National accounts rebasing updates GDP measurement and presentation, revising levels and sectoral profiles without large ratio shifts.
Revision of the national accounts base year to 2011-12 incorporates conceptual and statistical changes, new data sources and presentation conventions. Industry output will be presented as Gross Value Added at basic prices and the aggregate as GDP at market prices; GVA at factor cost remains derivable using production taxes less subsidies. Rebasing has revised nominal and constant-price estimates of GDP and related aggregates for 2011-12 through 2013-14, altered sectoral growth profiles, and affected saving and capital formation measures while leaving common ratios to nominal GDP broadly intact.

Disinvestment through OFS reduces government stake and records oversubscription including strong FII and retail demand.
Disinvestment of Coal India Ltd was executed through an Offer For Sale, attracting bids exceeding the offer size and substantial FII participation; allotments were made across investor categories with a retail allocation and discounted retail price, a prescribed floor price for the auction, and resulting receipts to the Government while reducing its shareholding percentage.

Subsidy for MSP operations: continuous support to Jute Corporation to offset MSP losses and maintain infrastructure.
A recurring subsidy to the Jute Corporation of India will offset losses from the difference between purchase and sale prices of MSP raw jute and reimburse fixed overheads for maintaining MSP infrastructure, with overhead reimbursements scheduled to reduce annually; the measure supports JCI's role as the Price Support Agency to enable procurement under the Minimum Support Price and stabilise the raw jute market.

Foreign shareholding limit: approval permits increased foreign holding and equity issuance to foreign investors subject to aggregate cap.
Approval permits HDFC Bank Limited to maintain permissible foreign holding up to 74% of total paid up capital and to issue equity shares aggregating to Rs. 10,000 crore to NRIs/FIIs/FPIs, provided aggregate foreign shareholding does not exceed 74% of the post-issue paid up capital.

Appointment as NITI Aayog member places an economist with policy and public sector restructuring expertise into a national advisory role.
Appointment of member of NITI Aayog: Shri Bibek Debroy assumed office as a member of NITI Aayog. His background includes senior academic positions, consultancy to the Union Finance Ministry, leadership of a committee on railway restructuring, and affiliations with multiple policy and academic institutes, reflecting expertise in economic policy and public sector restructuring relevant to his advisory role.

Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana expands financial inclusion with technology focus and inter-ministerial monitoring for household coverage.
Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) prioritises rapid household banking coverage through a technology-driven delivery model with defined coverage bands (>90%, 75-90%, 50-75%). Implementation is supported by an inter-agency monitoring architecture involving ministries for communications, rural development, telecom, the Department of Financial Services, the central bank governor and the Indian Banks' Association to coordinate execution and review outreach targets.

Memorandum of Understanding promotes research collaboration and technical expertise exchange between public enterprise and academic innovation body.
Memorandum of Understanding establishes a framework for institutional collaboration between a government-owned public sector manufacturing corporation and an academic innovation interface to pursue joint research, capacity building and technical exchange, committing the parties to cooperate on Research and Development programs, exchange technical expertise, and organise joint research projects, workshops, seminars and participation in regional and international forums to enhance material sciences and testing capabilities.

MSME cooperation expands: MoU enables joint incubation, capacity building and market linkages for youth enterprises.
An MoU between NSIC and South Africa's Black Business Council establishes cooperation to develop youth owned enterprises via NSIC's Rapid Incubation Programme, including creation of five Rapid Incubation Centres, and to promote MSME linkages through technical cooperation, market access facilitation, a dedicated Build SMME web portal, and participation in trade exhibitions to foster commercial and technical alliances.

Foreign investment facilitation increases as India ranks top for future investments, triggering government investor-handholding initiatives.
India's position as the top destination for future Japanese manufacturing investment coincides with rising Japanese corporate presence and increased FDI inflows. The Government has instituted a special investor facilitation team to engage with companies, handhold through approval processes, resolve state-level issues, and promote development of integrated industrial parks through coordination with foreign companies and state governments.

Wholesale Price Index shows monthly decline and near-zero annual inflation, reflecting weakness in primary and fuel groups.
Wholesale Price Index (Base 2004-05=100) for December 2014 fell month-on-month to 179.8 with annual inflation at 0.11% and a negative build-up for the financial year. Primary Articles declined overall (notably Food Articles and Minerals), Fuel & Power registered a marked month-on-month fall driven by lower petroleum and fuel product prices, and Manufactured Products showed a marginal downturn with mixed movements across subgroups; annexes provide detailed weighted month-on-month, year-on-year and fiscal build-up figures.

Cross-border trade facilitation via Border Haat expands regional connectivity and seeks transit or trans shipment access through neighbouring ports.
Inauguration of a Border Haat is described as a tool for cross-border trade facilitation and regional integration under the Act East policy, coupled with measures to develop the Integrated Check Post and expedite bridge construction over the Feni river to improve access to South East Asian markets; state officials requested permission for transit facilities via neighbouring seaports or, alternatively, trans shipment arrangements to strengthen bilateral trade links.

NITI Aayog replacing Planning Commission: first Vice Chairman assumed office, establishing a government think tank and policy forum.
Arvind Panagariya assumed charge as the first Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog. The Government established NITI Aayog to function as a think tank and policy forum, replacing the Planning Commission, signalling a shift from a planning commission model to a consultative, policy advisory institutional framework.

Memorandum of Understanding establishes joint R&D and training cooperation on pulp and currency paper, enabling shared testing and process improvement.
A Memorandum of Understanding between SPMCIL and CPPRI creates a cooperative framework for Research and Development Activities and dissemination of knowledge and training in pulp and currency paper, focusing on banknote paper testing, manufacturing process improvement, and exploration of new raw materials through joint research, workshops, seminars and stakeholder information sharing.

Repayment at par of special government bonds requires bank account mandate for electronic credit or early tendering for payment.
Outstanding special Government bonds are repayable at par on their maturity dates and stop accruing interest from those dates. Payment of maturity proceeds to registered holders held in Subsidiary General Ledger, Constituent Subsidiary General Ledger or as Stock Certificates must be made by pay order including bank account particulars or by credit to a bank account able to receive electronic transfers. Holders must furnish bank details in advance or, absent those particulars, may tender discharged securities at designated paying offices twenty days before maturity to obtain repayment; if a statutory holiday falls on the payment date, repayment will be made on the preceding working day.

Full automatic FDI in medical devices permitted, exempting pharma FDI conditions and specifying the scope of devices.
Revision permits full automatic FDI for manufacturing of medical devices, exempting those projects from the pharmaceutical FDI conditions such as non-compete restrictions, certificate requirements with FIPB applications, and possible brownfield conditions. The press note defines "medical device" to include instruments, apparatus, appliances, implants, materials, software and accessories for diagnostic, therapeutic, monitoring, investigational, life-support and in vitro diagnostic purposes, and states the definition is subject to amendment under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

FDI policy mapping: sectoral equity caps, entry routes and conditions across defence, telecom, banking and retail.
The Press Note maps Consolidated FDI Policy sectoral permissions to NIC 2008 and restates permissibility, equity caps, entry routes and conditions: prohibited activities are listed; agriculture, mining, petroleum, manufacturing, defence, broadcasting, civil aviation, telecom, construction, retail and financial sectors have specified FDI limits and regulatory, security, minimum capitalization and sourcing conditions; higher defence and strategic sector investments require layered government scrutiny and technology/access conditions.

Digital engagement drives Make in India outreach, expanding global investor communication and platform-based public engagement.
Make in India employed a Digital First strategy to promote investment and manufacturing, achieving extensive social and web metrics that positioned digital platforms as primary tools for investor communication and public outreach. The initiative combined multimedia content, analytics driven dissemination, and interactive mechanisms-such as a live Q&A on ease of doing business-to engage stakeholders and promote over twenty-five sectors for manufacturing and investment.

Excise duty increase on petrol and diesel to fund infrastructure, directing additional revenue to road projects effective early January.
The Government increased the Basic Excise Duty on petrol and diesel (branded and unbranded) by a per litre increment to fund an infrastructure programme directed at road construction; the additional revenue is allocated to the road sector to spur construction activity and employment. The revised duty is effective from the night of 1st-2nd January, 2015, and no other excise duty rates on these fuels have been changed.

Cooperative federalism: replacing the Planning Commission with a state partnership think tank to steer strategic policy advice.
Establishment of NITI Aayog replaces the Planning Commission and shifts the centre-state relationship to a partnership model emphasizing cooperative federalism. The Aayog will act as a think tank providing strategic and technical policy advice to central and state governments, improve inter ministerial and centre-state coordination, develop mechanisms for village level planning and aggregation, monitor and evaluate programme implementation, and focus on technology upgradation and capacity building to accelerate the development agenda.