Air Force is seeking a mobile, vehicle-mounted, 4D electronically scanning phased-array radar based on gallium nitride, or GaN, technology, with 360-degree coverage and the ability to operate in harsh conditions from minus 40 to 50 degrees Celsius and at altitudes up to 16,000 feet.
India and Germany are also marking 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2026, after completing 25 years of their Strategic Partnership in 2025. During Merz’s visit, both governments said bilateral trade in goods and services had already crossed US$50 billion in 2024, with the upward trend continuing through 2025, underlining that the relationship is now moving beyond diplomacy into a broader strategic-economic partnership.
The growth is being driven by three reinforcing trends: cheap mobile data, rising smartphone penetration, and heavier digital-content consumption. India’s telecom base remains one of the biggest structural supports for OTT expansion.
The domestic market is also expanding in value. According to data cited by GJEPC from the De Beers study, India’s natural diamond jewellery market was officially estimated at ₹785 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach ₹1,520 billion by 2030, implying a 12% compound annual growth rate. The same study says the addressable market already includes 67 million women across SEC A and B households in Tier 1 to Tier 5 cities, with average spending per diamond piece at roughly ₹1.4 lakh.
The pitch for a new scheme comes after the first smartphone PLI delivered results well above its original targets. The Ministry of Electronics and IT said on April 1, 2026 that the PLI scheme for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing (LSEM) had achieved ₹17,519 crore in investment against a target of ₹7,000 crore, ₹11,01,813 crore in production against a target of ₹8,12,550 crore, and ₹6,20,974 crore in exports against a target of ₹4,87,530 crore by February 2026.
EVs accounted for 21% of its 2025 India sales and 26% of its Q1 2026 sales, while the company reported more than 70% share of India’s luxury EV segment in the first quarter. This suggests that the future expansion of the luxury market in India may be increasingly tied to electrification, not just conventional premium sedans and SUVs.
India’s mutual fund industry closed FY26 on a stronger footing, with total assets under management
The broader budget data supports the scale of that expansion. The Union Budget’s Budget at a Glance for 2026–27 pegs total capital expenditure at ₹12,21,821 crore, up from a revised estimate of ₹10,95,755 crore in 2025–26. Separately, the Economic Survey 2025–26 noted that the Centre’s capital outlay had already risen from ₹5.92 lakh crore in FY22 to a budgeted ₹11.21 lakh crore for FY26, and argued that infrastructure spending carries a medium-term multiplier of roughly 2.5 to 3.5 times GDP.
The visit is significant for two reasons. First, it underlines the importance Moscow attaches to BRICS as a platform for coordination among major emerging economies. Second, it would mark Putin’s second trip to India in less than a year, after his December 4–5, 2025 state visit for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit in New Delhi.
The F414 programme has been a strategic priority for both sides since June 2023, when GE Aerospace signed an MoU with HAL during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US. At the time, both governments described the initiative as a landmark step that would enable unprecedented transfer of US jet-engine technology to India. The project was later reaffirmed in the India-US joint statement and again during the fifth India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, where both sides welcomed progress toward manufacturing the engines in India.
