Modified Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation Scheme limits affected Defence Park sanctions, shifting focus to Defence Industrial Production Corridors.
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion approved a KINFRA Defence Park project at Palakkad under the Modified Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation Scheme with central grant support and is implementing it; another Gujarat proposal was declined due to per-State project limits under MIIUS, which no longer accepts new projects, and DIPP has no separate policy or active proposal to fund Defence Parks though the Government plans Defence Industrial Production Corridors.

Compulsory licence under patent law can be granted for patented medicines, with one licence previously issued.
Compulsory licences are regulated by the Patents Act, 1970 and the term "Mandatory Licence" is not used. One compulsory licence was granted by the Controller of Patents to M/s. NATCO Pharma in respect of a pharmaceutical originator's patent for a cancer treatment drug, and compulsory licences are issued only in accordance with the Act's provisions; no specific proposal for a further compulsory licence was pending at the time of the official statement.

Geographical indications registration requires applicant compliance, expert consultative review and publication for public opposition.
Registration under the Geographical Indications Act proceeds through preliminary examination, issuance of deficiency reports, expert consultative group evaluation, issuance of examination reports, applicant compliance and publication for public opposition; authorized user applications follow a similar defect-notice-and-registration process, with the applicant bearing the onus of removing deficiencies. The GI Registry provides online filing but conducts examination offline, and promotional measures include trade fairs, social media and stakeholder awareness programmes.

Minimum Support Price increase for copra announced to secure farmer returns and mandate price support operations.
Approval increases the Minimum Support Price for milling (FAQ) and ball copra for the 2019 season to provide a price floor aimed at ensuring minimum returns to farmers and encouraging investment in coconut cultivation. Implementation requires price support operations by designated central nodal agencies in coconut growing states, and the increase is based on expert recommendations considering cost of production, edible oil market trends, demand supply conditions, processing costs and consumer impact.

Listing of CPSEs approved with expanded eligibility and an Alternative Mechanism to determine disinvestment mode and pricing.
Cabinet authorised listing of specified Central Public Sector Enterprises on the Stock Exchange via IPOs and an FPO to unlock value and widen investor participation; an Alternative Mechanism of senior ministers is empowered to decide extent, mode, pricing and timing of disinvestment for listed CPSEs. The eligibility scope is expanded so that CPSEs with positive net worth and a net profit in any of the immediately preceding three financial years qualify for listing.

Aspirational Districts ranking drives district-level performance improvement through validated household data and sectoral indicators for competitive and cooperative federalism.
The Second Delta ranking measures district-level incremental progress from June to October 2018 across six sectors using administrative indicators and, for the first time, third-party validated household survey data to validate and supplement district data; it reports most and least improved districts, identifies 'Fast Movers', and describes the programme's focus on convergence, collaboration, competition, and 49 performance indicators to drive district prioritisation and evidence-based administration.

Electoral bonds validity governs credit and encashment rights for eligible political parties through authorized bank accounts.
Electoral Bonds are issued and encashed through designated authorized bank branches within a limited issuance window; bonds have a defined validity period beyond which no payment will be made. Bonds deposited by an eligible political party must be credited to its bank account on the same day, and encashment is permitted only through the party's account with the authorized bank. Purchase eligibility is limited to persons who are citizens of India or entities incorporated or established in India, and recipient eligibility is confined to registered political parties meeting the vote-threshold.

Ease of Doing Business reforms expanded online single-window systems and digitized records, paired with targeted capacity-building support.
EODB performance under the Business Reform Action Plan showed significant inter-State variation: sixteen States implemented 75% or more of BRAP 2016 reforms and eighteen States scored above 75% on combined measures in BRAP 2017-18. Operational reforms included specialized commercial courts, reduced documentation for electricity connections, online Single Window Systems for submissions, payments and approvals, online building-plan submission and construction permits, and digitization of recent land deed records. DIPP conducted nationwide and regional workshops, video conferences, and a handholding partnership program pairing higher-performing States with lower-scoring States to facilitate implementation.

Preference to Make in India: procurement preference boosts domestic value addition supported by complementary manufacturing incentives.
Promotion of manufacturing is supported by rising IIP growth and a policy package that includes the Make in India initiative and the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order, 2017 (amended 2018) to promote domestic value addition. Complementary measures comprise Start-up India, Ease of Doing Business, infrastructure upgradation, an IPR policy, progressive FDI liberalisation, and targeted regional incentive schemes such as the North East Industrial Development Scheme and state industrial development schemes, plus budgetary support under the GST regime.

Performance ranking of aspirational districts measures incremental development across key sectors using real-time data and surveys.
NITI Aayog will publish the Second Delta Ranking under the Aspirational Districts Programme measuring incremental progress between June 1, 2018 and October 31, 2018 across Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure using real-time district data from the Champions of Change Dashboard and household survey inputs.

Payroll reporting: formal employment outlook based on administrative records informing assessment of employment trends and policy monitoring.
Central Statistics Office released an Employment Outlook for September 2017-October 2018 based on administrative records from selected government agencies, treating payroll reporting as the primary source for assessing progress across specified employment dimensions; a detailed annex accompanies the note to inform stakeholders about formal employment trends and data provenance.

Partial withdrawal rights expanded for NPS subscribers, easing tenure and frequency conditions for Tier I withdrawals.
PFRDA relaxed Tier I partial withdrawal norms: minimum membership to withdraw reduced to three years, the five year inter withdrawal gap removed, and subscribers may make up to three partial withdrawals each capped at twenty five percent of the subscriber's own contributions (excluding employer contributions). Permitted purposes include children's education and marriage, home purchase/construction (with an ownership exclusion), treatment for specified illnesses for covered persons, skill development, start up establishment, and disability related medical/incidental expenses.

Consumer protection reform creates multi-tier commissions and a central authority to enforce consumer rights nationwide.
The legislation replaces the existing framework by establishing Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and District, State and National forums to adjudicate claims for defects in goods and deficiency in services, and empowers creation of a Central Consumer Protection Authority to promote, protect and enforce consumer rights as a class.

SDG monitoring: NITI Aayog to publish a national index measuring states' progress under collaborative federal oversight.
NITI Aayog will publish the SDG India Index: Baseline Report 2018 as a national mechanism to monitor Sustainable Development Goal progress across States and Union Territories. The Index consolidates multiple indicators into a single measurable score to compare and track subnational performance and is intended to promote Competitive and Cooperative Federalism through a common baseline developed with international partners.

Health sector funding allocation to prioritise infrastructure deficit states and performance linked incentives for primary care strengthening.
The Fifteenth Finance Commission recommended targeted central support to health by using health infrastructure status to allocate untied funds, earmarking 10% of funds for health with two-thirds for primary care, and establishing a performance-linked pool driven by a composite health index (20% weight) to reward annual improvements; it stressed National Health Policy 2017 targets on progressive public health expenditure, increased state health budget shares, and primary care dominance, while urging workforce expansion, strengthened CHCs and district hospitals, enhanced audits and public facility data reporting, and prompt action on regulatory legislation.

Quality assurance in official statistics strengthened through guidelines, national indicators and capacity development to improve socio economic data.
Ministry initiatives strengthened statistical foundations through a base year revision and a Committee for Sub National Accounts, issued General Guidelines on Quality Assurance and on socio economic indices, and developed a National Indicator Framework for SDG monitoring supported by a High Level Steering Committee and an MoU with the UN. The Capacity Development Scheme underpinned preparatory work for major surveys and censuses, regional office expansion and training, innovation pilots, and continued online monitoring of central infrastructure project overruns.

Companies Amendment Bill 2018 shifts many defaults to monetary penalties and strengthens Registrar powers to remove inactive companies.
The Bill inserts section 10A