India’s US crude oil imports jump 270% amid trade talks: Reports
New Delhi: India's crude oil imports from the United States surged by more than 270% year-on-year during the first four months of 2025, as reported by The Indian Express. This sharp increase coincides with intensified trade negotiations between New Delhi and Washington, which are now in the final stages of finalizing an interim deal expected by July 9.
According to data from the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS), India imported 6.31 million tonnes of US crude between January and April 2025, up from 1.69 million tonnes in the same period last year. The US now accounts for 7% of India’s total oil imports, up from just 2% a year earlier.
In value terms, imports rose to $3.78 billion from approximately $1 billion in the year-ago period, with oil price fluctuations playing a significant role in the increase.
The report notes that India is increasing its US energy purchases as part of a broader effort to reduce its trade surplus with America and to secure more diversified and geopolitically stable sources of energy. Imports from the US rose by 63% year-on-year in April alone, helping narrow the trade surplus to $3.1 billion from $3.4 billion in April 2024.
Officials suggest this move could offer India strategic leverage over other oil-supplying nations in West Asia, especially amid regional tensions. Currently, India depends on imports for over 88% of its crude oil needs.
US President Donald Trump has publicly endorsed this energy alignment. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US earlier this year, Trump expressed hopes that the US would become India's leading supplier of oil and gas to help bridge the bilateral trade gap.
In April 2025, US crude accounted for 12% of India’s monthly oil import, up from just 4.6% in April 2024 and 4.7% in March 2025, indicating a steep upward trend.
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PM Modi lauds reduction in tuberculosis incidence in India
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday lauded the reduction in the incidence of tuberculosis in India since 2015, which was twice the global rate of decline and credited it to the expansion of treatment coverage.
India's TB incidence, which refers to new cases emerging each year, reduced by 21 per cent, from 237 per lakh population in 2015 to 187 per lakh population in 2024, according to the World Health Organisation's Global TB Report 2025.
The reduction is almost double the pace of the decline observed globally at 12 per cent, the Health Ministry said.
"India's fight against TB is achieving remarkable momentum. The latest WHO Global tuberculosis report 2025 highlights that India has recorded a commendable reduction in TB incidence since 2015 and it is nearly twice the global rate of decline," Modi said in a post on X.
The Prime Minister said the decline in incidence of TB in India was one of the sharpest drops seen anywhere in the world.
"Equally heartening is the expansion of treatment coverage, the fall in 'missing cases' and the sustained rise in treatment success. I compliment all those who have worked towards achieving this success. We remain committed to ensuring a healthy and fit India," Modi said.
