Devolution flexibility allows multiple weighted criteria to balance rewards and incentives for fair state allocations.
Terms of Reference (TOR) do not prevent the Finance Commission from assigning weight to multiple variables and using a mix of rewards and incentives in devolution to avoid penalising states with demographic progress. The Commission will balance equity and efficiency, consider population among several factors, seek further data on fund utilisation and State Finance Commission implementation, and address Kerala's fiscal challenges including debt, deficits, capital expenditure needs, ageing liabilities and stressed public undertakings.

Mandatory disclosure of genetic resource origin urged to curb biopiracy and align patent practice with access and benefit sharing obligations.
India is leading efforts to relink TRIPS and the Convention on Biological Diversity to prevent misappropriation of traditional knowledge by pursuing obligations such as disclosure of source or origin in patent applications, demonstration of prior informed consent by local communities, and mechanisms for fair and equitable benefit sharing, drawing on proposals that integrate the Nagoya Protocol's access and benefit sharing framework and seeking a roadmap for renewed WTO negotiations.

Merger scrutiny over Linde Praxair combination: public comments invited following prima facie competition concerns under regulatory notice.
Proposed combination between Linde Aktiengesellschaft and Praxair, Inc. was found to raise a prima facie appreciable adverse effect on competition, and the authority has directed publication of transaction details and invited written public comments, objections and suggestions within a specified consultation window; unsubstantiated objections are unlikely to be considered.

State finance assessment to examine Kerala's fiscal position, economic structure, and ageing related social security pressures.
Fifteenth Finance Commission will undertake a comprehensive fiscal assessment of Kerala's public finances and socio economic trajectory, focusing on revenue and expenditure patterns, economic composition including service sector predominance and remittance dependence, and demographic pressures such as an expanding elderly population that will affect social security and health spending; the Commission will base its analysis on detailed state presentations and stakeholder meetings to inform prospective fiscal recommendations.

India-CLMV trade cooperation promotes connectivity, bilateral business forums and annual expositions to boost investment and sectoral ties.
The 5th India CLMV Business Conclave established a coordinated platform to deepen economic engagement by prioritising connectivity, SME promotion, service sector expansion, and agricultural value addition, and by proposing bilateral business forums and industry backed chambers to channel investment and institutionalise business to business ties.

Health sector regulatory review to optimize funding use and incentivize state performance through expert-led recommendations.
The group will evaluate the existing health sector regulatory framework to identify strengths and weaknesses, recommend reforms to optimize use of financial resources, and design incentive mechanisms for state governments to achieve defined health performance parameters, while benchmarking international best practices for adaptation to domestic conditions.

Public-private collaboration on AI and automation advances policy guidance and capacity-building for sectoral digitalization and manufacturing.
A Statement of Intent creates a public private collaboration to promote adoption of AI, IoT and industrial automation across sectors by identifying practical solutions, demonstrating technologies at an innovation centre, conducting workshops and training for policymakers, and preparing policy recommendations to guide ministries on development and adoption of digitalization in manufacturing, utilities, transport and eMobility.

Waiver of penal interest on government loans approved, subject to a nominal penalty and single installment principal and interest repayment.
Approval was granted for a waiver of Penal Interest on government loans to Visakhapatnam Port Trust, conditional on VPT paying a penalty of 0.25% of the penal interest as on the date of approval and repaying outstanding principal and outstanding interest in one single instalment within the financial year.

Waiver of penal interest approved for a port trust, subject to a reduced penalty and staged principal repayment obligations.
Approval was given for a waiver of penal interest on government loans to Paradip Port Trust, subject to conditions: PPT must pay a reduced penalty computed on the penal interest outstanding as of the approval date and commence repayment of outstanding principal and accrued interest, completing repayment through two instalments across the following two financial years.

Bilateral startup collaboration enables market access and corporate-matched pilot opportunities for Indian and Dutch startups under navigator hubs.
A bilateral framework designates Invest India and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency as single points of contact to facilitate market access, provide ecosystem navigation, and match Indian and Dutch startups with corporate partners for pilot opportunities, including a multi-corporate pilot challenge focused on urban air pollution that tests and scales innovations through startup-corporate-government collaboration.

Mudra scheme public-private partnership expands loan access by using corporate partners to identify and underwrite small entrepreneurs.
The finance ministry has created a public-private partnership under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana in which forty corporate and platform companies will identify and underwrite small and micro entrepreneurs, refer them to banks, and thereby enable banks to extend Mudra loans to non-corporate, non-farm enterprises who have not previously approached banks.

National Policy on Official Statistics open for public comment to operationalise Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics.
Draft National Policy on Official Statistics is placed in the public domain to operationalise the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, reaffirming commitment to improve the quality and governance of official data, and inviting stakeholder comments, views and suggestions through a public consultation process with a specified submission deadline.

Tax incentives for startups highlighted as core support, with government platforms and mentoring promoted.
The note explains government support under the Startup India initiative, identifying tax incentives and regulatory facilitation as principal measures, and directs entrepreneurs to the Startup India hub for mentorship, resources and program details; it also notes outreach to women entrepreneurs and that participants received certificates of appreciation following a live Q&A session.

Micro Irrigation Fund expands concessional lending and top up subsidy access for states to scale micro irrigation under PMKSY.
Approval creates a pan India Micro Irrigation Fund with NABARD under PMKSY to provide concessional lending to States, with interest subvention funded from PMKSY PDMC. The Fund supplements Per Drop More Crop by financing innovative and cluster based projects, enabling top up subsidies, permitting access by FPOs, cooperatives and state agencies with guarantees or collateral, and will be overseen by an Advisory Committee and a Steering Committee for appraisal, approval, phasing and monitoring while not substituting for State PMKSY PDMC shares.

Spectrum allocation expansion funds approved to build alternate defence communications network, strengthening operational preparedness and telecom capacity.
Cabinet approval increases funding for the Network For Spectrum project to enable release of additional spectrum and construct an alternate communications network for Defence Services, to be implemented by a state-owned telecom operator within a twenty-four month completion period, aiming to enhance defence communications capability and create forward linkages to telecom manufacturing and services.

Intellectual Property awareness expanded through mascot-led outreach promoting anti piracy education and integration of IP topics into school curriculum.
Promotion of Intellectual Property Rights through a mascot-led public-awareness campaign and anti piracy messaging, emphasizing strict implementation and societal participation. Institutional collaboration produced animated IP awareness videos distributed via official channels, complemented by school workshops and curricular inclusion of IPR material, aligning with the National IPR Policy objective of IPR Awareness: Outreach and Promotion to foster creators as informed IP owners.

Financial sanction for integrated multimodal logistics hub approved with SPV implementation and EPC bidding.
Cabinet approval authorises development of an Integrated Multi Modal Logistics Hub at Nangal Chaudhary in two phases, with a financial sanction for Phase I and in principle approval for Phase II, to be implemented by a 50:50 joint venture SPV; trunk infrastructure will be procured by the SPV on an EPC basis and the hub will integrate with the Dedicated Freight Corridor to provide consolidated logistics services and improved port connectivity.

Intellectual Property Policy anniversary spotlights outreach, mascot launch, awareness campaigns and emphasis on enforcement and commercialization.
The National IPR Policy establishes an institutional framework to harmonize IP forms, statutes and agencies, setting mechanisms for implementation, monitoring and review with operative objectives of public awareness, facilitation of filings, commercialization of IP assets and enforcement; CIPAM is the designated professional body tasked with coordinating implementation, stakeholder engagement and promotional initiatives including awareness campaigns and commercialization support.

Startup engagement: live social media Q&A offering clarity on Startup India support via designated hashtag.
Announcement of a live social media question-and-answer session by the Union Minister to explain and clarify support mechanisms available under Startup India, hosted on official social channels, with participants invited to submit questions using a designated hashtag for selection and response during the live event.

Wholesale price inflation rises, driven by primary articles and fuel while manufactured goods post modest gains.
Wholesale Price Index for April 2018 rose month on month, producing a higher annual inflation rate and a positive build up for the financial year. Primary Articles led the increase - Food Articles rose while Non Food Articles fell; Minerals and Crude Petroleum & Natural Gas strengthened. Fuel & Power rose modestly despite lower LPG, and Manufactured Products showed a mild overall increase with mixed subgroup movements. The WPI Food Index shifted from marginally negative to positive inflation. The release includes a finalised WPI for February 2018 and the next release date.