Voluntary disclosure scheme eligibility clarified: conditions, filing process, forms and payment obligations determine access to relief.
The FAQs set out eligibility, scope and procedures under the Sabka Vishwas Scheme: declarations are filed electronically in Form SVLDRS1; the Designated Committee issues an estimate with a personal hearing (Form SVLDRS2) and finalizes amounts in Form SVLDRS3; duty/tax already paid (including via input credit) is adjusted; periodical notices can be opted independently; cases returned from the Settlement Commission are eligible if conditions are met; penalty and late-fee SCNs are covered at any stage; failure to pay within the stipulated period causes lapse of the declaration.

Merger control: Approval granted for Hyundai and Kia equity stakes in ride sharing and EV charging, subject to modifications.
Approval was granted for Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation to acquire equity stakes in ANI Technologies and Ola Electric Mobility, subject to conditional approval requiring the parties to implement modifications proposed under the procedural regulation for combinations, with a detailed Commission order to follow specifying the conditions and compliance obligations.

Green Channel approval deemed effective on filing for acquisition of stake in renewable energy companies.
Notification under the Green Channel covers Masdar's acquisition of equity in Hero Future Energies Global Ltd and non voting compulsorily convertible preference shares in Hero Future Energies Private Ltd. The Indian operating company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the UK holding company. Pursuant to Regulation 5A of the Combination Regulations, the Proposed Combination notified under the Green Channel is deemed approved upon filing and acknowledgement.

Ease of Doing Business ranking improved, reflecting regulatory reforms advancing multiple business regulation indicators and Distance to Frontier score.
India's Doing Business performance improved with a higher Distance to Frontier (DTF) score and rank gains in seven indicators. Notable operational advances occurred in Resolving Insolvency-with improved recovery rates and shorter resolution times-and in Construction Permits, Registering Property, Trading Across Borders, Paying Taxes, Getting Electricity, and Starting a Business, reflecting regulatory and procedural reforms toward international best practices.

Cashless procurement payments: GeM and Federal Bank to enable GPA transfers, e PBG advising and EMD pooling.
The MoU between GeM and Federal Bank provides payment services including GeM Pool Account transfers, electronic advising of Performance Bank Guarantees and facilitation of Earnest Money Deposit processes to create a cashless, paperless and transparent procurement payment system; GeM is also arranging bill discounting and working capital financing with cost linked to seller performance and contemplates an EMD pool account to ease bidder compliance.

Minimum Support Price principle secures at least half again over cost, prompting MSP increases and reinforced procurement support.
CCEA approved higher MSPs for all mandated Rabi crops for RMS 2020-21 based on the Budget principle of fixing MSPs at not less than 1.5 times the all India weighted average cost of production, ensuring a minimum margin over cost to raise farmers' incomes. Procurement and price support for cereals will continue through FCI and designated state agencies with state procurement of coarse grains subject to central approval and NFSA distribution; NAFED, SFAC and other central agencies will procure pulses and oilseeds, with government reimbursement of procurement losses under guidelines.

Market authorisation reform lowers entry barriers and permits non oil and foreign investment in fuel retailing.
Revision of guidelines for granting market authorisation reduces entry barriers and permits non oil and foreign entities to seek retail and bulk authorisations, allows JV or subsidiary structures, and removes prior sectoral investment requirements. Authorised entities must install at least one new generation alternate fuel facility at each retail outlet within three years, deploy CCTV, promote digital payments and targeted employment, and establish a minimum share of retail outlets in notified remote areas subject to monitoring.

Memorandum of Understanding on accounting cooperation enables joint capacity building, technical programs and professional exchanges between Indian and Kuwaiti accounting bodies.
Cabinet approval authorises a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ICAI and KAAA to establish joint capacity building in accounting, finance and audit in Kuwait, including shared technical events, collaboration on corporate governance, technical research, quality assurance, forensic accounting, SMP issues, Islamic Finance and Continuing Professional Development, offering short-term professional courses and technical programmes for Kuwaiti nationals, KAAA members and government employees.

Fiscal sustainability review raises concerns over rising state debt, FRBM non compliance, falling capital spending and power sector losses.
The Fifteenth Finance Commission assessed Uttar Pradesh's fiscal and socio economic profile, noting improvements in poverty reduction and GSDP growth but serious fiscal sustainability concerns: rising Outstanding Debt to GSDP, non compliance with State FRBM, falling capital expenditure, growing PSU and power sector losses, pension and interest burdens, and shortcomings in power sector reform metrics; it also recorded extensive state specific grant demands across sectors and identified lagging social indicators, urban air quality issues, aspirational districts and high youth unemployment for priority attention.

Bilateral economic cooperation expanded through a joint commission session to promote investment, trade, and sectoral collaboration between nations.
The 19th Session of the Indo Swedish Joint Commission for Economic, Industrial and Scientific Cooperation, co chaired by the trade ministers, aims to review and promote bilateral investment, trade and sectoral collaboration. The release emphasises Swedish investments across manufacturing, offshore IT and R&D in India and an expanding presence of Indian companies in Sweden, and identifies priority cooperation areas including green technologies, renewable energy, smart infrastructure, healthcare and defence, alongside growing trade in services.

Trade negotiations: India US talks advancing, stressing single window investment facilitation and logistics cost reduction to boost commerce.
Indo US trade negotiations are progressing with emphasis on expanded bilateral commerce and a broader agreement, while the Commerce Ministry is advancing a single window for investments to simplify inbound investment processes and pursuing measures to reduce manufacturing logistics costs; priority sectors for growth include defence, commercial aircraft, energy, machinery and electronics, and Indian exporters are encouraged to promote automotive, pharmaceuticals, seafood, IT and travel services to the US market.

Devolution of functions to rural local bodies weak, constraining finances and service delivery; commission to recommend reforms.
The Finance Commission met Uttar Pradesh rural local bodies to examine devolution and finances: only 15 functions from the Eleventh Schedule are devolved; PRIs have very low own-revenue mobilisation and depend on transfers. State Finance Commission recommendations on revenue shares and rural-urban allocation ratios were noted, and representatives highlighted funding shortfalls and infrastructure gaps (water, sanitation, panchayat buildings, roads) for consideration in the Commission's recommendations.

Innovation index benchmarking shapes state policy priorities and guides reforms to strengthen innovation ecosystems nationwide.
NITI Aayog released the India Innovation Index 2019, which averages two dimensions - Enablers (Human Capital; Investment; Knowledge Workers; Business Environment; Safety and Legal Environment) and Performance (Knowledge Output; Knowledge Diffusion) - to rank states and union territories, identify challenges and opportunities, and inform policy. The Index groups jurisdictions into three categories, uses 33 indicators in state profiles, highlights regional concentrations of innovation readiness with Karnataka leading major states, and recommends national and state measures to strengthen R&D, industry-academia collaboration, cluster development, and innovation focused industrial policy.

Finance Commission consultation: Commission to engage state and local bodies on fiscal and developmental priorities during its visit.
The 15th Finance Commission will conduct field visits to observe flagship programme implementation and infrastructure projects, and will hold structured consultations with rural and urban local bodies, political party representatives, and trade and industry bodies, concluding with a detailed presentation and discussion with the State Executive and officials on the State's finances and developmental programmes.

Intellectual property protection strengthened as government backs an industry IP guide and SEPC launches helpline and advisory committee.
Government commitment focuses on strengthening protection and commercialisation of creative content by promoting Indian intellectual property at international markets. SEPC released an India IP Guide to showcase Indian IPs, facilitate licensing and distribution, and counter misconceptions about Indian creative output. Operational measures include an online IP helpline and a committee to advise small and medium entertainment companies on IP creation and value maximisation, linking IP protection with market access and SME support.

Startup-led innovation to drive growth and promote fair multilateral trade and energy transition commitments with FDI support.
India's startup ecosystem is promoted as the principal driver of growth, supported by measures such as a petroleum-sector startup fund to foster indigenous innovation. Policy emphasis also stresses fair multilateral trade to counter subsidy-driven unfair competition and environmental outsourcing. Energy policy commitments include full rail electrification and a transition to renewable and clean energy by specified target years, encouragement of foreign direct investment under full FDI allowance to meet investment needs, and expansion of household electricity access alongside national energy capacity goals.

Intellectual property rights education expands via national e learning platform and mobile app, enabling startups to manage and commercialise innovation.
The L2Pro India IP e learning platform and mobile application, developed by CIPAM DPIIT with academic and industry partners, offers eleven modules at Basic, Intermediate and Advanced levels. Each module supplies e text, short animated videos, curated resource links and quizzes for learner assessment; successful participants receive e certificates from CIPAM DPIIT, NLU Delhi and industry collaborators. The platform is accessible via desktop and mobile browsers and native Android and iOS applications, and is designed to help startups, innovators and SMEs understand, protect, manage and commercialise their intellectual property.

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership negotiations seek ministerial guidance on unresolved trade chapters and safeguard mechanisms ahead of leaders' summit.
The Minister will seek ministerial guidance at the RCEP intersessional meeting on unresolved chapters-Investment, Electronic Commerce, Rules of Origin and Trade Remedies-and pursue bilateral consultations while coordinating with domestic industry and inter ministerial bodies to firm up India's negotiating position and sensitivities. The operative emphasis includes establishing protective measures, notably an auto trigger safeguard against sudden import surges from partner countries.

Dearness Allowance increase authorised, raising central pay and pension adjustments effective July under 7th CPC formula.
Approval was given to increase Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief by five percentage points effective 01.07.2019 under the 7th Central Pay Commission formula, applying to Central Government employees and pensioners; DA/DR are revised twice yearly to adjust for cost of living and protect basic pay and pensions.

Aadhaar seeding requirement relaxed for PM-Kisan payments, enabling immediate disbursal pending validation to support farmers' seasonal needs.
The Cabinet authorised a temporary relaxation of the Aadhaar seeding requirement for release of PM-Kisan instalments until 30 November 2019 because 100% seeding had not been achieved and farmers required immediate funds; the phased Aadhaar-based release framework will resume and be mandatory from 1 December 2019. Assam, Meghalaya and Jammu & Kashmir remain exempt from the Aadhaar requirement until 31 March 2020. The Government will undertake data validation before payment.