An India-U.S. trade agreement and the test of WTO laws

During Prime Minister's brief working visit to the United States, on February 13, 2025, New Delhi and Washington agreed to negotiate the first stage of a mutually beneficial, multisector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by the fall of 2025. While economists are busy calculating tariffs and trade volumes, it is essential to examine this development through the lens of international trade law.

Flawed food regulations fuel the obesity crisis

Prime Minister’s call to tackle obesity and the 2025 Economic Survey's recommendation of imposing a 'health tax' on ultra-processed foods (UPFs) to curb their consumption are both laudable.

Income levels of salaried class have stagnated in recent years

Real wages for salaried jobs were 1.7% lower in the June quarter in 2024 compared to the June 2019 quarter

Last week, Niti Aayog member said in an interview that while employment is increasing, real wages for regular salaried jobs have not kept up with inflation over the last seven years. Real wages refer to the income a worker earns that is adjusted for inflation. They reflect actual purchasing power. 

What is behind the rise of quick commerce?

As a subclass of e-commerce, quick commerce (Q-commerce) entails rapid delivery, typically in 10 to 20 minutes, of products to the customer's doorstep. This is facilitated by an elaborate network of dark stores and/or distribution centres.

Dark stores refer to warehouses used by the platforms solely to fulfil online orders, with no in-person shopping. The idea is to be in close proximity to the consumer to facilitate faster deliveries.

India second-largest arms importer after Ukraine in 2020-24, 2020-24, says SIPRI

At 36%, imports from Russia made up largest share of Indian imports, down from 55% in 2015-19, India received the largest share of French arms exports at 28%, China dropped out of the list of top 10 arms importers for the first time since 1990-94 

SEBI may rejig short-selling norms

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is considering a major revamp of short-selling regulations, potentially allowing it for all stocks excluding those in the trade-to-trade (T2T) segment.

The proposal may also scrap short-sale disclosures and penalties currently imposed by stock exchanges, sources familiar with the matter said.