US President Trump announces 25 per cent tariff on India from Aug 1
Washington, Jul 30 (PTI): US President Donald Trump has announced a 25 per cent tariff on India from Aug 1, amid signs of some stalemate in the ongoing negotiations between the two countries on a bilateral trade deal.
Trump, announcing the tariff, listed India's high tariffs, its procurement of "vast majority" of military equipment and energy from Russia as well as "obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers".
India will be paying a "tariff of 25 per cent plus a penalty" from August 1, he said, adding "we have a massive trade deficit with India".
The US president, in a social media post, however, described India as a "friend". While India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their tariffs are far too high, among the "highest" in the world, and they have the "most strenuous and obnoxious" non-monetary trade barriers, he said.
Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of energy along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to stop the killing in Ukraine, he said.
"All things not good! India will therefore be paying a tariff of 25 per cent plus a penalty for the above starting on August 1," the US president said.
There is no immediate reaction from India on Trump's announcement.
A team from the US is scheduled to visit India next month for the next round of negotiations for the proposed bilateral trade agreement.
India and the US teams concluded the fifth round of talks for the agreement last week in Washington.
India's chief negotiator and special secretary in the Department of Commerce Rajesh Agrawal and Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch held the deliberations.
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Over 1 lakh students appear for NEET across TN
Chennai (PTI): About 1.4 lakh students appeared for the NEET 2026 exam for admission to medical degree courses across 31 centres in Tamil Nadu on Sunday.
Students claimed that the exam paper was easier than the previous year.
Organised by the National Testing Agency (NTA), 22.80 lakh students had registered for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) undergraduate exam nationwide.
NTA sources said that CCTV surveillance was installed at all examination centres, with feeds linked to centralised control rooms.
In view of the large candidate volume and prevailing summer conditions, the NTA ensured reliable power back-up, including generators at all centres, to ensure candidate comfort during the exam. Also, drinking water and on-site medical support were provided to students.
The sources further said that no malpractices were reported, especially in Chennai. The results of NEET are expected to be declared in June, 2026.
