Corruption at highest level in Bihar, alleges Prashant Bhushan
Patna (PTI): Senior Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Saturday charged the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar with indulging in "corruption at the highest level" by leasing out 1,000 acres of land to a leading conglomerate at a throwaway price.
Addressing a press conference here, Bhushan referred to an upcoming power project at Bhagalpur, for which a 30-year lease has been secured by the business group, reportedly at a rate of just one rupee per annum.
Bhushan alleged that the NDA government has agreed to a deal, which would "result in an estimated annual loss of Rs 5,000 crore" to the state exchequer and suspected "corruption at the highest level" in awarding the contract.
He also stressed the need for "transparency and fairness" in the state's mechanism for land acquisition, and suggested that a commission be set up to ensure the affected people got adequate compensation.
The Congress had led a march in the city over the issue earlier this week, but state industry minister Nitish Mishra has denied any irregularities, claiming that the company won the contract since, among four bidders, it had agreed to supply electricity to consumers at the lowest rate.
Bhushan, who is known for his activism against graft, also pointed out alleged anomalies in the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in the state, where assembly polls are due later this year.
"I addressed a symposium here earlier in the day where I met a local academician who has done some research on SIR. He has come across wrongful deletion of the names of nine voters, all Muslims, from the voters' list of just one assembly segment in Sheikhpura district.
“Their names cannot be found in the draft electoral rolls nor in the list of 65 lakh people who have been declared as dead, absent and shifted. The EC has simply made these names disappear," Bhushan claimed.
He also charged the EC with having assumed responsibility of "ascertaining citizenship... which is the prerogative of the Government of India, foreign tribunals and courts only", in the name of carrying out SIR.
The legal expert dubbed as "electoral bribes" populist measures announced by the BJP-led government in the run-up to the assembly polls.
Speaking at the same press conference, Satyadeo Ram, CPI(ML) Liberation MLA, claimed that SIR was part of the tactics to divert public attention away from "failures of the ruling NDA, which has been in power for 20 years".
"The regime is not shying away from unleashing chaos as a diversionary tactic ahead of elections, but the people have seen through the game," he asserted.
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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.
