Nilufa Yasmin tops UGC NET JRF with 100 percentile, hopes to continue in academics
Kolkata: Nilufa Yasmin, a research scholar from Burdwan University in West Bengal, has topped the UGC NET JRF June 2025 exam with a perfect 100 percentile, reports The Indian Express.
A resident of Palita Road in Katwa, Purba Bardhaman district, Yasmin has been pursuing her research about the intersection of music and literature in the Middle Ages.
This was Yasmin’s third attempt at the exam. She told The Indian Express that she didn’t expect to be the national topper. “I am very happy. I had hoped I would do well but never thought I would top,” she said.
Quoting Yasmin, Indian Express reported that her guide, Professor Ramenkumar of the Bengali department, had been a main source of support and encouragement.
Reflecting on her journey, Yasmin mentioned that she found the first paper, especially the mathematics and English sections, challenging. “In the last two years, I faced problems with math and English because we lost touch, so I would advise everyone to practice English for the first paper. And for the second paper, text study is very important,” she told The Indian Express.
Yasmin has consistently ranked first in her academic career and comes from a family with a background in education. Her father, a retired high school teacher, and her mother, also a former schoolteacher, have been key influences in her life. She added that her entire family is celebrating the news. “My parents and sisters are calling me and telling me about all those who are calling them or visiting our home,” she said.
Yasmin also has a deep love for music and often uploads videos of her singing on social media. With this success, she now hopes to continue her path in academics and research.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also congratulated her on social media. “Congratulations to Nilufa Yasmin of Katwa in Purba Bardhaman for scoring 100 percentile and securing first position in India in UGC–NET June, 2025 (with) Bengali,” Banerjee posted, along with a note of appreciation for second rank holder Rikta Chakraborty from Kolkata.
Reacting to the Chief Minister’s message, Yasmin said, “I could not believe that the Chief Minister had congratulated me. I am so happy that she is so busy but she remembers us… that means a lot.”
The UGC NET is a national-level examination that qualifies candidates for Assistant Professorships, Junior Research Fellowships, and PhD admissions in Indian universities. In the June 2025 session, over 10 lakh candidates registered, with more than 7.5 lakh appearing for the test. Of these, 5,269 cleared both JRF and Assistant Professorship, while over 54,000 qualified for Assistant Professorship and PhD, and 1.28 lakh qualified for PhD admission only.
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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.
