The early weeks of 2026 have witnessed a seismic shift in the geopolitical and economic landscape as the United States and India finalised a landmark trade deal. Following a year of escalating tensions, punitive tariffs, and complex diplomatic manoeuvring, the agreement announced on February 2nd, 2026, by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi marks a significant "reset" in the relationship between the world’s two largest democracies. This deal is not merely a technical adjustment of customs duties; it is a strategic alignment aimed at decoupling supply chains from shared adversaries, securing energy independence, and cementing a high-tech partnership that could define the mid-21st century. Below are the key features and pillars of this monumental agreement. 1. The Great Tariff Reduction: From 50% to 18% The most immediate and visible feature of the 2026 deal is the drastic reduction in U.S. tariffs on Indian goods. In August 2025, the U.S. administ...
In May, the Indian government decided to reduce provident fund (PF) contribution from 12% to 10% for 3 months. This step was taken so that the employer in the COVID-19 period and the employer who gave them a salary, had some more money in their hands. These 3 months are now complete, so now from August, your employer will return to the old deduction rates. That is, from August, the EPF will be cut by 12 per cent as before. In May, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman slashed the EPF contribution by 4 per cent for 3 months. As a result, employees of about 6.5 lakh companies benefited about Rs 2,250 crore every month. As per the rule, the amount of money the employee deducts for the PF fund, the same amount of money the employer has to pay for this fund. In such a case, if your basic salary is 25 thousand rupees, then instead of 3000 rupees in PF, now the contribution of 2,500 will go and the same will be added to your company. That is, every month your PF fund will reach 1000 r...