India is set to benefit modestly from the United States’ decision to withdraw reciprocal tariffs on a set of agricultural products, including tea, coffee and spices, the commerce ministry said on Monday, PTI reported. The tariff exemptions, announced through a White House Executive Order on November 12, took effect the next day.The move rolls back duties imposed under the April 2 reciprocal tariff regime and covers a wide range of items — coffee, tea, tropical fruits, fruit juices, cocoa, spices, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, beef and certain fertilisers. Officials said the change creates a level playing field for Indian exporters in categories where the country ships over USD 1 billion worth of goods each year, including spices, tea, coffee, fruits, nuts, processed foods, essential oils and edible roots.“Now our exports will have a level playing field,” Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce Darpan Jain told reporters.However, independent assessments suggest the boost for India could be limited. Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) co-founder Ajay Srivastava noted that India has little presence in several of the largest exempted lines such as tomatoes, citrus fruits, melons, bananas and most fresh fruits and juices.He said India may see marginal gains in spices and niche horticulture, but the larger beneficiaries of the US move will likely be Latin American, African and ASEAN exporters unless India strengthens cold-chain capacity, scales up production and broadens its agricultural export basket.

New Delhi: The Central government on Monday announced a 26 percent hike in advertisement rates for print media and introduced a premium for colour advertisements, aiming to strengthen the sector amid rising costs and growing competition from digital platforms.

As per the revised structure, black-and-white advertisement rates for newspapers with a circulation of one lakh copies have been increased from Rs 47.40 to Rs 59.68 per sq. cm. The government has also accepted the committee’s recommendations on offering premium rates for colour ads and preferential placement, the Information & Broadcasting Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry noted that higher government ad rates will provide crucial revenue support to newspapers, helping them sustain operations, maintain quality journalism, and promote local news coverage at a time when input costs—particularly newsprint—have surged.

Strengthening financial stability, the statement added, will enable print media organisations to invest in better content and continue serving the public interest effectively.

The Central Bureau of Communication (CBC), the nodal agency for government publicity across media platforms, last revised print advertisement rates in January 2019 based on the recommendations of the 8th Rate Structure Committee, with the rates valid for three years.

To review the structure afresh, the 9th Rate Structure Committee, chaired by AS&FA (I&B), was set up on November 11, 2021. Between November 2021 and August 2023, the committee engaged with major associations representing small, medium and large newspapers—including the Indian Newspaper Society (INS), All India Small Newspapers Association (AISNA), and Small-Medium-Big Newspapers Society (SMBNS).

The panel examined key cost factors such as WPI inflation in newsprint, imported newsprint prices, wage costs, general inflation trends, and other production-related expenses before submitting its recommendations on September 23, 2023.

According to the government, the upward revision of advertisement rates brings print media compensation closer to market realities and acknowledges its continued relevance in a diversified media ecosystem. The move, it added, will help improve the reach and effectiveness of government communication efforts across the country.

The 16th Finance Commission on Monday submitted its report for the five-year period 2026-31 to President Droupadi Murmu, marking a key step in finalising the formula that will determine how central taxes are shared with states, PTI reported.The panel, chaired by Arvind Panagariya, had been granted a one-month extension from its original October 31 deadline. “Members of the 16th Finance Commission, led by its Chairman, Dr Arvind Panagariya, called on President Droupadi Murmu and submitted the Commission’s report for 2026-31,” Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a post on X.Mandated to recommend the devolution formula and grants-in-aid beginning 2026-27, the commission travelled across all states and Union Territories before finalising its views on tax sharing, revenue augmentation and fiscal needs.

The panel includes full-time members Annie George Mathew and Manoj Panda, while SBI Group Chief Economic Advisor Soumya Kanti Ghosh and RBI Deputy Governor T. Rabi Sankar serve as part-time members.Along with tax devolution, the commission has examined the framework for financing disaster management, reviewing the funds created under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.Set up on December 31, 2023, the constitutional body succeeds the 15th Finance Commission headed by N.K. Singh, which had recommended that states receive 41% of the divisible pool between 2021-22 and 2025-26 — the same share proposed earlier by the 14th Finance Commission.According to Budget 2025-26 estimates, the Centre is expected to transfer Rs 14.22 lakh crore to states as their tax share out of a budgeted Rs 42.70 lakh crore in total tax receipts.Successive commissions have relied on weighted criteria such as population, area, income distance, demographic performance, fiscal effort and forest cover to determine state shares — an issue that has often triggered friction between the Centre and Opposition-ruled states. Southern states, in particular, have objected to population-linked weightage, arguing that it disadvantages them for achieving lower population growth.For 2021-26, the 15th Finance Commission had assigned 15% weightage to population, 15% to area, 12.5% to demographic performance, 10% to forest cover and ecology, and 2.5% to tax and fiscal effort.