Latest news with #RajeshAggarwal
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Business
- India Gazette
'Will have comparative advantage even under older tariffs', say India's trade deal negotiators in US
New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): India's trade delegation is currently in the United States for high-stakes negotiations aimed at finalising a bilateral trade agreement as both nations race against a July 9 deadline to secure an interim deal before temporary tariff protections expire. The Indian delegation is being led by Chief Negotiator Rajesh Aggarwal, who is holding talks with officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). The negotiations, initially scheduled for Thursday and Friday, may be extended based on the progress of discussions, according to officials familiar with the matter. 'Protecting India's interests will be supreme in India-US BTA talks,' an Indian official close to the negotiations said, underscoring the sensitivity and significance of the ongoing dialogue. The talks come at a crucial juncture, as the 90-day suspension of specific tariffs announced on April 2 is set to expire on July 9. Several contentious issues have surfaced during the discussions. The US is pressing India to lower duties on American agricultural and dairy products and to provide market access for genetically modified (GM) crops. However, India has firmly resisted these demands, citing domestic concerns over food safety, public health, and the protection of millions of farmers. Indian negotiators have also pushed back against offering broad-based access to the US agricultural and dairy sectors, which are considered politically and economically sensitive. Despite these challenges, both sides remain committed to reaching an interim agreement before the deadline. If the talks fail, tariff structures could revert to their levels of April 2. Indian officials noted that even under the older tariff regime, India would retain a comparative advantage over several competing manufacturing economies. The negotiations received fresh momentum after US President Donald Trump recently expressed optimism about a potential trade deal with India. Speaking at a White House event on Thursday, Trump described the possible agreement as 'a great deal' and 'a very big one.' 'Everybody wants to make a deal and have a part of it. We have one coming up, maybe with India. Very big one,' Trump said, referencing recent trade pacts, including one with China. Trump also emphasised his preference for reaching negotiated deals over imposing tariffs but made it clear that he would not hesitate to act unilaterally if necessary. 'Some we are just going to send them a letter, say thank you very much. You are to pay 25, 35, 45 per cent. That's the easy way to do it,' he said, referring to possible tariff rates. As the July 9 deadline approaches, both India and the US are navigating a complex web of economic priorities, domestic sensitivities, and global trade pressures, with the outcome of these negotiations likely to shape the trajectory of bilateral trade for years to come. (ANI)
Mint
2 days ago
- Business
- Mint
India-US trade deal: Here's what Washington DC wants from New Delhi and what we know so far
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that a 'very big trade deal' with India is on the cards as negotiators from New Delhi reached Washington DC, where America has reportedly demanded a few tariff cuts that India is not ready to agree with. Chief Negotiator Rajesh Aggarwal is leading a delegation from India to the US as the team works with officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), navigating through a July 9 deadline to secure an interim deal before temporary tariff protections expire. However, roadblocks in the conversations have been delaying progress in securing a bilateral trade agreement during the high-stakes negotiations, reportedly due to some demands from the US. Here's what we know so far. According to a report by ANI, several contentious issues have surfaced during the trade negotiation conversations between the US and India. The US is pressuring India into lowering duties on American agricultural and dairy products and to provide market access for genetically modified (GM) crops. However, India has resisted these demands firmly, saying that it would impact domestic food safety, public health and leave millions of farmers unprotected. The Indian delegation has also reportedly resisted an offer of broad-based access to the US agricultural and dairy sectors, which can be politically and economically sensitive. As per a report by Reuters, the Indian side wants to push for a rollback on the now-paused 26 per cent tariff that the US imposed on New Delhi, which is set to take effect if a deal is not reached by July 9. Negotiators are also demanding concessions on existing US tariffs on steel and auto parts, which American negotiators have not yet agreed to, according to Indian government sources quoted by Reuters. 'The US side first wants India to commit to deeper import tariff cuts on farm goods like soybeans and corn, cars and alcoholic beverages along with easing of non-tariff barriers,' an Indian official was quoted as saying by Reuters. This has led to a disagreement between India and America. However, Indian officials have ensured that protecting the country's interests will be of supreme importance during the trade talks. "Protecting India's interests will be supreme in India-US BTA talks," an Indian official close to the negotiations was quoted as saying by ANI. Despite these challenges, both sides remain committed to reaching an interim agreement before the deadline.
Hans India
31-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Four AI missions launched for differently-abled to ensure ease of services
Bengaluru: The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on Friday launched four major digital and technology missions to aid persons with disabilities in receiving government and societal services in the areas of education, healthcare, livelihood, and everyday life. It is being implemented in collaboration with the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO), according to an official statement. The four missions -- Mission AI Accessibility, Implementation of AI in Assistive Technology and Tools for Empowering People with Disabilities, National Disability Support AI Chat Bot, and Unified Benefits Interface (UBI), modelled on the widespread and popular UPI financial technological tool, were launched here by Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, DEPwD at the national conference on AI for Empowering Persons with Disabilities. 'India now has one billion digital Aadhaar IDs. The digi-locker, which can have all physical documents in digital form in just one device, and the UPI (Unified Payments Interface), which has made financial transactions easy. According to him, differently-abled students will receive scholarships in their accounts in 24 hours from now on and people with health problems can interact with a chatbot to clarify and seek medical and health advisory services from home itself.
The Hindu
30-05-2025
- The Hindu
Four major initiatives on AI launched
Four major initiatives focused on Artificial intelligence (AI) and accessibility which aim to harness AI for the creation of inclusive digital ecosystems and offer scalable solutions in assistive technology were launched on Friday. At a national conference on AI for Empowering Persons with Disabilities, held in Bengaluru, the four missions [Mission AI accessibility; Mission AI: Implementation of AI in Assistive Technologies and Tools for Empowering People with Disabilities; National Disability Support AI Chatbot, and United Benefits Interface (UBI)] were launched. Rajesh Aggarwal, secretary, Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, said: 'A new era of inclusion has been ushered in by Artificial Intelligence.' His keynote presentation covered advancements in deep learning, robotics, and computer vision, emphasising their potential in improving the quality of life for people with disabilities. The conference also showcased how AI can be a force multiplier in creating a more inclusive and accessible India. It also brought together leading experts, government officials, technologists, and advocates to showcase how AI is enhancing accessibility and opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Hans India
30-05-2025
- Health
- Hans India
Centre launches four AI Missions, including, National UBI and Chatbot AI digital technologies for the disabled
Bengaluru: The Government of India's Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, in collaboration with Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) here on Friday at The National Conference on AI for Empowering Persons with Disabilities launched four major digital and technology missions to aid persons with disabilities in receiving government and societal services in the areas of education, healthcare, livelihood, and everyday life. The four missions, Mission AI Accessibility, Implementation of AI in Assistive Technology and Tools for Empowering People with Disabilities, National Disability Support AI Chat Bot, and Unified Benefits Interface (UBI), modelled on the widespread and popular UPI financial technological tool, were launched by Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, DEPwD in the presence of a government officials, technology experts from IITs and AIIMS, Technology Entrepreneurs and citizens. The Secretary, DEPwD, unveiling the National AI Missions for Persons with Disabilities, Rajesh Aggarwal said, 'India now has one billion digital Aadhaar IDs, the digi-locker which can have all physical documents in digital form in just one device, and the UPI (Unified Payments Interface) which has made financial transactions easy. We are extending this digital footprint for persons with disabilities by digitalising and automating a series of government benefits, schemes and policies, to reach beneficiaries within 24 hours in the areas of education, health, livelihood and finance. Disabled students will receive scholarships in their accounts in 24 hours from now on and people with health problems can interact with a chatbot to clarify and seek medical and health advisory services from home itself and the UBI will ensure digital and technological interaction between disabled people and the government to ensure services are delivered without bureaucratic delays and hindrances. The interaction will be direct, easy and seamless, made possible by AI.' The Member of the Steering Committee of NITI Aayog instituted to design the National Strategic Framework of Assistive Technology (AT) in India with the objective of making India a Global Hub of Assistive Technology, and Co-Founder and CEO of AssisTech Foundation (ATF), which has changed the lives of a million disabled people, Prateek Madhav said, 'We are working with the Government to ensure that persons with disabilities, particularly learners, are equipped with the right Assistive Technologies (AT) - screen readers, Braille displays, sign language plugins, speech recognition tools, and adaptive input devices – to ensure an hindrance-free everyday life as well as seamless and easy interaction and practical working in the fields of education, health, and livelihood to enable persons with disabilities have a hurdle-free reception of benefits. We concur with Aggarwal's UBI initiative modelled on UPI as this will ease implementation of benefits for persons with disabilities. With over 14.96 billion transactions per day and a total transaction value of ₹23.25 trillion, UPI has revolutionized how Indians handle money. But beyond the numbers lies a deeper impact—ease of access for people with physical disabilities. No longer do they have to travel to banks, wait in long queues, or manage cheque books. UPI allows users to send or receive any amount—from 10 paise to ₹10 lakh—right from their homes. For the disabled, this saves not just time and energy, but also the physical and emotional strain of navigating public spaces. When paired with Assistive Technologies like voice commands, screen readers, and simplified interfaces, digital payments become even more inclusive. Digital payment system is more than a mere advancement—it is a powerful equalizer.' Prateek has co-founded the Global Alliance on Assistive Technology Innovations and Investments, known as the Inclusive Innovation Network (+N), along with AT pioneers and partners from Australia, Canada, and Kenya to bring in their innovations into India to aid persons with disabilities. He is establishing the largest AT innovation ecosystem in India and under his leadership, ATF has developed a network of over 450+ AT startups, impacted the lives of 1 million individuals with disabilities. Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, MEITY, and DG, NIC said, 'We are working with state governments to adopt AI models and missions we will be taking all these technologies to tier-2 and tier-3 cities in India to help the underserved and disabled.' A highlight of the conference was the high-impact panel session on 'Assistive Technology Leveraging AI', moderated by Prateek, which featured a distinguished panel of experts. Sandeep Alur, CTO, Microsoft Innovation Hub, said, AI can see, hear, speak, reason, memorize and think. This means that the future is AI adapting to individual requirements, especially for the disabled.' Shekar Naik, Padma Shri Awardee and Former Captain, Indian Blind Cricket Team, who is training hundreds of blind cricketers said, 'AI on the laptop helps us now to place players on the cricket field in minutes. It would take hours or half a day earlier. I can now book my tickets, write on my own or type on my own. AI has ended dependency of the blind permanently.' Amitabh Nag, CEO, Bhashini Project, which is transforming the language translation scenario in India, said, 'We are developing speech to text and text to speech, voice technologies, websites in Indian languages, addressing translation of dialects beyond the 22 official languages to help the disabled.' Chandrika Jain, CMO, Lenovo India said, 'Design of AI technologies should be undertaken with the disabled, not for them. The disabled have to be part of the tech design, not as an afterthought.' Prateek, who steered the insightful and thought-provoking discussion, concluded stating that ATF's hope and vision is to build the world's first Unicorn (start-up) that would reach a billion disabled people by developing technologies that would help the disabled. 'A Unicorn is a billion-dollar start-up, but for us, Unicorn is not about money, it's about a billion people. There is hope because we have moved from 400 start-ups 10 years ago to 1.7 lakh start-ups in 2025.' The panel collectively underscored the importance of collaboration between government, private sector, and social innovation ecosystems to build an AI-powered accessible future. The conference served as a pivotal platform to explore the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Assistive Technology (AT), with the goal of harnessing cutting-edge innovations to enhance accessibility, inclusion, and empowerment for persons with disabilities.
