Trade facilitation paired with food security concerns to shape a balanced multilateral outcome at Bali.
India commits to active constructive engagement to secure a balanced Bali Ministerial outcome by advancing Trade Facilitation-upgrading border, port and customs infrastructure-while ensuring negotiated measures accommodate food security concerns articulated in the G-33 proposal, and by working with diverse stakeholders to preserve multilateral processes and strengthen the WTO.

Service tax return acceptance reinstates previously rejected filings as valid, with ACES showing status as filed.
CBEC has reprocessed in ACES service tax returns previously rejected solely because they related to periods before assessees' registration dates; those returns now show status as 'filed' and do not need to be refiled, while returns rejected for other reasons require corrective action.

Appointment under Article 148(1): new Comptroller and Auditor General to assume office succeeding Defence Secretary.
Appointment under Article 148(1): Shri Shashi Kant Sharma, then Defence Secretary, has been appointed as Comptroller and Auditor General of India and will assume charge of that office on the stated date in the press release.

Industrial corridor cooperation advances infrastructure financing, regulatory coordination and Japanese investment attraction for corridor projects.
Cooperation centers on coordinated infrastructure financing and regulatory facilitation to attract Japanese investment and technology for industrial corridors. The DMIC emphasizes the Dedicated Freight Corridor, JBIC equity participation and capital regulation relaxations enabling long term lending, and expedited Smart Community Projects and trunk infrastructure using advanced Japanese technologies and funding. Partners will address electricity and environmental regulatory matters to advance desalination, power stabilization, large photovoltaic microgrids and gas fired IPP projects, while promoting manufacturing, industrial clusters and skill development through Japanese organisations.

Market access for Indian pharma and agricultural products sought, aiming to expand trade access and investment partnerships with Japan.
Request for expanded market access for Indian agricultural, marine and generic pharmaceutical exports was urged during high-level economic consultations, citing trade deficit concerns and the role of Indian generics in affordable healthcare. Concurrently, the meetings reviewed DMIC implementation, noting substantial Japanese equity participation, committed financing for early projects, and industry presentations stressing collaboration in technology, manufacturing and investment to advance project delivery.

Pension fund performance: NPS schemes posted double-digit returns, concurrent reforms allow fee caps and direct equity investments.
PFRDA reports that NPS schemes achieved double-digit returns for FY 2012-13 across scheme categories and notes an accumulated corpus and subscriber base. It also details regulatory reforms: registration of private Pension Fund Managers, a fee ceiling of 0.25%, revised Investment Guidelines allowing direct equity and corporate debt investments, and introduction of prudential sectoral norms to enhance performance and risk management.

Payment of maturity proceeds: holders must provide bank mandates or tender securities to receive repayment on due dates.
Payment of maturity proceeds will cease accruing interest from the maturity date and must be paid by paying offices; payments to registered holders in Subsidiary General Ledger, Constituent Subsidiary General Ledger or on Stock Certificates shall be made by pay order with bank account particulars or by electronic credit. Holders must submit bank account details in advance; absent such particulars, holders may tender duly discharged securities at designated paying offices up to twenty days before maturity to receive repayment.

Wholesale Price Inflation moderates in April as primary articles and manufactured products rise while fuel and minerals ease.
The official Wholesale Price Index for all commodities rose marginally month over month in April 2013, with the annual rate of inflation moderating from the previous month. Primary Articles advanced on higher food and non food agricultural prices while minerals declined; Fuel & Power eased primarily due to falls in aviation turbine fuel, petrol and furnace oil; Manufactured Products recorded a modest rise with mixed subgroup movements. Annexures tabulate weights, index levels and month on month, year on year and fiscal build up changes for detailed sectoral analysis.

Trade balance widening as imports outpace exports, indicating a larger trade deficit in April compared with previous year.
Exports rose modestly year on year in April 2013 while imports grew substantially faster, resulting in a larger provisional trade deficit for April 2013 than April 2012. Provisional figures compare export and import values and percentage growth in both US dollars and rupees, and show crude oil imports increasing moderately while non oil imports expanded at a significantly higher rate, contributing to overall import growth and the widened deficit.

Bilateral investment treaties: government to review model BIPA after investor-state arbitration payment and wide treaty network.
The Government of India has signed 82 BIPAs, 72 of which are in force, with an annexed list of partner states; an arbitration award to M/s White Industries Australia Limited was paid by Coal India Ltd, and the government has decided to review the model BIPA text to reassess treaty language and safeguards governing investor claims.

Development through empowerment: reaffirming ADB's role in inclusive, sustainable growth and urging continued member support.
Reaffirmation of ADB's mandate to pursue Development through Empowerment as the central policy for promoting poverty reduction and economically, socially and environmentally sustainable, inclusive growth; and an appeal to member states and shareholders for continued cooperation and support for ADB's programs and governance, together with the formal welcome to the incoming Chair of the Board of Governors.

Regional integration through economic corridors and innovative infrastructure finance urged, highlighting ADB's role in development and funding.
The address invites ADB to partner on three priorities: (1) assume a special role in developing economic corridors by applying expertise in energy, logistics, urban and skills development to integrate production centers and connect lagging states; (2) support innovative special financing vehicles, including credit enhancements for infrastructure project bonds, road funds and municipal bonds, to mobilise long term institutional capital; and (3) push regional cooperation via SASEC in transport, trade facilitation and energy, with regional project funds provided as additionality to country programmes.

Insurance access obligations expand rural and social coverage, mandate public outreach and implement cashless health scheme for BPL families.
Regulatory measures require insurers to annually enrol minimum numbers or percentages of lives and premium from rural and social sectors under obligations regulations; Micro Insurance regulations support insurance for economically vulnerable groups and IRDA conducts industry consultations. Public sector insurers must expand physical outreach to lower tier towns to increase rural awareness and access. The Government scheme Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) provides smart card-based cashless family floater health cover for BPL households in the unorganized sector and has issued millions of smart cards in a phased rollout.

Service tax on restaurants now applies where air conditioning or central heating is provided; prior alcohol license requirement removed.
With effect from 01.04.2013 the requirement of a license to serve alcoholic beverages has been deleted; accordingly, service tax is leviable on restaurants that satisfy the facility of air conditioning or central heating condition alone.

Death-cum-Retirement Gratuity under NPS continues with eligibility and prescribed multiplicative death and retirement rates.
Death-cum-Retirement Gratuity under NPS is payable on the same basis as under the old pension scheme; the Department provisionally allowed DCRG and pension/family pension for invalidation/disability retirement and in-service death at equivalent rates by OM dated 5.5.2009. Retirement gratuity requires a minimum of five years' qualifying service and is calculated at 1/4th of a month's Basic Pay plus Dearness Allowance per completed six monthly period, subject to a maximum of 161/2 months' Basic Pay and an overall monetary ceiling. Death gratuity to family is payable at specified multiplicative rates of emoluments based on length of qualifying service, subject to the maximum limit.

Education loan insurance permits banks to arrange life cover with borrower consent; insurer pays outstanding loan on death.
The Model Educational Loan Scheme permits scheduled banks, with the borrower's consent, to arrange life insurance for student-borrowers under which the insurer pays the outstanding loan balance on the student's death; the Scheme is subject to periodic revision and banks implement the prevailing version.

Tax Collection at Source on bullion and jewellery now covers coins and small articles, ending their prior exemption.
Amendment narrows the exclusion under Tax Collection at Source so that cash sales of bullion, expressly including coins and small articles previously excluded, exceeding the statutory value threshold are subject to TCS at the prescribed rate; cash sales of jewellery above the statutory threshold continue to attract TCS. The change withdraws the prior exemption for coins/articles of limited weight and is not a new levy but an extension of TCS coverage to previously excluded bullion items.

Institutional anniversary marks IIFT's golden jubilee with inauguration, unveiling of commemorative sculpture and academic publications.
The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade will mark its fiftieth anniversary with a presidential inauguration, unveiling of the 'Wings of Wisdom' sculpture, felicitation of past directors, and release of a commemorative volume of the Foreign Trade Review. The institute highlights its historic creation of specialised centres for trade-related research and announces imminent expansion into new centres including Energy and Power and Financial Services to broaden its academic and research offerings.