Crimes against senior citizens dip to 27,886 in 2023; Maharashtra, MP, TN report high numbers: NCRB
New Delhi (PTI): India registered 27,886 cases of crimes against senior citizens in 2023, a marginal dip from 28,545 in 2022, with Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu among the states reporting the highest numbers, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) said in its annual report.
Crime head-wise, the highest number of cases (7,608 or 27.3 per cent) was registered under "simple hurt", followed by theft (4,130, 14.8 per cent) and "FCF" (forgery, cheating and fraud) (3,473, 12.5 per cent) in 2023, according to the NCRB's data.
Madhya Pradesh accounted for 5,738 cases, Maharashtra 5,115, Tamil Nadu 2,104 and Karnataka 1,840. Among the Union territories, Delhi topped with 1,361 cases and the highest crime rate of 118.6 per one-lakh elderly population.
The report also logged 1,914 murders, 104 rapes and 721 cases of attempted murder targeting senior citizens in 2023.
Of the 47,630 cases under investigation in 2023, 26,439 were disposed of, but 21,168 remained pending, resulting in a pendency rate of 44.4 per cent.
The overall charge-sheeting rate stood at 76.3 per cent, with high rates for serious offences like murder (94.8 per cent) and culpable homicide (97.4 per cent) but significantly lower for property-related crimes such as theft (33.4 per cent) and fraud (44.3 per cent).
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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.
