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NEW DELHI/JALANDHAR: In a goodwill gesture to followers of Guru Ravidas, whose Dalit followers are a sizeable presence in Punjab, PM Narendra Modi on Sunday said his govt was continuously making efforts to promote the saint’s ideals and work in accordance with them.Modi addressed the followers at Dera Sachkhand Ballan soon after naming Adampur airport…

The Centre is budgeting a record Rs 3.2 lakh crore in dividends from the RBI and public sector banks in 2026-27, creating a strong non-tax cushion to keep the fiscal deficit in check.For 2025-26, the govt has raised the dividend estimate to Rs 3.04 lakh crore, up Rs 44,590 crore from the budgeted Rs 2.56…

Eyes on lab-grown diamonds as gold, silver look volatile For consumers, lab-grown diamond jewellery is likely to remain the most attractively priced segment, with extended customs duty exemptions on diamond inputs. However, with no reduction in Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on gold and silver, especially when prices are high, jewellery prices will remain high.Budget has…

Exports of leather products and non-leather footwear have got a boost. Steps initiated by govt will increase employment opportunities.According to Israr Ahmed, MD of Farida Group, so far, specific imports required for making shoe uppers have been kept within the bracket of duty. “Now, govt has announced these will be brought under the Import of…

Removal Of Basic Customs Duty Of 5-11% To Lower Prices Of 17 Expensive Treatments Prices of 17 expensive cancer medicines, including Ribociclib and Venetoclax, and of seven rare disease drugs, like primary hyperoxaluria and cystinosis, are expected to dip after removal of basic customs duty in the Budget. This would lead to lowering of landed…

Amnesty on hidden foreign assets in Budget 2026 In a bid to resolve long-pending cases of inadvertent overseas asset non-disclosures and to encourage voluntary compliance, the Budget has proposed a fresh amnesty window for small taxpayers, alongside a relaxation of prosecution norms under the Black Money law.Under the proposed Foreign Assets of Small Taxpayers –…

BRS president K Chandrasekar Rao (File photo) HYDERABAD: Telangana’s former chief minister and BRS president K Chandrasekar Rao, who was questioned for five hours on Sunday by the SIT probing the alleged phone tapping and illegal surveillance case, was reportedly made to read certain provisions of Indian Telegraph Act.“KCR was asked to read the provisions…

The Budget proposes updraging Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) in Hanle, Ladakh, to extend its capabilities PUNE/BENGALURU: Pune/Bengaluru: India’s expanding contributions to astronomy research appear to have prompted a significant policy and funding push from the Centre, with Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announcing support for four major projects in Sunday’s budget.The initiatives — the National Large…

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis (PTI photo) MUMBAI: CM Devendra Fadnavis Sunday said they had no idea about the discussions of a merger of the two NCPs nor about the date of merger.“If discussions on merger had gone to a final stage, Ajitdada would have informed us… He is in our govt and without sharing with…

If trust has been Nirmala Sitharaman’s byword for taxpayers so far, she took it further this year to improve ‘ease’ of filing and updating returns, and encouraging voluntary compliance to cut down on litigation. Sitharaman said the new Income Tax Act, 2025, which comes into force from April 1, is revenue-neutral, with no changes to…