Govt extends duty-free imports of cotton by three months till Dec 31
New Delhi (PTI): The government on Thursday extended duty-free import of cotton by three more months till December 31 to support textile exporters facing steep 50 per cent tariffs in the US.
Earlier, on August 18, the Finance Ministry had allowed duty exemption on cotton imports from August 19 till September 30.
In a statement on Thursday, the ministry said, "In order to support exporters further, the Central government has decided to extend the import duty exemption on cotton (HS 5201) from 30th September 2025 till 31st December 2025."
This includes exemption from both the 5 per cent Basic Customs Duty (BCD) and the 5 per cent Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess (AIDC), as well as a 10 per cent Social Welfare Surcharge on both, which led to a cumulative 11 per cent import duty on cotton.
The move is expected to lower input costs across the textile value chain, encompassing yarn, fabric, garments, and made-ups and provide much-needed relief to manufacturers and consumers alike.
Effective August 27, the US has imposed a 50 per cent duty on Indian goods, including textiles, gems and jewellery, and leather.
The duty exemption would enhance the availability of raw cotton in the domestic market, stabilise cotton prices, and thereby reduce inflationary pressure on finished textile products.
It would support the export competitiveness of Indian textile products by lowering production costs and protecting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the textile sector, according to the government.
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Mizoram class 12 results out, pass percentage at 87.67
Aizawl (PTI): Mizoram recorded a pass percentage of 87.67 in the class 12 board examinations on Wednesday, with boys scoring marginally higher than girls,
Across the Arts, Science, and Commerce streams, boys secured an 87.7 per cent success rate, while girls followed closely at 87.66 per cent, according to the results published by the Mizoram Board of School Education (MBSE).
Of the 12,243 students who sat for the examinations held between February and March, 10,734 passed, 1,394 could not, and 115 qualified for compartmental examinations.
Academic performance was strongest in the Commerce stream, which saw a 90.51 per cent success rate among 759 candidates.
The Science stream followed with 89.24 per cent pass rate out of 2,770 students who appeared for the exam, while the Arts stream, with 87,14 students, recorded a pass percentage of 86.93.
In terms of institutional performance, the results revealed that deficit schools, which receive regular government grants, maintained their status as top performers with an average 93.80 per cent pass rate across all streams, followed by private schools at 91.55 per cent, while state-run schools recorded a success rate 83.13 per cent.
