https://www.scmp.com/rss/524711/feed The latest news and top stories on the Indian government. A New Delhi-based federal parliamentary republic, the Indian government is dedicated to upholding its Constitution and ensuring citizen well-being. Its main areas of focus include economic growth, infrastructure development, social welfare and national security. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Ram Manikkalingam Ram Manikkalingam There are places in the world where you expect war to intrude. And then there are places where its arrival feels surreal. For me, the Sri Lankan city of Galle has always belonged firmly to the latter category. The old fort, perched above the Indian Ocean, has the feel of a tropical cousin to Cartagena’s walled city. Inside its ramparts is an improbable mix: Western expatriates, boutique hotels, a long-standing local Muslim community and wealthy Sri Lankans who have restored colonial houses into... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3346175/how-war-iran-struck-shores-sri-lanka?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3346175/how-war-iran-struck-shores-sri-lanka?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 21:30:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse At least 18 people died on Thursday after an explosion ripped through an illegal coal mine in the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya, officials said. “During the course of the rescue operation, a total of 18 dead bodies have been recovered from the site of the explosion,” local police said in a statement. Eight other people were injured, said Manish Kumar, top official in East Jaintia Hills district where the explosion happened. Rescuers were digging through the rubble at the site to find... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3342565/18-dead-8-injured-explosion-illegal-india-coal-mine-police-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3342565/18-dead-8-injured-explosion-illegal-india-coal-mine-police-say?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 17:20:26 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that the US and Canada were likely ‍to end up in a “good place” on trade but warned Washington’s northern neighbour not to launch a political fight in advance of coming talks on the US-Mexico-Canada ‌free trade deal. In an interview on CNBC, Bessent added that he ‍was disappointed by Europe’s decision to strike a major trade deal with India and defended US President Donald Trump’s decision to raise tariffs on South Korean goods. As... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3341595/us-treasury-chief-bessent-cautions-canada-says-hes-disappointed-eu-india-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3341595/us-treasury-chief-bessent-cautions-canada-says-hes-disappointed-eu-india-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 17:38:39 +0000 Gaurav Kumar Gaurav Kumar In 2025, India approved a number of major defence packages, together worth US$30 billion. Such rapid procurement approvals are relatively rare by Indian standards. However, what they signal to the region will depend less on such announcements and more on actual outcomes. To some observers, especially after India’s four-day clash with Pakistan during what the former called “Operation Sindoor” last May, the surge appears to mark the start of a regional arms race. That interpretation is... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3339491/india-fuelling-arms-race-asia-or-closing-deterrence-gap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3339491/india-fuelling-arms-race-asia-or-closing-deterrence-gap?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 21:30:09 +0000 Nicholas Spiro Nicholas Spiro Numbers do not always tell the whole story. But they are revealing nonetheless. In 2013, direct investment transaction volumes in India’s commercial property sector stood at around US$1.3 billion. By contrast, in China (excluding Hong Kong), investment activity reached US$27 billion. In South Korea, transactions stood at US$12.2 billion, data from MSCI shows. The woefully low level of investment in India – a leading emerging market that at the time was already the world’s third-largest economy... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3336433/indias-property-market-enters-big-league-challenges-remain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3336433/indias-property-market-enters-big-league-challenges-remain?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:30:08 +0000 C. Uday Bhaskar C. Uday Bhaskar Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two-day state visit to New Delhi last week, for the 23rd Russia-India Summit, was heavy on optics, symbolism and multilayered signals, while tangible outcomes were relatively modest. First and foremost, Putin signalled to the West that Russia is not isolated, despite the US-led criticism of the war his government has unleashed against Ukraine since 2022. In an unusual departure from customary diplomatic practice, three European ambassadors to India – from... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3335866/putins-visit-india-reveals-anxieties-changing-world-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3335866/putins-visit-india-reveals-anxieties-changing-world-order?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Nicholas Spiro Nicholas Spiro For a sign of the degree to which US President Donald Trump’s decision in August to double tariffs on most Indian goods to a staggering 50 per cent – the highest rate across Asia – is weighing on investor sentiment, look no further than the rupee. Having plumbed a series of record lows in recent months, India’s currency has been the worst performer in Asia this year and has breached the psychologically important level of 90 per US dollar. One of the last major economies yet to strike a trade... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3335150/india-and-japan-show-impact-trumps-tariffs-extend-beyond-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3335150/india-and-japan-show-impact-trumps-tariffs-extend-beyond-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 08:32:05 +0000 Kavitha Yarlagadda Kavitha Yarlagadda Despite years of policy interventions, air pollution in India is rapidly getting worse. By the middle of this month, cities including the capital New Delhi were seeing air quality readings at hazardous levels. A 2024 IQ Air report found India’s particulate matter (PM2.5) levels to be more than 10 times the World Health Organization’s safe limit. In the north, pollution mainly comes from traffic, construction dust, industry and seasonal stubble burning. What began as an environmental issue is now... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3334107/if-china-can-cut-its-pollution-why-cant-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3334107/if-china-can-cut-its-pollution-why-cant-india?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will discuss all aspects of their countries’ “privileged strategic partnership” when Putin visits New Delhi next week, the Kremlin said. India, a major buyer of Russian oil, has also bought its weapons for decades, though a top defence official said the country had bought US arms worth nearly US$30 billion in the past decade and aims to produce more of its own equipment. “They [the Russians] have been our friends through... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3334507/russias-putin-boost-special-strategic-partnership-during-india-trip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3334507/russias-putin-boost-special-strategic-partnership-during-india-trip?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 08:06:59 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Canada’s updated immigration guidelines to cancel already issued visas and permits could create a “chilling effect” for applicants, particularly those from South Asia, observers have warned. But they also say that greater scrutiny in tackling fraudulent and criminal cases would improve relations between Canada and India. Ottawa is reportedly seeking powers to revoke large numbers of visas in part over concerns about fraudulent applications from India and Bangladesh, according to a CBS report... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3332634/will-canadas-visa-crackdown-help-or-hurt-ties-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3332634/will-canadas-visa-crackdown-help-or-hurt-ties-india?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 09:01:18 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan India’s Air Force chief on Friday claimed the military destroyed both Chinese-made jets and US-built F-16s during clashes with Pakistan earlier this year, offering New Delhi’s first detailed account of its rival’s losses. “As far as air defence is concerned, we have evidence of one long-range strike … along with that five fighters, hi-tech fighters between F-16 and JF-17 class, our system tells,” Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh told reporters, referring to the four days of fighting in May... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3327849/india-says-it-destroyed-pakistans-chinese-and-us-made-fighter-jets-may-clashes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3327849/india-says-it-destroyed-pakistans-chinese-and-us-made-fighter-jets-may-clashes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2025 17:23:44 +0000