CBDT issues second annual report on APA programme, outlining APA procedures, trends, and administrative practices for taxpayers.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes released the second annual report on the Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) Programme, setting out procedural aspects of APA processing, trends and outcomes under the programme, and administrative practices for handling APA applications to inform taxpayers and advisers on the APA mechanism and the board's approach to transfer pricing.

Repayment of Government Stock requires bank mandate for electronic credit or early tender of securities to receiving offices for payment.
Repayment requires payment by pay order or electronic credit to registered holders who have provided bank particulars; no interest accrues from the scheduled repayment date. In the absence of bank mandates, holders must tender duly discharged securities at Public Debt Offices, Treasuries/Sub Treasuries or specified bank branches twenty days before the due date. If a State holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act falls on the effective repayment date, repayment in that State will be made on the previous working day.

Anti-competitive concerted conduct restricted dubbed film screenings, prompting cease-and-desist orders and mandated compliance measures and penalties.
CCI found KFCC and others engaged in concerted anti-competitive conduct that impeded entry and screening of dubbed films, causing appreciable adverse effect on competition and restricting the market; it issued cease-and-desist orders, required KFCC to adopt a Competition Compliance Manual, imposed monetary penalties on certain parties based on average income, and deferred penalty decisions against others who failed to provide financial details.

Significant Economic Presence rule making: public consultation deadline extended; stakeholders to submit comments electronically.
Framing of rules for Significant Economic Presence under the income tax statute was opened for public and stakeholder comments, with submissions to be made electronically; the tax authority extended the deadline for furnishing comments and reiterated the electronic submission address and procedural instruction for stakeholders to submit representations by the revised date.

Public procurement digitisation driving mandatory GeM adoption, with statewide drives, training, vendor onboarding and MSME focus.
Launch of a National Mission to expand Government e Marketplace (GeM) adoption aims to institutionalise digital public procurement by promoting inclusiveness, transparency, efficiency and cashless, contactless, paperless transactions. A six week special drive will include state launches, outreach, training for buyers and sellers, buyer and vendor registration with targeted MSME support. GeM is presented as an online end to end procurement solution for Central Departments, State Governments, Public Sector Units and affiliated bodies, with observed participation growth, MoUs to mandate GeM use, and associated procurement cost savings.

Price coordination cartel: immunity granted to cooperating firm; penalties imposed on remaining supplier for dry cell battery market.
CCI concluded Panasonic and Geep engaged in price coordination in the institutional zinc carbon dry cell battery market from 1 October 2010 to 30 April 2016, based on a written supply agreement and e mail communications. Panasonic used foreknowledge from a primary cartel to raise prices to Geep and to maintain market price parity. CCI computed penalties using a profit linked multiple for one firm and a turnover percentage for the other, assessed officer liability as a percentage of prior income, and granted Panasonic and its officials 100 percent reduction under the Lesser Penalty/leniency provisions.

Ex-post facto approval of a trade cooperation framework secures government endorsement and enables enhanced bilateral trade cooperation.
Ex-post facto approval by the Union Cabinet formalises executive endorsement of the Trade Cooperation Framework between India and Rwanda signed on 23 July 2018, confirming post-signature acceptance and integrating the instrument into India's external trade policy to facilitate enhanced bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

Insurance regulatory cooperation enables exchange of information and joint work on standards, financial stability and consumer protection.
A Memorandum of Understanding establishes a framework for insurance regulatory cooperation between IRDAI and the U.S. Federal Insurance Office, enabling exchange of information and research assistance, mutual regulatory assistance and training, and coordinated engagement on international standard-setting, financial stability and consumer protection through prudential regulation.

Dearness Allowance increase for central employees and pensioners approved to adjust pay and pensions for price rise effective mid 2018.
Approval was granted for an additional Dearness Allowance for Central Government employees and Dearness Relief for pensioners, increasing DA/DR by two percentage points effective 1 July 2018 to compensate for price rise; the increase follows the accepted formula based on recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission and identifies the resulting exchequer impact and beneficiary population.

Legally binding instrument on business and human rights seeks to ensure victim protection and access to justice through treaty negotiations.
An Open Ended Intergovernmental Working Group was established under Human Rights Council Resolution 26/9 to elaborate a legally binding instrument on transnational corporations and other business enterprises addressing human rights. After three sessions and multiple consultations, draft elements stressing victim protection, elimination of impunity and access to justice were prepared, and Ecuador submitted a "Zero Draft" on 19 July 2018 as the basis for negotiations; stakeholders were invited to submit responses by 20 September 2018.

Lines of Credit support bilateral trade cooperation and capacity building to advance Kenya's development priorities.
Ministers co chaired the 8th India Kenya Joint Trade Committee, signed Agreed Minutes, and reviewed implementation of India's Lines of Credit for power transmission alongside cooperation in trade diversification, manufacturing, agro processing, SME development and capacity building to support Kenya's Big Four Agenda.

Insolvency professional training launched to enhance ethics and recent insolvency developments; participation is free nationwide.
IBBI inaugurated a one-day refresher programme for Insolvency Professionals, funded under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, focusing on ethics and conduct and recent developments in the insolvency and bankruptcy regime. The programme is free of enrolment or course fees, is expected to be attended by all IPs registered with the IBBI, and is delivered under the BFSI Sector Skill Council with guidance from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and partnerships with three Insolvency Professional Agencies and a knowledge partner.

Fiscal devolution urged to balance equity and efficiency in state and local resource allocation framework.
Fiscal devolution and resource allocation require recalibration to address intra state inequalities and strengthen financing for Urban Local Bodies and Panchayati Raj Institutions. Any devolution formula should balance equity and efficiency, reflect states' taxation capacity, and use contemporary population data; a holistic review of Centrally Sponsored Schemes and consideration of fiscal consolidation constraints are necessary to ensure coherent, implementable transfers.

Mobility innovation: global hackathon offering mentorship and pathways for commercial implementation of transport solutions and incubation support.
MoveHack is a global mobility hackathon with two tracks-technology-focused Just Code It and business-model focused Just Solve It-targeting themes like multimodal mobility, freight, road safety, electric mobility and AI for transport. The programme pairs prize incentives and cloud credits with curated mentoring, incubation support and opportunities for commercial integration of winning solutions into Smart Cities, state platforms and central projects; participation is open to international individuals and teams and culminates in a mentored workshop and final jury selection tied to a mobility summit.

Cash transportation curfew mandates restricted ATM replenishment hours with armed escorts, armoured vans and tracking for security.
Standard Operating Procedures prohibit ATM cash loading after prescribed hours in urban, rural and Left Wing Extremism affected districts and require cash transport only in armoured, GPS-tracked vans staffed by a driver, two armed security guards and custodians; at least one guard must remain with the van during loading and breaks. Agencies must limit cash per trip, fit vans with CCTV, alarms, emergency equipment, secure cash boxes with separate locks and keys held by different custodians, and conduct thorough antecedent checks and fidelity insurance for personnel while carrying out cash handling in segregated secured premises.

Mobility pitch competition empowers startups to showcase mobility solutions and secure investor engagement and summit recognition.
NITI Aayog launched the Mobility Pitch Competition to identify and incentivise startups offering innovative shared, connected and environment friendly mobility solutions. Startups across multiple mobility domains submit detailed applications for expert screening; selected candidates pitch before a jury and investors in a final round. Winners receive investor engagement, visibility at the MOVE summit, and collaboration support from NITI Aayog, Invest India and SIAM.

Consumer Price Index inflation: provisional July indices and food price trends published with state and category breakdowns.
The Central Statistics Office released provisional Consumer Price Index and Consumer Food Price Index on base 2012=100 for Rural, Urban and Combined for July 2018, reporting point to point annual inflation rates and month on month changes. The note provides all India and State/UT provisional indices, group and sub group tabulations with weights, and annexures of category and major State inflation rates. It explains methodology (data collection by NSSO and Department of Posts; web submission), notes provisional status and compilation gaps where price schedules are insufficient, and indicates the next scheduled release.

Regulatory requirements for life insurance claim settlement mandate prompt processing, disclosure on repudiation, and supervisory oversight.
Regulation 14 requires prompt processing of death claims, timelines for settlement, disclosure of reasons for rejection, and interest for insurer delays; Regulation 17 mandates procedures and mechanisms to resolve policyholder and claimant complaints. IRDAI monitors insurer claims data to detect discrepancies, conducts onsite and focussed online inspections, and initiates regulatory or corrective measures if grave irregularities in claim settlement are found. Annexures provide multi-year tables of death claims paid by individual and group policies and complaint outcomes for denial or partial denial across insurers.

Holistic island development mandate advances sustainable, capacity aware projects and investor engagement, enabling readiness for infrastructure implementation.
NITI Aayog is mandated to steer a holistic island development programme under the Island Development Agency, prioritising sustainable, eco friendly projects that respect island carrying capacity and coordinate with UT administrations. The first phase advances anchor tourism and infrastructure projects-such as ferry services, desalination, digital connectivity and green energy-several of which are ready to launch after land surveys, carrying capacity assessments, CRZ applications and pre feasibility studies, supported by investor engagement.

Innovation policy seeks to strengthen the innovation ecosystem via public private collaboration and targeted R&D investment.
NITI Aayog and industry stakeholders propose a coordinated strategy to elevate the national innovation ecosystem through a New Innovation Policy to attract R&D investment, build infrastructure and institutions, tap global technology hotspots, and link tinkering labs with start-ups, industry and higher education, while using the Global Innovation Index for benchmarking and prioritising sectoral innovation such as energy.