National Pension System adoption promotes corporate onboarding and minor enrolment, enhancing retirement planning and pension coverage.
The National Pension System (NPS) promotion focuses on expanding retirement coverage through corporate onboarding, subscriber awareness campaigns, and product innovation. The programme outlines employer integration practices, partnerships with trade bodies, and subscriber-centric enrolment processes to increase participation. It frames these measures against demographic pressures and limited household pension allocation, and cites extensions such as the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) and NPS-Vatsalya to reach underserved cohorts and encourage early savings.

Decarbonization collaboration advances cement sector research and thermal plasma technology adoption under new industry MoUs.
NCB concluded two Memoranda of Understanding: one with the Global Cement and Concrete Association, India to coordinate decarbonization research and support sectoral pathways toward net zero, and another with AIC Plasmatech Innovation Foundation to explore applications of Thermal Plasma Torch Technology in cement manufacturing through technical evaluation, pilot assessment, and knowledge sharing.

National Single Window System: industry engagement and portal tracking urged to improve approvals and regulatory responsiveness.
A new Regulatory Affairs and Ease of Doing Business Portal with a member dashboard enables industry to submit, track and receive real time updates on suggestions and initiatives, intended to integrate industry inputs into the National Single Window System, improve licence facilitation and industrial land bank data, and enhance transparency and accountability in processing.

Decarbonization and circular economy advance as conference seeks industry support for startups and Net Zero roadmap.
The National Council for Cement and Building Materials, under DPIIT administration, held an international conference and technical exhibition focused on decarbonization, circular economy practices, and alternative fuels and raw materials; the event released sector publications and awards, and called for industry support for startups to advance R&D, energy efficiency and the Net Zero trajectory.

Renewable energy partnerships to expand clean energy access and catalyse joint industrial and technology collaboration between India and France.
India and France set a cooperative framework to scale renewable energy via the International Solar Alliance, expand defence and aerospace manufacturing in India under a patent-protected regime that does not require technology transfer, and pursue co-innovation in automotive, EV and digital technologies. The partnership targets joint R&D, startup and academic exchanges, enhanced trade and investment, and participation in major infrastructure and industrial city projects to strengthen long-term strategic and economic ties.

Merger control approval: foreign affiliated investor cleared to acquire and subscribe to shares in an organised food services company.
Competition approval was granted for a proposed acquisition whereby an investment holding company indirectly owned by a Singapore investment firm will subscribe to compulsorily convertible preference shares and acquire equity in a domestic organised food services company operating cloud kitchens, restaurants, food courts and cafes; a detailed Commission order will follow.

Competition approval granted for share subscription by foreign holding company with affiliated service arrangement in e commerce target.
Competition approval was granted for Shoreline International Holdings LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., to subscribe for shares of Flipkart Private Limited, together with an arrangement between an affiliate of the Acquirer and a subsidiary of the Target for provision of certain services; the Acquirer is a holding company and the Target is an investment holding company in the Walmart Group operating wholesale and marketplace e-commerce businesses in India.

Acquisition approval: Starcin to acquire multiple Fosroc entities, consolidating holding and trading operations under Saint Gobain.
The Commission authorised Starcin, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saint Gobain, to acquire 100% of the shares of Fosroc Top One Limited, Fosroc Top Two Limited and Fosroc Supply FZE, transferring two UK holding companies and one UAE trading company from Fosroc Group Holdings Limited to Starcin; Starcin provides corporate services and investment holding functions and Fosroc supplies specialty construction chemicals, with a detailed Commission order to follow.

Quality assurance for temporary site testing laboratories enhances reliability and trust in construction materials testing across projects.
A memorandum establishes a recognition scheme for temporary site testing laboratories performing on-site materials testing in civil engineering projects, aiming to ensure accuracy, reliability and competency of test results-particularly for larger-scale projects-and to raise construction standards by promoting recognised accreditation, improved lab competency, and trust in material integrity.

Memorandum of Understanding to build startup ecosystems and bridge the talent gap in interactive entertainment through training and incubation.
A two year Memorandum of Understanding establishes a public private collaboration to support a large cohort of interactive entertainment startups via mentorship, hackathons, workshops, accelerator programs and a developer mentoring initiative, while bridging the talent gap through training in coding, animation, game design and development. The MoU also provides for a Center of Excellence to advance workforce readiness, monetization strategies, indigenous intellectual property development, attraction of foreign investment, and manufacturing of interactive technology products to scale startups for global markets.

Design protection harmonization expands procedural flexibility and electronic filing to improve access for startups and small designers.
The Final Act of the Riyadh Design Law Treaty harmonizes procedural frameworks for industrial design protection, introducing relaxed time limits, reinstatement mechanisms for lost rights, correction or addition of priority claims, simplified recording of assignments and licenses, and the option to file multiple designs in a single application, while encouraging electronic filing systems and electronic exchange of priority documents to improve accessibility and efficiency across jurisdictions.

Cabinet approval of railway multitracking expands capacity and connectivity, enabling additional freight and passenger services and greener logistics.
Cabinet approval authorises three multi-tracking railway projects to expand line capacity on key Mumbai-Prayagraj corridors, ease operations, reduce congestion, enable additional passenger and freight services, and advance objectives of the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan while lowering logistics costs and CO2 emissions.

Hydroelectric project approval expands regional power capacity, includes central infrastructure support and state benefit provisions.
Approval authorises construction of a 186 MW hydroelectric project to be implemented through a Joint Venture Company between the national power corporation and the State, with central budgetary support for enabling infrastructure and central financial assistance towards the State's equity; the project will supply power regionally and assist grid balancing.

Hydro project approval expands regional power capacity and mandates joint implementation and local benefits under enabling infrastructure support.
Approval authorises construction of a 240 MW hydroelectric project to be implemented through a Joint Venture between a central power corporation and the State, with central budgetary support for enabling infrastructure and equity support to the State; project generation is designated to improve state power supply and balance the national grid while providing specified free power and Local Area Development Fund allocations and promoting local procurement and employment.

Payroll reporting using social security subscriber data shows formal-sector employment trends and scheme-wise subscriber changes.
Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation publishes monthly formal sector employment statistics derived from subscriber records of EPF, ESI and NPS, reporting scheme wise new contributing subscriber counts for September 2024 and comparing them with August 2024 to indicate short term movements in payroll participation.

Survey Data Quality ensured through digital CAPI protocols, validation, supervision and data sharing to prevent duplication.
NSO conducts nationwide socio-economic household and enterprise surveys on digital platforms using CAPI and web applications with built-in validation, supervisory scrutiny, regular training, data quality workshops, periodic instrument revision, pre-survey checks to avoid duplication, inter-ministerial consultations, digital monitoring, stakeholder Data User Conferences, and publication of unit-level data for transparency and research access.

Data Sharing and Accessibility expanded through a national portal enabling standardized metadata and API access for official statistics.
The Ministry launched the e-Sankhyiki portal to create a comprehensive data management and sharing system with an API for seamless access by platforms including the National Data and Analytics Platform; a separate Microdata Portal disseminates survey and census microdata. The Ministry has circulated a National Metadata Structure to ensure uniform data standards and consistency, while other Central Ministries/Departments continue to disseminate data via their own portals and publications.

Cocaine seizure at international airport prompts arrest and ongoing probe into transnational trafficking network connections.
A passenger arriving from Sierra Leone was apprehended after officers discovered packets of cocaine concealed in a false bottom of a trolley bag at an international airport; field tests identified the substance as cocaine, the passenger was arrested, and an investigation into trafficking connections is ongoing.

Data privacy framework and sustainable digital infrastructure: promotes trusted cross-border data flows and technology investment partnerships.
India advances a new data privacy framework to enable trusted cross-border data flows and attract technology investment, relying on a sustainable, interconnected energy grid and rapid telecom rollout to support reliable data centres. Public semiconductor investment, low-cost data, and abundant STEM graduates are presented as enablers. The statement proposes five collaboration areas with a partner country: AI education platforms, telemedicine, climate-modelling tools, precision farming technologies, and cooperation in organic chemicals, electronic goods, and food-industry technologies.

Commitments and settlements regime enables businesses to offer remedies to competition concerns, promoting quicker resolution and regulatory cooperation.
The report emphasizes trade associations' duty to operate within competition law and the Commission's proactive collaboration to secure compliance. It highlights that the Competition Amendment Act, 2023 introduced and the Commission implemented a commitments and settlements regime, allowing businesses to voluntarily offer remedies for competition concerns to achieve quicker market corrections, conserve enforcement resources, and avoid lengthy adversarial proceedings. The workshop also addressed collusive conduct and leniency and practical compliance guidance for enterprises.