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The Indian government is set to roll out a range of measures to support exporters affected by the ongoing conflict in West Asia. Rising freight costs, higher insurance premiums, and logistical challenges have disrupted trade, prompting authorities to step in to ensure the country’s export sector remains robust.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal stated that the initiatives aim to reduce the burden on exporters while maintaining India’s competitiveness in global markets. Planned support includes financial assistance to offset rising shipping and logistics costs, along with expanded insurance coverage to help businesses manage risk in uncertain times.

The Gulf region conflict has disrupted shipping routes, making deliveries more expensive and unpredictable. Exporters, particularly those serving Middle Eastern markets, have faced delays and higher operational costs. The government’s measures seek to stabilize the sector and reinforce confidence among businesses navigating this volatile environment.

Officials emphasized that these steps will not only ease immediate challenges but also help sustain export volumes and secure employment in export-oriented industries. By strengthening the export ecosystem, India aims to safeguard its position in global trade and ensure continued growth despite geopolitical uncertainties.

NMDC Limited, India’s largest state-run iron ore producer, has achieved a historic milestone by producing a record 53 million tonnes (MT) of iron ore in the 2025-26 fiscal year, becoming the first mining company in the country to surpass the 50 MT mark. This represents a significant increase over the previous year and reflects strong operational efficiency across its mining sites.

Driving Growth in Steel and Infrastructure

Iron ore is a key raw material for steel production, which fuels construction, manufacturing, and infrastructure projects. NMDC’s record output ensures a steady supply for domestic steelmakers, helping to stabilize costs and meet the growing demand for steel across the country. This supports India’s ongoing urban development and infrastructure expansion.

Reliable iron ore supply also enables steel producers to fulfill orders for housing, transportation, and industrial projects, creating jobs and stimulating investment throughout the value chain.

Strengthening Economic Resilience

By increasing domestic production, NMDC reduces reliance on imported minerals, enhancing supply security and contributing to stable commodity markets. The company’s expansion plans aim to further increase output in the coming years, potentially exceeding 100 MT by the end of the decade, which would strengthen both the mining and downstream industrial sectors.

Looking Ahead

NMDC’s record production is not just a company achievement—it is a significant step for India’s economy. By securing raw materials for key industries, supporting infrastructure development, and fostering job creation, this milestone demonstrates how robust resource management can drive national growth and industrial self-reliance.

Kishangarh : Walk into a home that has lived with marble for a decade, and the difference is immediate.
Not in how it looks at first glance, but in how it feels.

The surface is no longer just installed. It has settled into the rhythm of the space. Certain areas appear softer, almost quieter. Corners that see more movement carry a faint polish that no factory finish can replicate. The material has not remained unchanged. It has responded.

Marble, unlike most contemporary surfaces, does not resist time. It absorbs it.

At Tilak Marbles, this understanding begins long before the material enters a home. Each marble block is assessed not only for its present appearance, but for how it will behave years later. Subtle differences in density, structure, and mineral composition determine whether a surface will age harshly or gracefully.

“Marble is not a static material. It changes with the space and the people who use it. That is where its true beauty lies,” says Mr. Praveen Gangwal.

What is often misunderstood as ageing is, in reality, a form of quiet transformation.

In high-use areas, the change is most visible. A living room floor begins to mirror movement. Pathways emerge not through design, but through use. The finish softens slightly under repeated contact. Light reflects differently across the same surface as the day progresses. None of this is damage. It is an accumulation.

This is precisely why materials like the Pigus White collection hold particular relevance in contemporary homes. With its restrained veining and calm tonality, Pigus White does not exaggerate change. Instead, it absorbs it evenly, allowing the space to evolve without visual disruption.

There is a composure to such surfaces. Even as they are used daily, they retain clarity.

“People often expect marble to look untouched forever. But the real value lies in how it continues to look right, even as it changes,” says Mr. Praveen Gangwal.

This shift in perspective is becoming more visible in how architects and designers approach material selection. The focus is no longer on preserving a flawless finish, but on choosing materials that remain relevant over time.

In this context, perfection becomes less important than continuity.

The role of selection becomes critical here. The way a block is chosen directly influences how the marble will perform in the years to come. Variations that may seem minor at the beginning often define whether the material will age with balance or with contrast. At Tilak Marbles, this process is guided by decades of on-ground experience in Kishangarh, where understanding marble goes beyond appearance and into behaviour.

Because in the end, longevity is not about keeping a surface unchanged.
It is about allowing it to evolve without losing its sense of place.

And that is where marble, quietly and consistently, proves its worth.

INDIANAPOLIS — An internationally recognized supportive oncology expert has joined the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Christian “Chris” Nelson, PhD, a clinical psychologist, has been named the director of the Walther Center for Supportive Oncology at the cancer center, effective April 1. He will also be the Walther Senior Professor in Supportive Oncology and professor of psychiatry and medicine at IU School of Medicine. In addition, he’ll serve as chief resilience officer at the cancer center.
As Walther Center director, Nelson plans to build a national example of compassionate, research-based supportive care for people with cancer. He explained that the Walther Center’s focus areas, which will work together and often overlap, are:

“Supportive oncology is anything that’s not direct cancer treatment,” Nelson said. “It’s essentially organizing those three buckets — palliative care, psycho-oncology, and integrative medicine — to help patients.”

He pointed out that palliative care, which is often thought of as end-of-life care, is about helping treat symptoms such as pain, fatigue, and sleep disorders. Research shows that the sooner palliative care is introduced, the better the outcome for the patient, according to Nelson. 

During his career, Nelson has specialized in improving the quality of life of patients treated for genitourinary malignancies and older adults with cancer. His research focuses on the impact of cancer on quality of life in prostate and geriatric cancer patients, and the development of new talk therapies for these patients. His research also includes sexual dysfunction after treatments, cognitive effects of hormonal therapy in prostate cancer patients, and emotional well-being in Black men with prostate cancer.

Nelson was most recently the chief of the psychiatry service and attending psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He was also a professor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine. 

As a researcher, his work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, and he has launched independent research programs in male sexual medicine in prostate cancer and in the psycho-oncology of aging and cancer. He has published more than 180 research articles.  

He earned his bachelor’s degree in speech communication from the University of Minnesota and a master’s degree from the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. He earned a master’s and doctorate degree in clinical psychology from Long Island University.  

“Dr. Nelson brings tremendous supportive oncology experience to IU,” Kelvin Lee, MD, director of the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, said. “Under his leadership, the Walther Center will help patients and their families and transform how we approach supportive oncology by uniting research and clinical care.” 

The Walther Center for Supportive Oncology stems from a transformative $14 million gift from the Walther Cancer Foundation to IU in 2018. It encompasses both research and clinical care. Cancer center investigators Shelley Johns, PsyD, ABPP, and Sheri Robb, PhD, previously named Walther Scholar in Psycho-Oncology and Walther Professor of Supportive Oncology, respectively, bring research expertise that includes improving the physical health and psychological well-being of adults with cancer as well as the impact of music therapy on children and adolescents with cancer. Tarah Ballinger, MD, the Vera Bradley Foundation Scholar in Breast Cancer Research at IU School of Medicine and a cancer center physician-scientist, is the medical director of the Walther Center. The clinical component was developed in partnership with IU Health. As such, Dr. Nelson’s recruitment was additionally supported in 2025 by a $2.25 million gift from Walther Cancer Foundation to the IU Health Foundation that was matched by IU Health.  

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Nelson to his new leadership role at the Walther Center,” said Thomas W. Grein, president and CEO of the Walther Cancer Foundation, Inc. “He brings a clear and compelling vision for the center — one that we share and fully support.” 

Mumbai,  April  3 : India’s trade directions, including merchandise exports and imports, remain steady despite steep tariff challenges and escalating geopolitical conflicts in the last financial year 2025-26 (April-February), states the industry body ASSOCHAM in a press statement released here today.

The last financial year, 2025-26, was an extremely challenging year for India’s trade trajectory, and we have demonstrated our resilience in a significant way, said Mr Nirmal Kumar Minda, President, ASSOCHAM.

India’s top ten trade partners showed no significant change in their composition compared to 2024-25. 

Our top export destination, the USA, surprisingly remained in the same position and share from April to February 2026 compared to FY 2025-26, while the UAE, China, the Netherlands, and the UK maintained their places in the top five.

Furthermore, the trade trend indicates an increase in exports to the USA in April-February 2026 ($79.3 billion) compared to the same period last year, which was $76.3 billion.

Apart from Hong Kong at tenth position (replacing Australia), there are no other changes in India’s top export destinations for April-February 2026 compared to the previous year.

India’s Trade Resilience so far

Source: ASSOCHAM Global Research

China remained India’s top source country for imports, surpassing last year’s figures during the 11-month period of fiscal 2025-26. Additionally, the top ten source countries remained the same, except that Hong Kong and Japan replaced Indonesia and Korea.

This supply chain trajectory reflects India’s strong resilience, supported by the government’s trade facilitation measures and our traders’ efforts to mitigate the worst impacts and turn adversities into opportunities, said the industry body ASSOCHAM.

We are confident that India’s export resilience will grow stronger with the support of recent policy actions and reforms, such as the RoDTEP scheme extension until 30th September 2026, approval of the Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojna (BHAVYA) Scheme for plug-and-play industrial parks, and the extension of the Export Obligation (EO) period for specific Advance Authorisations and Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) Authorisations until 31 August 2026, among others.

We believe that India’s total merchandise exports will be between USD 440 billion and USD 450 billion for 2025-26, compared with USD 437 billion in 2024-25.

Going forward, we expect our exports to grow this financial year strongly, supported by the resilience we built last year and our strategic diversification into key alternative markets.