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India-UK FTA: Pact to cut tariffs and strengthen business confidence; what British Parliament was told – The Times of India

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India-UK FTA: Pact to cut tariffs and strengthen business confidence; what British Parliament was told – The Times of India


The India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed on July 24 by Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Keir Starmer will cut trade tariffs from 15% to 3% and is expected to bolster business confidence in a volatile global environment, British MPs were told on Monday.UK Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds briefed the House of Commons on the pre-ratification process for the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), highlighting its potential impact ahead of full implementation, PTI reported.“This agreement drops the average Indian tariff on UK products from 15% to 3%, with duties falling by around £400 million at entry, rising to £900 million after staging,” Reynolds said. “It is expected to increase bilateral trade by £25.5 billion, raise UK GDP by £4.8 billion, and boost wages by £2.2 billion annually. In an increasingly unstable world, this deal provides businesses with confidence as they grow and expand.The FTA secures preferential access to India’s federal procurement market, guarantees opportunities for UK service suppliers, and simplifies trade through improved customs and digital processes, Reynolds added. Specific regional gains include £190 million for the West Midlands and Scotland and £210 million for the North West, supporting the UK’s high-growth sectors.Reynolds also informed MPs about the commissioning of the Trade and Agriculture Commission, the Food Standards Agency, and Food Standards Scotland, whose reports under Section 42 of the Agriculture Act 2020 are needed before Parliament can ratify the agreement.Parallel negotiations on the Double Contribution Convention, agreed alongside the FTA to prevent temporary foreign workers from duplicating social security contributions, will also follow the standard parliamentary process.The India-UK CETA, signed during Modi’s UK visit, aims to double bilateral trade to $120 billion by 2030. While implementation in India requires only Cabinet approval, ratification in the UK is expected to take up to a year. In the House of Lords, junior minister Baroness Maggie Jones briefed peers on the progress of the FTA.





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Asda boss rejects profiteering claims as petrol price tops 150p

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Asda boss rejects profiteering claims as petrol price tops 150p



Motorists are facing higher fuel prices ahead of Easter break due to the conflict in the Middle East, the RAC says.



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E-cheques coming soon? RBI unveils Payments Vision 2028, plans wider oversight of digital players – The Times of India

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E-cheques coming soon? RBI unveils Payments Vision 2028, plans wider oversight of digital players – The Times of India


The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday unveiled its ‘Payments Vision 2028’ document, outlining a roadmap that includes exploring electronic cheques, expanding regulatory oversight to digital platforms, and strengthening safeguards in the fast-growing payments ecosystem, PTI reported.The central bank said it will examine the introduction of e-cheques to combine the advantages of paper instruments with the speed and reliability of digital payments. “To leverage the unique benefits of paper-based instruments and the speed and reliability of electronic payments, and cater to new business use cases, the introduction of electronic cheques in India shall be explored,” the RBI said.Alongside, the RBI is considering widening the regulatory ambit to include entities such as e-commerce marketplaces and centralised platforms that play a growing role in facilitating digital transactions.“In addition, e-commerce marketplaces and centralized platforms have been assuming significant responsibilities that could have implications on the orderly functioning of the payments ecosystem. These aspects shall be examined in detail and, if required, the scope of direct regulations shall be extended to cover such entities,” the document said.The vision document also proposes allowing users to enable or disable transactions across digital payment modes, similar to controls available for card transactions.To address fraud risks, the RBI is exploring a “shared responsibility framework” under which both the issuing bank and the beneficiary bank would share liability in cases of unauthorised digital transactions.The central bank also plans to review cheque design and security features, introduce a Domestic Legal Entity Identifier (DLEI) framework for better transaction traceability, and bring in a Cyber Key Risk Indicators (KRI) framework for non-bank payment system operators.Other initiatives include exploring white-label solutions in the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS), developing interoperability in the Trade Receivables e-Discounting System (TReDS), and introducing a ‘Payments Switching Service’ to ease customer migration across platforms.The RBI said it will also review the cross-border payments ecosystem to improve efficiency and streamline authorisation processes, alongside publishing periodic reports on global and domestic payment trends.Additionally, the central bank aims to enhance access to payment data and reimagine the card payments ecosystem by promoting secure tokenisation, improved transparency in pricing, and greater choice for users and merchants.



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Hetero rolls out generic semaglutide exports to over 75 countries – The Times of India

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Hetero rolls out generic semaglutide exports to over 75 countries – The Times of India


Hyderabad: Pharma player Hetero on Friday said it has rolled out exports of its generic semaglutide injection portfolio as part of a multi-year plan to widen access to treatments for type 2 diabetes and obesity in more than 75 countries.The Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company said initial rollouts are under way in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, with additional launches planned in other markets subject to regulatory approvals.The injectable therapies will be sold under the brand names Truglyx, Rolmodl and Moto G. Semaglutide belongs to the GLP-1 class of medicines, which are used in diabetes care and weight management.Hetero said the export launch is part of its broader strategy to improve access to advanced cardio-metabolic therapies, particularly in emerging markets.The company said the products will be offered in multi-dose disposable pen devices designed in line with innovator formats and will be available in several strengths, including 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg, 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg, allowing dosing flexibility for both diabetes and obesity treatment.Hetero said it is also awaiting approval from India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) after completing clinical trials in type 2 diabetes and obesity and plans an India launch after regulatory clearance.Hetero managing director Dr Vamsi Krishna Bandi said the company aims to provide high-quality, affordable generic semaglutide through a single global product platform backed by its manufacturing and development capabilities.He said Hetero would use its commercial networks across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America to support supply and access. The Hyderabad-headquartered Hetero operates in more than 145 countries and employs over 30,000 people.



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