66 retired civil servants approach President to complain about EC’s biased functioning to help Modi
A group 66 former senior bureaucrats has written to President Ram Nath Kovind expressing their disgust over the questionable functioning of the Election Commission of India. The petitioners that included Former Delhi LG Najeeb Jung, Retired IPS officer Vappala Balachandran, former special secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, former foreign secretary and national security adviser (NSA) Shivshankar Menon, former Planning Commission secretary N C Saxena and super cop Julio Ribeiro, have asked President Kovind to intervene to ensure free and fair elections.
The petition by former civil servants also highlighted instances of gross violations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and how the Election Commission chose to look the other way by not taking action against him.
The five-page letter highlighted several instances where violations by Modi and those favouring the BJP were ignored by the Election Commission. It said that the ECI had failed to stop the Modi biopic from being released even though this ‘represents a backdoor effort to garner free publicity’ for him and his party.The group of 66 bureaucrats also slammed the ECI for not stopping another web series made on Modi, which will be aired soon on Eros Now. It mocked the national poll body for its ticking the box exercise by simply ‘going through the motions of calling for detail.’
They also called out the EC’s ‘lethargy’ on the launch of the NaMo TV on 31 March despite not receiving any approval from the Information and Broadcasting ministry. They reminded the EC of Modi’s speech made in Wardha in Maharashtra, where he was seen provoking Hindus while seeking votes.
On 6 April, Modi had made a similar speech in Nanded, but the ECI merely sought a report from the Chief Electoral Officer. Modi’s latest speech seeking votes in the name of the Balakot air strikes and the Pulwama terror attack too violated the EC guidelines, but the national poll body once again ignored the violation.
Among other violations of Model Code of Conduct and the EC’s refusal to act against them were Yogi Adityanath’s Modi ji ki sena comments. The petition also questioned the EC’s recent decision to transfer three top police officers and the Chief Secretary in Andhra Pradesh and four top police officers in West Bengal, adding that why no such steps were taken in Tamil Nadu, where the Director General of Police (DGP) is reportedly under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Gutkha scam case.
courtesy: jantakareporter.com
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India proposes preferential trade agreement with Mexico to deal with high tariffs
New Delhi (PTI): India has proposed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Mexico to help domestic exporters deal with the steep tariffs announced by the South American country, a top government official said on Monday.
Mexico has decided to impose steep import tariffs - ranging from about 5 per cent to as high as 50 per cent on a wide range of goods (about 1,463 tariff lines) from countries that do not have free trade agreements with Mexico, including India, China, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that India has engaged with the country on the issue.
"Technical level talks are on...The only fast way forward is to try to get a preferential trade agreement (PTA) because an FTA (free trade agreement) will take a lot of time. So we are trying to see what can be a good way forward," he told reporters here.
While in an FTA two trading partners either significantly reduce or eliminate import duties on maximum number of goods traded between them, in a PTA, duties are cut or removed on a limited number of products.
Trading partners of Mexico cannot file a compliant against the decision on imposing high tariffs as they are WTO (World Trade Organisation) compatible.
The duties are within their bound rates, he said, adding that their primary target was not India.
"We have proposed a PTA because its a WTO-compatible way forward... we can do a PTA and try to get concessions that are required for Indian supply chains and similarly offer them concessions where they have export interests in India," Agrawal said.
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Citing support for local production and correction of trade imbalances, Mexico has approved an increase in MFN (most favoured nation) import tariffs (5-50 per cent) with effect from January 1, 2026 on 1,455 tariff lines (or product categories) within the WTO framework, targeting non-FTA partners.
Preliminary estimates suggest that this affects India's around USD 2 billion exports to Mexico particularly -- automobile, two-wheelers, auto parts, textiles, iron and steel, plastics, leather and footwear.
The measure is also aimed at curbing Chinese imports.
India-Mexico merchandise trade totalled USD 8.74 billion in 2024, with exports USD 5.73 billion, imports USD 3.01 billion, and a trade surplus of USD 2.72 billion.
The government has been continuously and comprehensively assessing Mexico's tariff revisions since the issue emerged, engaging stakeholders, safeguarding the interests of Indian exporters, and pursuing constructive dialogue to ensure a stable trade environment benefiting businesses and consumers in both countries.
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Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai has said that Mexico's decision is a matter of concern, particularly for sectors like automobiles and auto components, machinery, electrical and electronics, organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and plastics.
"Such steep duties will erode our competitiveness and risk, disrupting supply chains that have taken years to develop," Sahai said, adding that this development also underlines the little urgency for India and Mexico to fast-track a comprehensive trade agreement.
Domestic auto component manufacturers will face enhanced cost pressures with Mexico hiking duties on Indian imports, according to industry body ACMA.
