Kautilya

India, Germany Move to Deepen Defence and Energy Cooperation as West Asia Turmoil Reshapes Strategic Priorities

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.

India Becomes World’s Second-Largest Diamond Jewellery Market as Domestic Demand Surges

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.

Industry Pushes Smartphone PLI 2.0 as India Targets US$130 Billion Annual Output by FY31

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.

Infra Spend Tops ₹12 Lakh Crore as PM Opens Delhi–Dehradun Corridor

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.

Putin to Visit India for BRICS Summit, Kremlin Confirms

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.