Rising remittance inflows to India have doubled in the past 10 years, with four advanced economies—the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia—accounting for a growing share of the funds. Migration of higher-skilled Indians to these countries, combined with rising incomes among the diaspora, has helped reduce India’s dependence on any single region while enhancing financial resilience, according to a report by Indiaspora, a San Francisco-based NGO of global Indian-origin executives.“India’s diaspora sends home $138 billion annually, more than FDI inflows. The 35-million Indian diaspora generates over $700 billion in income globally,” Rajan Navani, a board member at Indiaspora, told ET.Beyond macroeconomic benefits, remittances play a key role at the household level. In states such as Kerala, for example, these funds are often directed toward housing upgrades, loan repayments, and education.Kerala receives about 20% of India’s total remittances despite accounting for just 3% of the 1.4 billion population.More than 70% of diaspora respondents expect transfers to India to either increase or remain stable over the next two years.Indian-origin professionals are also increasingly influencing the country’s start-up and philanthropic sectors. Over 75% of overseas angel investors backing Indian start-ups are of Indian origin, while Indian-origin leaders hold decision-making positions in more than half of the world’s largest foundations, collectively directing over $500 million annually to Indian non-profits.In the medical field, one in 10 physicians in the United States is of Indian origin. Indian-origin professionals are also leading major medical and pharmaceutical institutions, including the American Medical Association the Royal College of Physicians, and companies such as Novartis and Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

Russian oil supplies to India could rise sharply, potentially doubling from January levels to account for at least 40% of India’s total imports. (AI image)

As supply disruptions from the Strait of Hormuz continue due to the US-Iran war, India has stepped up its purchases of Russian crude oil. In fact, compared to the January levels, India’s procurement of Russian crude may actually double!Russian crude has once again taken centre stage amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict, as disruptions in global supply through the Strait of Hormuz have made it difficult for Middle Eastern producers to ship oil, driving prices sharply higher. This has had a significant impact on India, which depends on imports for nearly 90% of its crude oil needs.Traditionally, India has sourced most of its crude from the Middle East, particularly Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, owing to geographical proximity, established contracts and reliable shipping routes.

Russian Crude Imports May Double!

India and Russia are moving to strengthen their energy ties, with discussions underway to enable Moscow to restart direct liquefied natural gas sales to India for the first time since the Ukraine conflict began.According to a Reuters report, decisions on energy ties took place on March 19 in Delhi between Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin and Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. Both sides explored expanding crude oil trade. According to three people aware of the deliberations, Russian oil supplies to India could rise sharply, potentially doubling from January levels to account for at least 40% of India’s total imports within about a month!Following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, Russia had emerged as a major supplier, accounting for about 35–40% of India’s crude imports at one point. However, by early 2026, sanctions led to a decline in these purchases. However, the situation has shifted again in March 2026 after the Donald Trump administration introduced a 30-day waiver allowing the purchase of Russian crude in an effort to stabilise global oil prices. While India never completely stopped importing Russian oil, volumes had dropped sharply after sanctions were imposed on major Russian producers.

After Western sanctions following the Ukraine conflict limited Russia’s access to European markets, India increased its intake of Russian oil, attracted by discounted prices and compatibility with domestic refineries.Also Read | US-Iran war impact: India’s crude imports from Russia near all time highs; will such high numbers continue?This strategy helped lower import costs and diversify supply sources. However, towards the end of 2025 and into early 2026, India reduced purchases of Russian crude amid trade negotiations with the US and concerns over tariffs and sanctions. In August 2025, the US imposed a 25% tariff linked to India’s Russian oil imports, while sanctions on companies such as Lukoil and Rosneft further constrained procurement, leading to a gradual dip in volumes. That trend has now reversed.Data from Kpler indicates that India has already bought an estimated 45–50 million barrels of Russian crude since the onset of the Middle East conflict, with actual figures likely higher as April data is still pending. Current trends suggest that March imports could reach around 1.8 to 2.0 million barrels per day, marking one of the strongest months since India significantly increased purchases after the Ukraine war. This compares with earlier levels of about 1.0 million barrels per day.Historically, India’s peak monthly intake of Russian crude has been in the range of 2.0 to 2.1 million barrels per day since 2022. The latest surge indicates that imports are once again approaching those earlier highs, reversing the decline seen in recent months.

Residents look on as rescue workers search for bodies in the rubble of a residential building that was hit in an airstrike in Tehran

With almost a month into the West Asia conflict, people in Iran’s capital, Tehran, have started fearing for the worse. And ambiguous statements from Washington and threatening comments from Tel Aviv are adding to their predicament. Iranians living in India told TOI on Friday their dear ones back home have started moving out of the capital’s residential areas as there is a strong buzz among the population of a ground assault by the “enemy” in parts of their country in the coming days.“There is panic. People are deeply worried. No one knows whether the current talk of (ceasefire) talks would be fruitful or lead to some kind of a pause in air strikes by the US and Israel… Many families including mine, who live in Tehran, have started leaving their homes for ‘safer’ rural areas up north,” said Roya, an Iranian national.Living in Mumbai for the past few years with her husband, she added her family and friends are not waiting for the next 10 days (as announced by US president Donald Trump) before the US-Israel starts “something more offensive”. She said some of her family members have decided to move to their ancestral place in a quiet village far away from Tehran.Reza, an Iranian national living in Bangaluru for about four years, said residents have rationed groceries and essentials. “They have witnessed intense bombing and are scared,” he said.“We had learnt our lessons from the Iraq war. It was a part of culture in those days to collect rations, especially dry ones, for at least two months. As of now, there has been no food shortage in Tehran, but people there have stopped trusting Trump… We can see every night and day how our cities are being bombed. They can start a ground assault in my country any moment,” added Reza, whose family called him Thursday for “about two minutes”.“One major problem we are facing is the lack of connectivity,” Reza said. “Incoming calls into Iran from abroad are still not allowed…”However, govt of Iran has “relaxed communication blackouts by allowing video calls on social media apps”. “Thankfully, I managed to see the faces of my family via a video call on Bale App on Friday after almost a month. We couldn’t talk though, we only wept. Only God knows what will happen next,” said an Iranian woman in Delhi.

Noida International Airport

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive at Uttar Pradesh on Saturday (March 28, 2026), where he is expected to inaugurate the long-awaited Phase I of the highly anticipated Noida International Airport at Jewar in Gautam Buddha Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh.As per the official press release by PIB, the Prime Minister is expected to arrive at the airport site around 11:30 AM and take a walkthrough of the terminal building. Thereafter, at around 12 noon, the Prime Minister is expected to formally inaugurate the first phase of the airport and also address a public gathering on the occasion.

PIB Press Release

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also posted on this official account on X on March 27, “Tomorrow, 28th March is a day of immense importance for the people of Uttar Pradesh and the NCR. Phase I of Noida International Airport will be inaugurated. This will boost commerce and connectivity. It will ease congestion at the IGI Airport in Delhi. The Noida airport is among the key greenfield projects in our nation. In addition to passenger services, it will have a robust cargo ecosystem thus boosting the logistics sector.”

A major aviation milestone for NCR

The opening of the Noida International Airport has been regarded as a major step towards consolidating India’s standing as a leading hub for air travel around the world. It has been designed as a major international airport for the National Capital Region (NCR), and it is expected to work alongside the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.The two airports are expected to operate as a single system of air travel, with the aim of reducing congestion and raising the passenger-handling capability of the airports. It is also expected that the two-airport system would bring Delhi NCR into the ranks of the top international aviation hubs.

Infrastructure and capacity highlights

As per the press release, the Noida International Airport is one of the largest greenfield airport projects in India, developed on the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. The development of the airport has been completed in Phase I, with an estimated cost of around INR 11,200 crore.The airport will be able to handle around 12 million passengers per annum (MPPA) in its initial phase, but the capacity will be increased up to 70 MPPA during the full development of the project. The airport will have a 3,900-meter-long runway, capable of handling wide-body aircraft, along with the latest navigation aids such as Instrument Landing System (ILS) and airfield lighting for night landings.

Noida International Airport exterior

Boost to cargo and logistics

The most interesting aspect of the project is the integration of the cargo facilities. The proposed airport would have a multi-modal cargo hub with an integrated cargo terminal and logistics area, which would have the potential to handle more than 2.5 lakh metric tonnes of cargo in the initial phase. This is expected to increase manifold to 18 lakh metric tonnes in the future.The proposed airport would also have a separate 40-acre Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) hub to enhance the aviation services sector in the country.

Sustainability and connectivity focus