Pioneer In Short

IAS officer Pankaj Agarwal held

The CBI arrested senior IAS officer Pankaj Agarwal on Tuesday for allegedly siphoning over Rs 60 crore from Haryana Government accounts at IDFC First Bank, officials said. Agarwal, a 2000-batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre, served as Principal Secretary in the Education Department from December 10, 2024, to June 16, 2025, and in the Agriculture Department from June 20, 2025, to March 24 this year, according to officials. The alleged misappropriation involved funds from the HSSPP and the HSAMB. Agarwal was taken into custody on Monday after investigators found that accounts were opened at the bank’s Chandigarh Sector 32 branch in violation of Haryana Government guidelines, and funds were transferred beyond permitted limits.

India, US begin trade talks

India and the United States opened high-level trade talks on Tuesday aimed at salvaging and recalibrating a proposed bilateral trade agreement after changes in US tariff policy upended a framework negotiated earlier this year. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer here as both sides sought to conclude an interim trade pact before July 24, when Washington’s temporary 10 per cent tariff on imports from trading partners is due to expire.