New Delhi, May 16: More than 125 top trade leaders from across the country on Friday resolved to boycott all forms of trade and commercial engagement with Turkey and Azerbaijan, including travel and tourism.

The trade leaders also appealed to the Indian film Industry not to undertake shooting of any film in Turkey or Azerbaijan and if any shooting is done, the business community and the people would boycott such films. The resolution also warns corporate houses not to shoot any product promotion film in Turkey or Azerbaijan.

The decision was taken at a National Conference of Trade Leaders convened by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) here, where representatives from 24 states participated. It was strongly affirmed in the conference to stand in solidarity with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and to oppose stoutly anyone against India at this crucial juncture.

The resolution comes in response to the recent stand taken by Turkey and Azerbaijan in open support of Pakistan, at a time when India is facing a sensitive and critical national security situation. The collective Indian trading community views this as a betrayal, particularly considering the humanitarian and diplomatic support extended to both these countries in the past by India.

Addressing the gathering, CAIT Secretary General and Member of Parliament Praveen Khandelwal said: “It is deeply unfortunate that Turkey and Azerbaijan, who have benefited from India’s goodwill, aid, and strategic support in times of distress, have now chosen to side with Pakistan — a country known globally for its support to terrorism. Their position not only hurts India’s sovereignty and national interest but also directly insults the sentiments of 140 crore Indians.”

The conference noted that Turkey’s repeated anti-India rhetoric at international platforms and its continued support for Pakistan’s narrative is unacceptable whereas Azerbaijan’s alignment with Turkey and public endorsements of Pakistan’s stand reflect a disturbing disregard for India’s long-standing friendship and assistance.

CAIT National President BC Bhartia said the the traders’ community expressed strong resentment and disappointment against both countries, calling their actions “ungrateful and hostile.” It was unanimously agreed that such nations do not deserve any economic cooperation or trade advantage from India.

The trade leaders acclaimed the decision of the government for revoking security clearance for Turkish company Celebi in the interest of national security which is handling services at nine major airports of India.

CAIT said it will also launch a nationwide awareness campaign to educate and mobilise traders, consumers, and travel professionals to join this boycott.

Mumbai, May 16: Economists expect the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) dividend to the government to surpass a record over Rs 2.5 lakh crore this year as the central bank earnings, through the sale of dollars to prop up the rupee as it sharply depreciated during 2024-25, are reported to have shot up. This higher profit will be transferred to the government as a dividend in 2025-26.

The previous record dividend transferred to the government stands at Rs 2.1 lakh crore during 2024-25 which helped to keep the fiscal deficit in check, while enabling the Finance Ministry to continue with its expenditure on big ticket infrastructure projects to spur growth and social welfare schemes to uplift the poor.

This was a record jump from the Rs 87,416 crore transferred to the government in 2023-24 for the profit made in 2022-23. Similarly, the government is expected to get another booster shot through the RBI dividend in the current financial year as well.

“Among the RBI’s earnings, forex transactions are expected to be most significant in light of the in light of the central bank’s measures to lower rupee volatility by strong dollar purchases earlier in fiscal 2025 and difference in the current versus historical exchange rate. Add to this the interest income on government securities and earnings from funds extended to banks in midst of previous tight liquidity. “This transfer could amount to a record high at around Rs 2.5-2.7 lakh crore this year,” said Radhika Rao, senior economist at DBS Bank.

Earnings on forex transactions are expected to be substantial with gross dollar sales tracking at $371.6 billion in fiscal 2025 till February compared to $153 billion in fiscal 2024, according to Gaura Sengupta, chief economist at IDFC First bank. She estimates the RBI dividend to be between Rs 2.6 lakh crore to Rs 3 lakh crore, according to an Media report.

The higher dividend creates fiscal space of 0.1 per cent to 0.2 per cent of GDP, estimates Sengupta. With support from the higher-than-budgeted RBI surplus and savings on a few expenditure heads, the central government is in a fairly strong position to counter the growth slowdown risks and any potential emergency spending requirements.

Apart from helping to lower the fiscal deficit, the RBI dividend will be a significant infusion to core liquidity in the banking system during the current financial year. This will help to keep interest rates low and allow banks to extend more loans to corporates and consumers to accelerate economic growth and create more jobs.

The RBI board of directors met on Thursday to review the economic capital framework which is the basis for deciding the surplus transfer or amount of dividend to be given to the government. The meeting comes ahead of deciding and approving the surplus transfer to the government.

The transferable surplus is determined on the basis of the ECF adopted by the Reserve Bank on August 26, 2019, as per recommendations of the Bimal Jalan-headed Expert Committee to Review the extant Economic Capital Framework of the RBI.

The Committee had recommended that the risk provisioning under the Contingent Risk Buffer (CRB) be maintained within a range of 6.5 to 5.5 per cent of the RBI’s balance sheet.

New Delhi, May 16: The bilateral trade between India and the United Kingdom (UK) is expected to increase by around 15 per cent annually until 2030, factoring in the aspect that the free trade agreement (FTA) will come into effect in a year, a report showed on Friday.

The recently concluded free trade agreement (FTA) between India and Britain offers a strategic opportunity for Indian companies to expand their footprint in the UK market, stimulate domestic manufacturing and contribute to economic growth, according to the report by CareEdge Ratings.

“This landmark FTA also fosters investment, joint ventures, and collaboration in the service sector, thereby deepening economic ties. Going forward, this agreement marks a pivotal shift in India-UK economic relations, unlocking new opportunities for businesses, strengthening manufacturing, and enriching consumer markets,” said D Naveen Kumar, Associate Director, CareEdge Ratings.

Currently, the trade value between the United Kingdom (UK) and India is approximately 2 per cent of India’s total trade value, although it has been growing steadily at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11 per cent over the last decade.

The UK and India entered into a free trade agreement (FTA) on May 6, following approximately three years of negotiations.

Under the agreement, India will reduce tariffs on 90 per cent of British goods, with 85 per cent becoming completely duty-free over a period of 10 years. In return, Britain has agreed to lower its tariffs on certain products, resulting in 99 per cent of India’s exports to the UK facing zero duties.

“Some of the benefits of FTA for Indian exporters would include improved market access, stable supply chains, increased competitiveness, higher volumes and new avenues for growth,” the report mentioned.

The FTA is expected to boost India’s exports by significantly reducing tariffs, easing trade barriers leading to improved market access and make Indian products more price competitive, thereby increasing their demand in the UK.

Additionally, this has provided some relief to exporters who have been facing sluggish sales and uncertainty about potential reciprocal tariffs from the US.

In key sectors such as automobiles, whisky, industrial machinery, and pharmaceuticals, significant gains are set to be made through steep tariff reductions and simplified regulations.

According to the report, the India–UK FTA is poised to create substantial opportunities for Indian gems and jewellery makers by tapping into the UK’s affluent consumer base and well-developed luxury market.

The tariffs range from 8 per cent to 14 per cent for various electrical and engineering goods. With their removal under the India–UK FTA, Indian manufacturers are poised to gain a clear competitive edge over other global suppliers, said the report.