Foreign Direct Investment liberalisation to facilitate international capital flows and infrastructure investment through eased norms and business reforms.
The government emphasised mobilisation of international capital for infrastructure and other sectors by opening up Foreign Direct Investment in multiple sectors, liberalising FDI norms and improving ease of doing business to facilitate investor participation and channel investments through international financial centres.

Industrial infrastructure upgradation under MIIUS: department approved projects and invited further proposals; several remain under evaluation.
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, under the Modified Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation Scheme (MIIUS), approved 26 projects within allocated funds and invited additional proposals from states; six new proposals were received and six further state/UT proposals remain under evaluation seeking central grant assistance for industrial estate upgradation and effluent treatment infrastructure as detailed in project reports.

Concessional credit offer strengthens development cooperation and supports project financing and agricultural trade protections.
India expanded trade with African countries while offering project-based concessional credit to finance recipient-proposed projects in agriculture, infrastructure, power transmission and water supply; concurrently it urged joint negotiation with African partners at the WTO for a permanent solution on public stock holding for food security and a special safeguard mechanism for agriculture for developing countries.

FDI in e commerce: full automatic permission for B2B; retail allowed subject to manufacturer and single brand conditions.
FDI in the e commerce sector permits 100% under the automatic route for B2B e commerce. Retail e commerce is allowed only where: a manufacturer sells its own India made products online; a single brand retailer with physical stores sells online; or an Indian manufacturer (the investee owning the Indian brand and conducting the majority of manufacturing in India while sourcing the remainder from Indian manufacturers) sells its single brand products through e commerce. Stakeholder consultations informed the policy.

In-principle approval for National Investment and Manufacturing Zones advances establishment, funding mechanisms, international financing support, and pending state proposals.
The Government granted in-principle approval to twenty NIMZs (twelve outside DMIC) and final approval to Prakasam; eight DMIC Investment Regions were also approved as NIMZs. A Revolving Corpus for DMIC trunk infrastructure was approved and Japan pledged financing through JICA and JBIC. Additional state proposals for NIMZs were returned for further details.

National Manufacturing Policy promotes sectoral skill development to align training with industry needs and boost manufacturing employability.
National Manufacturing Policy identifies employment intensive industries such as textiles, leather, gems and jewellery, and food processing and emphasises sectoral skill development. Targeted initiatives include the Indian Leather Development Programme for shop floor upgradation, food processing institutes providing short term industry training, the Integrated Skill Development Scheme for Textiles and Apparel (including jute and handicrafts), and the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana for outcome based training aligned with industry needs.

RuPay Card usage condition extended, expanding eligibility window for inbuilt accidental insurance claims for classic cardholders.
The government extended the prior successful-transaction usage requirement for RuPay Classic debit-card accidental-insurance claims to a 90-day window effective 25 November 2015; accidents on or after 00:00:01 on 25 November 2015 qualify under the extended usage condition, while incidents before 23:59:59 on 24 November 2015 remain subject to the earlier shorter usage requirement. The temporal link between the last qualifying transaction and the incident continues to determine eligibility for accidental death and permanent disablement claims.

Foreign Direct Investment policy review leads to amendments in the Consolidated FDI Policy; see Press Note on DIPP website.
Review of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Policy resulted in targeted amendments to the Consolidated FDI Policy Circular of 2015 affecting multiple sectors; the changes were formally issued through Press Note No.12 (2015 series) on the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion website and made effective as specified in the Circular.

Pay revision: uniform fitment factor and new pay matrix reshape central government pay, allowances, and pension framework.
The Commission replaces pay bands and grade pay with a new pay matrix and prescribes a uniform fitment factor of 2.57, retains 3% annual increments, rationalises allowances through abolition or subsumption and introduces a nine cell Risk and Hardship Matrix; it revises pension fixation by notional pay in the new matrix with a choice between fifty percent of notional pay and a multiple of current basic pension (higher to apply), raises gratuity ceilings, revises Military Service Pay and expands medical and housing coverage for specified categories.

Technology acquisition subsidies enable MSMEs to access clean and energy efficient technologies and green manufacturing incentives.
Launch of the Technology Acquisition and Development Fund (TADF) creates a scheme under the National Manufacturing Policy, implemented through the Global Innovation and Technology Alliance, to subsidise MSME acquisition of clean, green and energy efficient technologies via direct reimbursement and an indirect patent pool licensing mechanism. The Fund also provides manufacturing subsidies for pollution control and conservation equipment and a Green Manufacturing incentive stream supporting audits, green building works, waste treatment and renewable energy projects for MSMEs owned by Indian residents.

Special loan conditions expanded: broader bilateral acceptance, procurement preferences, capped financing terms, and ministerial waiver authority.
The revised framework authorises senior ministers, with prime ministerial approval, to accept bilateral assistance from additional countries and establishes special loans for capital intensive and special projects subject to conditions: substantial minimum annual assistance from a partner, a requirement that a significant portion remain as normal untied loans, procurement preferences for funding country and Indian suppliers with ownership and sourcing caps, a switch to international competitive bidding if responses are inadequate, capped annual interest and extended tenor with moratorium, project cost eligibility floors, and state concurrence for state implemented projects; the Finance Minister may relax conditions.

Ratification of Articles of Agreement enables membership and enhanced access to multilateral infrastructure financing and governance participation.
Ratification of the Articles of Agreement authorises India's accession to the AIIB, establishing formal membership, shareholding and governance participation, and enabling access to additional multilateral resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects to supplement existing public and PPP financing.

Anticompetitive agreements: carriers fixed fuel surcharges on air cargo, triggering regulatory penalties and cease and desist orders.
The Commission found airlines engaged in concerted action by fixing and revising fuel surcharge rates for air cargo, constituting contravention of section 3(1) read with section 3(3)(a) of the Competition Act. It issued a cease and desist direction and imposed monetary penalties on three carriers, while declining penalties for two others for lack of parallel conduct or absence of control over third party vendors; penalties were calibrated with reference to average turnover.

Sovereign wealth participation in NIIF to channel professionally managed capital into commercially viable infrastructure and energy projects.
The Finance Minister invited the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority to participate in the National Infrastructure and Investment Fund (NIIF), describing NIIF as a professionally managed vehicle that will invest mainly in commercially viable infrastructure projects; ADIA expressed interest and proposed further discussions and potential investment in strategic oil reserves at Mangalore Port.

Investment in NIIF urged; calls for sovereign and pension fund participation and renewed Bilateral Investment Promotion Agreement.
Requests focused on three operative measures: extending business visa validity for Indian investors in the UAE to ease long term investment facilitation; inviting UAE sovereign wealth and pension funds to invest in the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) to channel capital into infrastructure projects; and initiating negotiations to finalize a successor Bilateral Investment Promotion Agreement to replace the expiring pact, with UAE assurances to consider these proposals.

Swachh Bharat Cess imposed on taxable services, charged separately and dedicated to sanitation initiatives.
A new levy, Swachh Bharat Cess, is imposed as a separate cess on taxable services from 15 November 2015, charged in addition to service tax and credited to the Consolidated Fund for Swachh Bharat initiatives. The cess is computed on the same taxable value as service tax and follows existing service tax valuation, abatement and reverse-charge rules; invoices and accounting must show it separately. No Cenvat Credit is available for the cess and reversals under Cenvat Credit Rules do not require separate reversal of the cess.

Investment promotion: ministerial UAE visit to engage sovereign and institutional investors and showcase India's reform led opportunities.
The two day official visit by the Union Finance Minister to the UAE concentrates on investment promotion across infrastructure, manufacturing, services and the National Investment & Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), set against recent government measures improving policy predictability, tax rationalisation and opening sectors to foreign direct investment. The visit schedule comprises an economic forum appearance, meetings with UAE sovereign and institutional investors, a FICCI event, and community interaction to advance investor engagement and confidence.

Swachh Bharat Cess on taxable services increases service tax burden while earmarking revenue for sanitation initiatives.
Imposition of a Swachh Bharat Cess at the rate of 0.5% on all services presently liable to service tax, effective 15 November 2015, operates as an add-on levy on the existing service tax base. Proceeds are to be exclusively earmarked for financing and promoting Swachh Bharat sanitation initiatives and related purposes.

National Nutrition Strategy consultation launched to address undernutrition, target poorly performing districts and establish inter-ministerial monitoring.
A multi-stakeholder process was launched to prepare a National Nutrition Strategy focused on analysing undernutrition data and designing targeted interventions for poorly performing districts and states, coordinated with the Ministries responsible for women, child development and health. An Inter-Ministerial Group on Health and Nutrition Data will be constituted to identify focus districts, finalize monitoring and tracking recommendations, and support inter-sectoral coordination; a draft strategy is to be prepared within the stated preparatory timeframe incorporating inputs from states, experts and partner agencies.

Designated Post Offices authorized to accept Sovereign Gold Bond applications directly or via agents, expanding subscription channels.
Designated Post Offices are authorized to issue the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme and to receive applications either directly or through agents, while all other terms and conditions remain as provided in the earlier press communique .