Economy

What will ensure the success of GST 2.0 is the bedrock of trust — between the government, industry and consumers

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh. File | Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar The Congress on Tuesday (September 23, 2025) voiced concern over falling exports of tariff-free products like pharma and smartphones to the United States, saying it is “certainly not a seasonal fall”. In a post on X, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, “It was…

Image used for representation purpose only. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto S&P Global Ratings on Tuesday (September 23, 2025) retained India’s GDP growth forecast at 6.5% in the current fiscal, citing strong domestic demand amid a largely benign monsoon. S&P also said it expects a 25 bps rate cut by the RBI this fiscal as…

Launched in 2016, the primary objective of the scheme is to provide LPG connections to poor households. | Photo Credit: PTI The Union Government on Monday (September 22, 2025) sanctioned the release of 25 lakh additional LPG connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) during the ongoing financial year (2025-26). As a result of…

The core sectors’ output growth was 3.7% in the previous month of July. File | Photo Credit: Reuters India’s eight key infrastructure sectors’ growth jumped to a 13-month high of 6.3% in August 2025 on account of expansion in coal, steel, and cement production, according to official data released on Monday (September 22, 2025). The…

Foreign Institutional Investors bought equities worth ₹390.74 crore on a net basis on September 19, 2025, according to exchange data. File | Photo Credit: Reuters The rupee witnessed range-bound trading in morning deals on Monday (September 22, 2025) and depreciated 5 paise to 88.21 against the U.S. dollar, as the strength of the American currency in…

In the early days, hospitalisation meant paying the bill in cash, filing claims with discharge summaries and bills and waiting for insurer to decide if the treatment was covered. Even if approved, deductions for sub-limits, uncovered expenses or treatments deemed “unnecessary” meant the insured rarely got the full amount. The process often forced families into…

In India, direct out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) by households is the main source of financing for health care. In an OOPE-based system, when a family member falls ill, we either dip into our savings, sell assets, or borrow to meet health-care expenditures. If one is poor, the option is either to forgo care and die or…

Prices of kitchen staples to electronics, from medicines and equipment to automobiles, will get cheaper from Monday (September 22, 2025) as the reduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates on about 375 items come into effect. In a bonanza to consumers, the GST Council, comprising Centre and States, has decided to reduce tax rates on…

Q: While reading articles about mutual funds, I often come across the terms ‘realised gains’ and ‘unrealised gains.’ What do they mean and how are they different? Further, why does it matter whether gains are realised or unrealised? V. Mangala A At first glance, the terms ‘realised gains’ and ‘unrealised gains’ may sound like financial…