PM’s Principal Secretary P K Mishra has said tariffs, export controls and other restrictions are increasingly being deployed for strategic purposes as countries deal with greater economic uncertainty and disruptions to global supply chains.

Speaking at the Kautilya Economic Conclave in New Delhi on Saturday, Mr Mishra highlighted the changing nature of economic risks and the need for countries to build resilience without withdrawing from the global economy.

He said the distinction between conventional risks and uncertainty has become increasingly important for economic decision-making. While risks can generally be assessed in terms of probability, uncertainty makes it more difficult to determine the likelihood of different outcomes.

Tariffs and restrictions becoming strategic tools

Mr Mishra said economic disruptions are no longer limited to traditional market risks. Wars, interruptions to shipping routes and geographical choke points can affect food, energy and supply chains across countries.

Referring to such developments, he said tariffs can sometimes become instruments of weaponisation, while other restrictions are increasingly being used for strategic purposes.

He also said export restrictions, sanctions and tariffs can serve purposes beyond conventional commercial objectives, bringing geopolitical considerations more prominently into economic policymaking.

The comments came against the backdrop of discussions on economic resilience at the fifth Kautilya Economic Conclave, whose theme focuses on dealing with global shocks while preserving growth and openness.

India focuses on economic resilience

Mr Mishra said India’s economic strength is supported by its macroeconomic fundamentals and that the country has maintained a high level of growth despite global uncertainty.

He argued that resilience does not require choosing between complete self-sufficiency and globalisation. Instead, countries need to build domestic capabilities in strategically vulnerable areas, diversify sources of supply where concentration creates risks and remain open where global integration supports productivity and competitiveness.

India’s electronics sector, along with pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, provides examples of areas where domestic capabilities can help reduce vulnerability while remaining connected to global markets, he said.

Geography becomes an economic factor

Mr Mishra also pointed to the impact of disruptions around major shipping routes. He said geographical choke points can become sources of vulnerability, particularly for a country such as India that is a major energy importer.

He said India’s response has included maintaining stocks, increasing domestic production where possible and diversifying procurement and supply routes.

The broader issue, according to Mr Mishra, is how economies can preserve the gains of globalisation while becoming less vulnerable to shocks and excessive concentration in particular suppliers or geographical regions.

He said building resilience carries an economic cost, meaning governments need to assess where investment in resilience is justified by the potential economic and social impact of a disruption.

Newly appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress president Aradhana Mishra, also known as Mona, has said the party will take its alliance with the Samajwadi Party forward with full strength ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election.

Mishra, the daughter of Congress MP Pramod Tiwari, has been given the responsibility of leading the party’s state unit as Congress prepares for the assembly polls due in around six months, according to the report.

Speaking about Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Mishra described the SP as a strong partner of the Congress in the INDIA bloc.

“The Samajwadi Party is a partner of ours in the INDIA bloc, and a strong one at that,” she said, while praising the way Akhilesh Yadav has strengthened his party.

Aradhana Mishra backs Congress-SP alliance

Mishra referred to the performance of the INDIA bloc in the 2024 Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh while discussing the alliance’s prospects for the next assembly election.

The INDIA bloc won 43 of Uttar Pradesh’s 80 Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 election, according to the report.

Mishra said the alliance had stopped the BJP’s advance in Uttar Pradesh in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and expressed confidence that the partnership would produce results in the 2027 Assembly election.

“We will take this alliance forward with full strength,” she said.

The new state Congress chief will also have to advance seat-sharing discussions with the Samajwadi Party. The report said Congress wants a larger share of seats, while the SP has not indicated a willingness to give ground, arguing that it is in a stronger position in the state.

Congress announces new UP team

The leadership change is part of a wider organisational reshuffle by the Congress in Uttar Pradesh.

Along with appointing Mishra as state Congress president, the party named Rajya Sabha MP Imran Masood as working president. Chaudhary Virendra Singh was appointed Leader of the Congress Legislature Party.

Devinder Nishad and Alok Prasad were also appointed senior vice presidents of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee.

The new appointments bring different social groups into prominent positions in the state organisation. Mishra is a Brahmin, Masood is a Muslim and Rajendra Pal Gautam, the Congress’ AICC in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, is a Dalit, the report said.

Mishra, however, said the Congress does not practise caste or religion-based politics.

She said the party wanted to strengthen the country, protect the Constitution and build a strong alternative ahead of the 2027 election.

Mishra’s challenge ahead of 2027 polls

As the new Uttar Pradesh Congress chief, Mishra will be responsible for strengthening the party’s organisation in the state while also taking forward its alliance with the Samajwadi Party.

The Congress and SP are part of the INDIA bloc in Uttar Pradesh. With seat-sharing discussions ahead of the 2027 Assembly election, Mishra’s comments indicate that the Congress intends to continue working with the Samajwadi Party.

The appointment of Mishra comes alongside other organisational changes aimed at preparing the party for the upcoming assembly election.

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leader Abhijeet Dipke has announced a fresh protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on October 10, saying the demonstration will be held if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar does not resign.

Dipke made the announcement after a CJP demonstration at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park. He called on people from across the country to join the proposed Delhi protest, describing it as a peaceful agitation.

Abhijeet Dipke’s October 10 protest call

In a post on X, Dipke said CJP supporters would march to Delhi and hold a protest at Jantar Mantar if Kumar did not step down. He also said that if Delhi Police stopped the protesters, the location where they were stopped would become their protest site.

The CJP leader had earlier warned of a larger agitation while addressing the gathering at Shivaji Park. He said that if the Chief Election Commissioner did not resign, the movement would expand to Delhi.

CJP’s allegations against the Election Commission

During the Mumbai protest, Dipke alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and questioned decisions concerning the election process. He claimed that 13 crore voters had been deleted over two years and alleged that voter deletions had affected electoral outcomes in several states.

These claims were made by Dipke while addressing the protesters and were not presented in the report as independently established facts.

He also alleged that voters were deleted from constituencies in Delhi, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and linked these alleged deletions to election results.

The CJP leader further criticised the proposed simultaneous elections framework, alleging that the ruling BJP’s objective was “One Nation, One Election, One Party”.

CJP demands Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation

CJP leaders have been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and have also called for criminal proceedings against him.

The group has criticised the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and has demanded changes to the law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners.

The Election Commission, however, has said that decisions of the three-member poll body, including those concerning the SIR exercise, were taken unanimously.

Protest at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park

The October 10 Delhi announcement followed a CJP demonstration at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park. The protest was held despite police denying permission for the event, according to the report.

Several groups and individuals participated in the demonstration. The Shiv Sena (UBT) had also extended support to the CJP’s agitation.

Dipke said the CJP would continue its campaign and called for the proposed October 10 demonstration in Delhi under the slogan “Chalo Delhi”.