New Delhi, Oct 29: To advance the ongoing free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, the EU technical team, led by Director General for Trade Sabine Weyand, will visit India next week with the objective of achieving a “constructive conclusion based on the potential solutions identified over the past two days”, an official statement said on Wednesday.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal, visited Brussels from October 26-28 and had productive and meaningful engagements with Maros Sefcovic, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security and his team on outstanding issues related to the ongoing India-EU FTA negotiations.

“Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to conclude the India-EU FTA by the end of 2025, following the clear direction from Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen during the College of Commissioners’ visit to New Delhi in February 2025,” according to the official statement.

The engagement focused on achieving a mutually beneficial, balanced and equitable trade agreement, reflecting the depth of political trust and the strategic ties between India and the European Union, and at the same time respecting each other’s sensitivities and priorities.

The statement further said that India recognises the importance of ensuring that the FTA remains balanced in addressing both tariff and non-tariff barriers and creating transparent and predictable regulatory frameworks that accelerate trade for both partners in the coming years.

There was intensive engagement to explore possible landing zones on the outstanding issues.

There was also a good discussion on India’s concerns on Non-Tariff Measures and the new EU regulations. During the negotiations, Goyal emphasised the need for preferential treatment for India’s key asks, particularly those with respect to labour-intensive sectors.

Both sides agreed to work closely to finalise the non-sensitive industrial tariff lines. They also agreed that issues related to Steel, Auto, CBAM, and other EU regulations still require further discussion, as these issues have higher sensitivities.

“India looks forward to working closely with the European Union to transform this vision into reality through shared innovation, balanced, equitable, and meaningful trade, and a collective commitment to peace and prosperity,” the statement noted.

Frustrated after years of administrative apathy, tribal residents of Koralwadi in Apta Group Gram Panchayat, Panvel taluka, have announced an indefinite hunger strike outside the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) office in Panvel, beginning Wednesday, October 29. The protest aims to demand accountability for substandard road construction and the incomplete Jal Jeevan Mission project.

“Despite being just 15 kilometres from Navi Mumbai, we live as if we are forgotten by the system. We still don’t have a proper road or clean drinking water,” said Gurudas Waghe, a resident of Koralwadi.

Supported by Gram Sanvardhan Samajik Sanstha and guided by social activist Santosh Thakur, villagers have long campaigned for basic infrastructure through rallies, petitions, and previous hunger strikes — all in vain.

After sustained protests, the government sanctioned two major projects — a drinking water supply scheme under Jal Jeevan Mission three years ago and a road connecting NH-17 (Taregav) to Koralwadi two years ago. However, locals allege both projects remain incomplete.

“The contractor completed the roadwork in April, and by May before the rains it was washed away. That’s how poor the construction was,” said one villager, accusing the Public Works Department (PWD) of gross negligence and misuse of funds.

Thakur demanded a vigilance inquiry into the project, alleging that officials are protecting contractors instead of taking corrective action.

Villagers also accused authorities of deliberately stalling the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme. “For three years, they’ve been giving false excuses. We are still waiting for a drop of that promised water,” said another resident.

Under the Katkari Upliftment Programme, several tribal families applied for ration cards and official documents two years ago. However, most still haven’t received them due to alleged negligence by the supply department. “We’ve visited government offices multiple times, but officials keep pushing us away,” villagers complained.

Announcing the protest, Santosh Thakur said, “This time, we will not back down. Until action is taken against negligent engineers and pending works are completed, our hunger strike will continue indefinitely.”

New Delhi, Oct 28: The services-led growth in India’s economy is becoming more regionally balanced as states with lower initial shares in services are catching up with more advanced ones, according to a NITI Aayog report released on Tuesday.

“There is clear evidence that structurally lagging States are beginning to catch up with advanced ones. This emerging pattern of convergence suggests that India’s services-led transformation is gradually becoming more broad-based and spatially inclusive,” the report states.

The services sector has become the cornerstone of India’s economic growth, contributing nearly 55 per cent of national GVA (Gross Value Added) in 2024-25.

To guide policy, the report introduces a quadrant-based framework that classifies 15 major service sub-sectors into four categories-Engines of Growth, Emerging Stars, Mature Giants, and Struggling Segments-to support differentiated strategies across States.

The report recommends prioritising digital infrastructure, logistics, innovation, finance, and skilling to accelerate diversification and competitiveness at the sectoral level.

It also recommends that at the state level there is a need for developing tailored service strategies based on local strengths, improving institutional capacity, integrating services with industrial ecosystems, and scaling up urban and regional service clusters.

Together, these findings offer a forward-looking policy road map for positioning the services sector as a key growth engine across India, reinforcing its central role in the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision.

A companion report titled India’s Services Sector: Insights from Employment Trends and State-Level Dynamics, focusses on employment within the services sector, drawing on data from the NSS (2011-12) and PLFS (2017-18 to 2023-24).

It offers a long-run and multi-dimensional view of India’s services workforce across sub-sectors, gender, regions, education, and occupations. The report goes beyond aggregate trends to reveal the sector’s dual character: modern, high-productivity segments that are globally competitive yet limited in employment intensity, and traditional segments that absorb large numbers of workers but remain predominantly informal and low-paying.

By linking historical and contemporary data, it situates these patterns within a broader framework of structural transformation, offering an integrated understanding of the opportunities and divides that shape India’s services-led employment transition.

Findings show that while services remain the mainstay of India’s employment growth and post-pandemic recovery, challenges persist. Employment generation is uneven across sub-sectors, informality remains widespread, and job quality continues to lag behind output growth. Gender gaps, rural-urban divides, and regional disparities underline the need for an employment strategy that integrates formalisation, inclusion, and productivity enhancement at its core.

To bridge these gaps, the report outlines a four-part policy road map focussing on formalisation and social protection for gig, self-employed, and MSME workers; targeted skilling and digital access to expand opportunities for women and rural youth; investment in emerging and green economy skills; and balanced regional development through service hubs in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.

By positioning the services sector as a purposeful driver of productive, high-quality, and inclusive jobs, the report underscores its centrality to India’s employment transition and its pivotal role in realising the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat @2047’.

The reports emphasise the need to deepen digital infrastructure, expand skilled human capital, foster innovation ecosystems, and integrate services across value chains, positioning India as a trusted global leader in digital, professional, and knowledge-based services.