New DC office complex will be ready before 2019: UT Khader
Mangaluru, July 27: Minister of Housing and Urban Development UT Khader has assured that the new DC office complex of Dakshina Kannada district will be ready before December 2019.
He was speaking to press persons after inspecting the complex work of the DC office, which is being constructed at Padil on the outskirts of the city.
“The state government led by Siddaramaiah has sanctioned Rs 41 crore for the three-storied building in the area of 2.25 lakh sq ft. Of which, Rs. 10 crore was sanctioned, and one phase work has been completed in the past four months. Construction of the building will be completed within the allotted time.”
The Minister said that he would hold discussions with the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister for additional grants.
“The project was initiated under the aegis of former district incharge Minister B. Ramanath Rai. While the new complex will accommodate 138 departments, separate provisions have been made to accommodate 234 vehicles in its basement. Meanwhile, all adjacent roads will also be developed for proper connectivity,” Khader said.
Revenue minister RV Deshpande will hold a meeting involving principal secretaries of various departments to sort out problems existing in the approval of single sites from the Mangaluru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
Responding to the statement of BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal that he would have ordered the police to shoot intellectuals had he been the Union Home Minister, UT Khader said voters need to think about such statements. These sorts of statements surface from those who justify Gandhi's murder and glorify it.
Former minister B Ramanath Rai, Former MLA JR Lobo, MMC Member Shashidhar Hegde, Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil, Additional Deputy Commissioner Kumar, and others were present.
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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.
