New Delhi: India and the European Union have inked a landmark free trade agreement, a deal being hailed as the “mother of all” pacts. It promises duty-free access for over 90 per cent of Indian goods, integrates a market of nearly two billion consumers, and accounts for around a quarter of global GDP.

Commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal confirmed negotiators had concluded an “ambitious, balanced, forward-looking and mutually beneficial” agreement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the signing on Tuesday during a summit with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who were chief guests at India’s Republic Day celebrations.

The deal is expected to turbocharge India-EU trade, particularly in labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, leather, chemicals, electronics and jewellery—industries that have long struggled to compete with duty-free imports from least developed countries.

The pact also sends a signal beyond Europe. The US, uneasy over India’s oil trade with Russia amid the Ukraine conflict, has taken notice. Analysts say the FTA positions India as a counterweight to protectionist policies that rattled global trade under Donald Trump.

“This is a perfect example of a partnership between two major economies…representing 25 per cent of global GDP and a third of world trade,” Modi said, adding that the deal reinforces shared commitments to democracy and the rule of law.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, “This agreement empowers our shared commitment towards democracy and rule of law. This Free Trade Agreement with the European Union will also complement Britain and EFTA’s agreements…I congratulate the people of the nation for this”… pic.twitter.com/30d2fYMxAc

— ANI (@ANI) January 27, 2026

Negotiations, relaunched in June 2022 after nearly a decade-long hiatus, now yield a pact that could redefine global commerce—India and Europe are not just trading partners, they are rewriting the rules of the game.

NEW DELHI: Indian workers could soon enjoy something revolutionary: the legal right to ignore their boss after clocking off. The Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025, a private member’s bill introduced in the Lok Sabha by NCP MP Supriya Sule during the Winter Session, proposes freeing employees from the digital leash that keeps them tethered to office communications beyond working hours.

The legislation tackles what many have experienced firsthand: the relentless ping of work emails at dinner time, late-night calls about tomorrow’s meeting, and the Sunday morning message asking for “just one quick thing.” Sule’s bill proposes the creation of an Employees’ Welfare Authority, which would ensure that workers face no repercussions for switching their phones to silent after deciding their workday has ended.

Companies with more than 10 employees would be required to negotiate clear after-hours communication norms with unions or employee representatives. If work beyond fixed hours becomes unavoidable, employers must compensate employees at normal wage rates. Firms that fail to comply with the rules could face a proposed penalty amounting to 1% of their total employee remuneration.

A complementary proposal came from MP Shashi Tharoor, who introduced an amendment bill seeking stronger safeguards against overwork. In Parliament, Tharoor referenced the death of Anna Sebastian Perayil, a 26-year-old EY professional whose case reignited public debate on exploitative working hours, arguing that unchecked overwork undermines both physical and mental health.

The Bill goes beyond boundary-setting. It calls for access to counselling services and the establishment of digital detox centres to address rising workplace afflictions such as “telepressure,” the compulsion to respond instantly, and “info-obesity,” a state of constant message monitoring. Comparable protections already exist in France (law introduced in 2016), Portugal (implemented January 2022), and Australia (right-to-disconnect amendments passed in 2024 with staged rollout).

However, as a private member’s bill, its path ahead is steep. Parliament rarely passes such bills; in fact, none have become law since 1970. Most are withdrawn after the government responds or stall without debate. Still, the introduction of Sule’s bill has sparked necessary conversations about workplace well-being in an increasingly hyper-connected economy.

For now, the proposal remains just that, a proposal. But its very presence on the floor of Parliament signals a growing recognition of a simple truth: genuine rest requires genuine disconnection. Whether lawmakers choose to act on that truth remains to be seen.
 

MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India has cut its repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.25 per cent, with governor Sanjay Malhotra signalling a clear tilt towards growth as the central bank downplayed concerns over the rupee’s recent slide.

The rate move, decided unanimously after a three-day meeting of the monetary policy committee (MPC), follows June’s reduction from 6 per cent to 5.5 per cent. The RBI expects banks to pass on the cheaper money, easing housing and vehicle loan costs for borrowers.  

Inflation remains subdued. The bank has pared its retail-inflation forecast for FY2025-26 to 2 per cent, citing softer underlying pressures. For the first quarter of FY2026-27, Consumer Price Index (CPI) is projected at 3.9 per cent, down from an earlier 4.5 per cent, though rising precious-metal prices could nudge the headline figure higher.

Growth, meanwhile, is accelerating. The RBI now pegs GDP expansion for the current financial year at 7.3 per cent, up from 6.8 per cent, after the economy logged an 8.2 per cent leap last quarter: the fastest in six quarters. The forecast for the October–December period has also been revised upwards to 6.7 per cent.

Alongside the repo cut, the MPC lowered the standing deposit facility rate to 5 per cent and the marginal standing facility to 5.5 per cent. The RBI will also conduct forex swaps and buy Rs 1 lakh crore of bonds via open-market operations to smooth liquidity and aid transmission.

Malhotra said 2025 had delivered “robust growth and benign inflation” despite geopolitical and trade headwinds. With a neutral stance, the RBI enters 2026, he said, with “hope, vigour and determination”, buoyed by firm bank balance-sheets and steady retail credit growth.