Quality standards for spices forwarded for final Codex adoption, expanding science-based trade benchmarks and new work on cardamom.
The Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs finalised draft quality standards for dried/dehydrated cloves, oregano, basil and ginger and forwarded them to the Codex Alimentarius Commission for final adoption at step eight; it also launched work on standards for small cardamom and turmeric and a group standard for spices classified as dried fruits and berries to accelerate standard-setting.

Merger control: Approval for acquisition transferring majority control of a grocery retailer to a digital platform.
Clearance was granted for a proposed combination whereby a digital platform subsidiary will acquire majority stake and control of a B2B grocery supplier through primary and secondary share acquisitions, and the supplier may subsequently acquire sole control of a B2C grocery retailer; the parties operate across online B2B and B2C sales and related packaged goods activities for food, grocery, household and personal care products.

Supply chain resilience initiative to strengthen continuity, promote diversification and digital adoption across trilateral trade relationships.
The Ministers of Australia, India and Japan launched the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) to address pandemic-exposed supply chain vulnerabilities by promoting risk management and continuity planning, supporting digital technology use, and encouraging trade and investment diversification. Initial projects include sharing best practices on supply chain resilience and convening investment promotion and buyer-seller matching events. Officials were tasked to implement projects and meet as required, with ministerial meetings at least annually to guide and develop the Initiative, and possible consensual expansion involving business and academia.

Control room monitoring internal trade to address disruptions in essential commodity supply and logistics during the pandemic.
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has established a control room to receive reports from manufacturers, transporters, distributors, wholesalers and e commerce firms about difficulties in manufacturing, transportation, distribution and mobilization of resources for essential commodities; reported issues will be taken up with the concerned State and Union Territory governments via designated telephone and email channels during specified daily hours.

Seizure under NDPS Act: concealed cocaine shipment intercepted and seized, criminal investigation and forensic analysis underway.
Interception and seizure under the NDPS Act of a maritime consignment declared as wooden logs uncovered 302 compressed bricks of suspected cocaine concealed within the cargo; the contraband, weighing approximately 303 kg, was seized along with the cover goods following specific intelligence and physical examination, and the matter is subject to further criminal investigation and forensic analysis.

Food safety standards for spices: harmonised Codex rules advanced to combat adulteration and improve traceability.
The Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs, hosted by India with Spices Board India as Secretariat, held its fifth virtual session to advance harmonised Codex standards for spices and culinary herbs. The Committee progressed standards at different Codex elaboration steps for ginger, cloves, saffron, oregano, basil, nutmeg, chilli peppers and paprika, and considered new work proposals for cardamom, turmeric and a prioritized group standard for dried fruits and berries, while emphasising measures against economically motivated adulteration and adopting a farm-to-fork traceability approach to strengthen food safety and fair trade.

Mutual recognition of qualifications expands cross jurisdictional membership and employment opportunities between accounting institutes via prescribed bridging mechanisms.
Mutual recognition of chartered accountancy qualifications between ICAI and CA ANZ provides that members in good standing who have completed the examination, professional program and practical experience requirements of either body may be admitted by the other through prescribed bridging mechanisms, establishing reciprocal admission, professional development and a cooperation framework to advance accounting knowledge and cross jurisdictional professional mobility.

Mutual Recognition Agreement expands cross jurisdictional recognition of accounting qualifications to enable member mobility and bridging admission.
Approval establishes a Mutual Recognition Agreement between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and CPA Australia to recognise members' qualifications, training and practical experience and permit admission to the other body by appropriate credit and prescribed bridging mechanisms, with collaboration to define those procedures and admit members in good standing.

International competition cooperation established through a memorandum between Indian and Brazilian competition authorities to enable regulatory coordination.
Approval was granted for a Memorandum of Understanding between the Competition Commission of India and Brazil's Administrative Council for Economic Defense, pursuant to Section 18 of the Competition Act, 2002, permitting CCI to enter arrangements with foreign agencies to discharge its functions; this MoU supplements CCI's existing cooperation agreements with competition agencies in the United States, European Union, Russia, Australia, Canada and BRICS authorities.

Amendments to the Finance Bill clarify tax provisions and address stakeholder concerns to promote equity and revenue stability.
The Cabinet approved the Government amendments to the Finance Bill, 2021 to clarify and rationalise tax measures, address stakeholder concerns, promote equity and inclusiveness among taxpayers, streamline existing provisions for clearer administration, and enable timely revenue mobilisation through adjusted tax proposals.

Startup seed funding scheme launched to provide incubator grants and early-stage startup financing through selected incubators.
The document announces the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme, which provides multi-year corpus-based financial assistance through eligible incubators to fund proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry, commercialization and scaling. Incubators selected by an Experts Advisory Committee will receive grants and will on-grant to startups for validation activities; later-stage support is structured as investments via convertible debentures or debt-linked instruments. An online portal will administer incubator applications and EAC oversight will monitor execution.

Oxygen allocation prioritisation: industrial supplies redirected for medical use while centre coordinates state needs nationwide.
The central government has directed a nationwide prioritisation of medical oxygen by reallocating industrial oxygen supplies to healthcare use and scaling up production capacity, with the Centre coordinating supply assessments and deliveries in daily contact with state governments to meet emergent needs.

National Startup Advisory Council to advise government on enabling policies, mentorship and scaling innovation across urban and rural India.
The National Startup Advisory Council, constituted by DPIIT with ex officio and non official members from founders, investors, incubators, accelerators and industry associations, is mandated to advise the Government on policies and ecosystem measures to nurture startups for economic growth and employment. The inaugural meeting instructed promotion of entrepreneurship at school level, mentorship by successful entrepreneurs, harnessing innovation in rural and smaller towns, and adopting a Government role as an enabler to reduce barriers and scale cost effective solutions under the Startup India initiative.

Capital raising surged across public, rights and debt markets, while mutual fund AUM and investor participation expanded markedly.
Public market resource mobilisation increased in FY 2020-21, with higher aggregate capital raising through public and rights issues and elevated corporate bond issuance counts and amounts. Mutual fund industry metrics also expanded: assets under management rose markedly and unique investor numbers increased, including significant AUM growth outside top urban centres, indicating broader investor participation and diversified market channels for resource mobilisation.

Merger control: approval granted for acquisition consolidating port infrastructure and integrated logistics operations.
Approval under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002 was granted for a proposed combination in which Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones Limited will acquire a majority shareholding in Gangavaram Port Limited. The acquirer is an integrated port infrastructure services provider operating across multiple domestic ports and managing end to end logistics; the target operates a deep water port under a Build Own Operate Transfer concession with an initial concession period and entitlement to extensions. A detailed order will follow.

Confidentiality regime review proposes a Confidentiality Ring and revisions to clarify protection and access for sensitive competition information.
Review of the confidentiality arrangements under Regulation 35 addresses enforcement difficulties and proposes a structured Confidentiality Ring, revising the regulation to clarify protection, procedures for creating and managing permitted recipients, and expectations for redaction and access controls; the Commission has published the draft revisions and invited public comments.

Tribunals Reforms Ordinance abolishes specified tribunals, transfers jurisdiction to High Courts or authorities, and sets appointment and transition rules.
The Ordinance abolishes specified tribunals and appellate boards, substitutes references to tribunals with High Courts, Commercial Courts, Registrars or the Central Government across multiple statutes, and centralises appointment, terms, removal and service conditions for Chairpersons and Members through a Search-cum-Selection Committee and Finance Act amendments. It provides transitional measures including cessation of incumbent offices with limited compensation, reversion of deputation staff, transfer of pending matters to competent courts, and vesting of tribunal assets and funds in the Central Government.

Pre-packaged insolvency resolution process expands restructuring route for MSME corporate debtors through notified operational regulations.
The notification implements a pre-packaged insolvency resolution process for MSME corporate debtors by prescribing eligibility and appointment terms for resolution professionals, eligibility of valuers and other professionals, selection of authorised representatives, requirements for public announcement and claims, the information memorandum, creditor meetings, invitation and evaluation of resolution plans including competition between base and best plans, vesting of management in the resolution professional, and procedures for termination, together with mandatory forms and modalities for stakeholders.

Online dispute resolution adoption: handbook outlines models and an actionable pathway for businesses to implement digital ADR.
The handbook promotes Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) for businesses, describing ODR as a digital mechanism for resolving disputes outside courts-particularly small and medium-value cases-by combining digital platforms with alternate dispute resolution methods such as negotiation, mediation, and arbitration, and providing models and an actionable pathway for business adoption.

Copyright rule amendments strengthen electronic administration and require transparency measures for copyright societies and royalty distribution.
The Copyright (Amendment) Rules modernise administration by making electronic communication primary, replacing Gazette publication with a copyrights journal, and aligning procedures with the Finance Act merger of the Copyright Board into the Appellate Board. They require copyright societies to publish an Annual Transparency Report, mandate electronic and traceable royalty payments and processes for undistributed royalties, relax source-code filing requirements for software registrations, and extend the government response period for society registration applications to allow fuller examination.