Eid-ul-Fitr celebrated with religious fervor in Dakshina Kannada
Mangaluru: Muslim community in the coastal part of Karnataka celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr on Wednesday with devotion and gaiety.
Namaz and religious preaching led by Dakshina Kannada Qazi Thwaqa Ahmed Musliyar was held at Eidgah Masjid in Light House, Mangaluru.
Speaking on the occasion he said, people of the community have observed fasting for 30 days during the month of Ramzan and indulged in charity acts. They have abstained from activities that hurt others.
After cleansing one’s mind and then becoming clean physically, one wears new dresses and sprays scents on his body. They visit mosques, pray and distribute sweets.
Along with personal celebration they donate festival items to needy and poor and bring smile on their faces on this day. This is the specialty of Eid, he added.
Eid encourages to improve relation between humans across families, society, country and globally. Let in this Eid bring people together who soured their relationships. A phrase in Quran says, Evil should be faced with virtuous and the preaching of Prophet who has conquered this world with love and trust must be guiding light, he said.
Imam of Shah Amir Ali masjid Moulana Riyaz ul Haq gave information about Eid namaz.
An all religious harmony meet was held after the Eid namaz. DK district in charge minister U.T Khader, parliamentary secretary for chief minister, Ivan D’Souza, Qazi Thwaqa Ahmed Musliyar, president of the mosque Y. Abdulla Kunhi gave message of the festival.
Special namaz was held at various mosques across Mangaluru. People greeted by hugging each other.
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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.
