India's new trade and defence deals signal strategic autonomy play amid global flux

Vivek Y Kelkar | May 21, 2026 9:39 PM

New Delhi: India has recently concluded deals with New Zealand, South Korea and Russia that are advantageous in headline terms, but signal more about India’s quest for strategic autonomy. They mark a deliberate shift in how New Delhi is deploying trade and defence alignment policies as calibrated levers of strategic autonomy amidst rising global rivalries and uncertainties. The agreements, different in scale and context, indicate a strategic logic: India is widening its economic and security options in a world where any singular dependence has become a strategic vulnerability.

Vedanta arm TSPL faces Rs 127 crore penalty in power misdeclaration case

IANS | May 21, 2026 8:11 PM

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Vedanta Limited on Thursday informed stock exchanges that the Supreme Court of India has ruled against its subsidiary Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL) in a case related to alleged misdeclaration of power availability, resulting in a penalty payout of nearly Rs 127 crore along with applicable late payment surcharge.