, where GM varieties dominate corn and soybean cultivation. Unresolved matters persist regarding duties on steel, aluminium (50 per cent) and auto (25 per cent). India is also seeking protection against future tariff hikes by the US. Also Read | Donald Trump's $5 million Gold Card in demand! Indian professionals from these sectors show big interest; what happens to EB-5 visa? 7) India Draws Red Lines India has also established clear boundaries regarding the limited trade agreement. During ongoing discussions for the limited trade pact between India and the United States, India has set definitive positions on vital areas, specifically in the agricultural and dairy sectors. "India has drawn its red lines... now the ball is in the US court," sources told PTI. 8) Trump's BRICS tariff threat Adding to uncertainty around tariff rates is Trump's latest threat of an additional 10% tariff on BRICS nations for 'Anti-America' policies. Trump has issued warnings to BRICS nations opposing the US. "Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump shared on Truth Social earlier this week. Also Read | India-US trade deal soon? Donald Trump says so, but India needs to be wary of 'escalating pressure'; 'in future US may...' 9) Only an interim trade deal for now If a trade deal is announced before the August 1 deadline of Trump, it is likely only to be a mini or interim trade deal. Reports have indicated that the interim trade deal would likely leave out the contentious issues of agriculture and dairy products for now. 10) India-US WTO tiff Meanwhile, the United States has once again brought up concerns at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) about India's dairy certification requirements. The US has voiced fresh objections at the WTO, stating that India's dairy certification criteria create unnecessary barriers for dairy exports from America. The trade disputes between India and the US at the WTO extend beyond dairy matters. India has spoken of retaliatory tariffs against the United States, in accordance with WTO protocols, following American duties on steel and aluminium that were enacted as 'safeguard measures'. Additionally, India has recently signalled its plans to introduce countermeasures in response to US tariffs on automotive products. However, a government official told PTI that India's move to maintain its right for imposing reciprocal duties on the US regarding auto parts tariffs is a standard protocol under World Trade Organisation's safeguard provisions. This will not create any hindrance to the current trade agreement discussions between both nations. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
