Business Trade

India Resumes FTA Talks with Eurasian Bloc

By BPN News Desk August 21, 2025

India has restarted negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), a bloc led by Russia and including Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. The two sides signed the Terms of Reference (ToR) in Moscow to formally relaunch talks. The EAEU represents a market with a combined GDP of over $6.5 […]

Business

TCS Denies Union’s Claim of 30,000 Layoffs Amid Protests

By BPN News Desk August 20, 2025

The Union of IT & ITES Employees (UNITE) organized demonstrations across Indian cities to protest Tata Consultancy Services’ (TCS) decision to lay off staff. The union alleged that job cuts could affect up to 30,000 employees, calling the scale of retrenchment excessive and demanding government intervention and swift resolution. Supported by CITU, UNITE warned that

Business

Meta Splits AI Division in Major Restructure Amid Tensions

By BPN News Desk August 20, 2025

Meta Platforms is reorganizing its artificial intelligence operations, splitting its Meta Superintelligence Labs into four distinct units: infrastructure, long-term AI research (FAIR), product-focused innovation (including Meta AI assistant), and a new frontier lab (TBD Lab). The move aims to streamline efforts toward achieving “superintelligence”—AI that

Business

Kotak Urges Support for SMEs Amid U.S. Tariff Shock

By BPN News Desk August 20, 2025

Billionaire banker Uday Kotak has warned that the latest U.S. tariffs on Indian exports amounting to nearly 50% have created a “major shock” for the economy. The tariffs come in response to India’s continued trade ties with Russia, particularly discounted crude oil purchases. Kotak said the development highlights India’s vulnerability and the urgent need to […]

Business Finance

FM to Head GST Panel Talks on Reforms

By BPN News Desk August 20, 2025

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will brief three ministerial groups of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council in New Delhi this week. The groups will discuss rate rationalisation, health and life insurance, and phasing out the compensation cess. Proposal to Simplify GST Slabs The government is considering moving from the current four-tier structure to two […]

Business Finance

Government May Slash GST on Health and Term Insurance

By BPN News Desk August 19, 2025

The Indian government is considering a cut in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on health and term insurance premiums, potentially reducing it from the current 18% to 5% or even zero. This move is part of a broader GST restructuring—dubbed “GST 2.0”—aimed at simplifying tax slabs and easing the tax burden on citizens and […]

Business

Apple Leases 2.7 Lakh sq ft Office in Bengaluru

By BPN News Desk August 18, 2025

Apple India has signed a major lease agreement for 2.7 lakh square feet of office space in Bengaluru’s Embassy Zenith. The deal, spread over a 10-year period, is valued at nearly ₹1,010 crore, making it one of the city’s largest single-tenant office leases. This space is expected to become Apple’s biggest office in India, strengthening […]

Business Finance

Nirmala Sitharaman to Present GST Rate Cut Proposal to GoM

By BPN News Desk August 18, 2025

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to address a two-day Group of Ministers (GoM) meeting starting August 20 in New Delhi. She will review the Centre’s proposal for a sweeping overhaul of India’s GST structure, which includes rationalising rates and simplifying tax slabs. Simplified GST Structure Proposed The government has proposed a leaner GST framework […]

Business

Maruti Shares Jump Most in 5 Years on GST Cut Hopes

By BPN News Desk August 18, 2025

Maruti Suzuki India shares surged nearly 8%, recording their biggest single-day gain in almost five years. The rise followed government proposals to reduce GST on small cars from 28% to 18%, sparking investor optimism across the auto sector. Tax Reform Trigger The government recently announced a move to simplify the Goods and Services Tax (GST) […]

Business Finance

By BPN News Desk August 17, 2025

Delhi Police have arrested 18 people in connection with a massive fraud that siphoned off ₹2.60 crore from State Bank of India (SBI) credit card holders. The fraud, which ran for nearly six months, came to light after investigators traced the source of leaked banking information to a call centre in Gurugram. How the Fraud […]