Sabka Vishwas Scheme offers settlement routes for legacy central excise and service tax disputes with specified duty reliefs.
Sabka Vishwas Scheme, 2019 provides a one time mechanism to settle legacy Central Excise and Service Tax disputes and voluntary disclosures quantified by 30 June 2019, excluding Fourth Schedule goods, convicted taxpayers, erroneous refunds and cases before the Settlement Commission. The Scheme sets differing relief percentages for arrears and for matters in adjudication or appeal, requires full payment for voluntary disclosures, waives interest/penalty, grants prosecution immunity, permits adjustment of deposits, mandates electronic cash payment (no input tax credit), guarantees a final decision within 60 days with opportunity for personal hearing, allows limited reopening for false disclosures, and operates via automated proceedings.

Bank amalgamation boosts credit capacity and operational efficiency through consolidation, governance reforms and technology.
Consolidation of public sector banks aims to create larger, national banks with enhanced credit capacity, operational efficiencies from unified core banking platforms and network rationalisation, and redeployment instead of retrenchment. Complementary operational measures include repo-linked loan products, online customer-service improvements, targeted NBFC/HFC support (partial credit guarantees and co-origination), and One-Time Settlement policies. Governance reforms bolster board authority, arm's-length senior appointments, Chief Risk Officer roles, separation of sanctioning and monitoring, and specialised valuation and early-warning systems to improve asset quality and provisioning.

Data-driven market power requires competition oversight to prevent platform dominance and preserve contestability and protect incentives for innovation.
E-commerce data and technology can create data-driven market power for platforms, requiring CCI and other regulators to oversee platform practices-including platform-to-business terms, discounting and platform neutrality-to prevent concentration and preserve contestability. Market studies and stakeholder engagement are urged to inform evidence-based, proportionate interventions that protect innovation incentives and ensure competition across online and offline interfaces.

Payment guarantee mechanisms for MSMEs and women entrepreneurs enable faster payments and linked working capital access.
A Memorandum of Understanding between GeM and SIDBI creates mechanisms to ensure guaranteed payment timelines by auto-debiting the GeM Pool Account, to broaden working capital through bill discounting (initially with PSU banks), to link working capital costs to seller performance and rating, and to control NPAs by monitoring end use of funds, alongside capacity building and value-added services targeting MSMEs, women entrepreneurs, SHGs, artisans, NGOs, start-ups and micro enterprises.

Foreign direct investment policy reform expands automatic approvals for coal mining and contract manufacturing and eases retail sourcing rules.
Cabinet approved liberalization of FDI policy to permit foreign investment under the automatic route for coal mining and sale including associated processing infrastructure, to allow contract manufacturing as a recognized mode of manufacturing eligible for foreign investment under the automatic route, to relax SBRT local sourcing rules by counting all procurements from India (including exports and indirect sourcing through third parties) toward local sourcing and permitting online retail prior to brick and mortar stores within a compliance period, and to permit foreign investment for digital news streaming under the government route.

Japan-India tax convention amended by MLI tightens permanent establishment and anti abuse rules affecting cross border income.
The Japan-India Convention, as amended by Protocols and modified by the MLI, allocates taxing rights for income categories, defines residence and key terms, and sets PE rules and profit attribution. The MLI narrows specific activity exemptions, treats commissionnaire and similar arrangements as creating a PE where contracts are habitually concluded or driven, provides a dual resident entity tie breaker that can deny treaty relief if no competent authority agreement is reached, and includes anti abuse and transfer pricing corresponding adjustment mechanisms. The Convention establishes withholding rate ceilings for dividends, interest, royalties and technical fees, mutual agreement and information exchange procedures, and mutual assistance in tax collection.

Measures to boost the Indian economy include tax reliefs, bank liquidity support, MSME GST refunds, and market-deepening actions.
Policy package establishes tax reliefs (withdrawal of enhanced surcharge on capital gains; exemption of a start-up provision for DPIIT-registered entities), centralised computerised issuance of income-tax communications with unique identifiers, GST simplification and expedited MSME refunds, corporate-law decriminalisation and incorporation simplification, upfront capital and liquidity support for banks and NBFCs including co-origination and Aadhaar-based KYC, transparent OTS policies, credit enhancement and partial guarantee schemes to deepen bond and housing finance, and targeted sectoral measures including infrastructure project pipelines and automotive demand support.

Integrated food processing event expands with new technology and chemical verticals to boost trade links and industry modernization.
Indusfood 2020 will add Indusfood Tech and Indusfood Chem to create a fully integrated food processing lifecycle event showcasing processing technologies, ingredients, cold chain and packaging, and digital applications, while facilitating hosted buyer outreach and over 20 B2B deliberations to strengthen export and supply chain linkages with global markets.

Legacy dispute relief scheme offers scaled waiver and amnesty enabling taxpayers to settle past service tax and excise liabilities.
Sabka Vishwas - Legacy Dispute Resolution Scheme, 2019 provides a time-limited mechanism to settle legacy Central Excise and Service Tax liabilities subsumed under GST through two components: dispute resolution for pending adjudication, appeal, investigation or audit cases, and amnesty allowing payment of outstanding tax with waiver of interest, fines, penalties and prosecution where applicable. Relief levels vary by case category and the status of the demand; voluntary disclosures require payment of the full disclosed duty.

WTO reforms urged to restore rule-based, transparent, non-discriminatory trade governance and counter rising protectionism globally.
WTO reforms must be pursued collectively by all member countries to restore a rule-based, transparent, and non-discriminatory governance of international trade; unilateral protectionist measures by some developed countries are disrupting trade in goods, services and investment and require coordinated multilateral reform rather than piecemeal responses. The statement also ties trade-policy reform to development goals, noting India's commitment to accelerate access to energy, literacy and potable water and endorsing South-South and Triangular Cooperation as mechanisms to advance development and involve broader participation.

Sustainable food value chains: conference urges aligning food safety and quality assurance with international standards and mitigation strategies.
Sustainable food value chains were the central focus, emphasizing alignment with international standards and the Food Safety and Security Act, 2006, expansion of food safety and quality assurance programmes, and prioritising capacity building, food-waste mitigation, and strengthening the food processing sector through technical and institutional measures across the value chain.

Geographical Indication protection affirms regional food and textile specialties, supporting traditional skills and rural incomes.
Four regional products - Palani Panchamirtham, Tawlhlohpuan, Mizo Puanchei and Tirur betel vine - have been registered as Geographical Indications. GI links a product's qualities or reputation to its geographical origin. The registered items are described by their traditional methods of production (a preservative free temple prasadam and handwoven textiles with supplementary yarn motifs) and by the specific localities of production. The announcement stresses that GI protection helps preserve traditional skills, supports artisans, farmers and weavers, and aids promotion and marketing by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.

Corporate Social Responsibility: Committee recommends extending applicability, aligning Schedule VII with SDGs, and strengthening reporting.
The Committee recommends clarifying and expanding the CSR framework: extend applicability to similarly placed entities (including LLPs and banks), defer CSR spending obligation for newly incorporated companies until three years of existence, permit Boards to perform CSR committee functions for companies with prescribed CSR below Rs. 50 lakhs, require unspent CSR amounts to be held in a designated account and spent within three to five years (with transfer thereafter to a government fund), map Schedule VII to the SDGs (SDG+), strengthen reporting and statutory financial audit of CSR (Schedule III), register implementing agencies, ensure tax neutrality, and create a CSR Exchange Portal and Social Impact Companies to deepen impact.

Intergovernmental fiscal review prompts Finance Commission engagement with state government, local bodies and stakeholders on state finances.
A central fiscal body will conduct an intergovernmental review in the State to examine fiscal and developmental matters with executive and local stakeholders, including meetings with economists, Panchayati Raj institutions, urban local bodies, political parties and trade groups; the engagement emphasises assessment of State Finances and presentations on the State's developmental and flagship schemes to inform fiscal recommendations.

Cartelisation prohibition: suppliers found to fix EPS prices and coordinate bids, with penalties adjusted under lesser penalty applications.
Cartelisation among EPS suppliers involved price determination, market allocation, coordinated bid responses and manipulation of RFIs/RFQs, causing an appreciable adverse effect on competition and contravening Section 3(3)(a) read with Section 3(1) of the Competition Act. The cartel ran from 2005 to 25 July 2011. Following lesser penalty applications, penalties were computed under Section 27(b) and for individuals under Section 48, with NSK/RNSS granted 100% reduction and JTEKT/JSAI granted 50% reduction.

Inflation rates based on CPI and CFPI: provisional July data show varied rural, urban and combined movements and monthly changes.
Provisional July 2019 consumer price statistics (base 2012=100) present All India point-to-point inflation for General CPI and CFPI across rural, urban and combined series, alongside monthly percentage changes. The release provides provisional July and final June indices at All India and State/UT level, item group and sub group tabulations with weights, and methodological notes on price collection and index compilation. It also notes provisional status, non-compilation flags where data were insufficient, and the next scheduled release.

Abuse of dominant position in residential sale terms identified; regulatory penalty and cease and desist enforcement followed.
CCI found Jaiprakash Associates abused dominance in the market for independent residential units by imposing one sided, vague standard terms-collecting charges without timely delivery, unilaterally altering layouts and construction, imposing unspecified fees, and reserving rights to raise finance without consulting buyers-constituting abusive conduct under Section 4(2)(a)(i), and issued a cease and desist directive alongside a monetary penalty based on average revenue in the relevant market.

Startup assessment procedure: section 56(2)(viib) challenges limited for recognized startups, supervisory approval required for further inquiry.
Assessment procedure for startups limits pursuit of section 56(2)(viib) challenges: DPIIT-recognized startups that filed Form No. 2 will have single-issue scrutiny under that section summarily accepted; where multi-issue scrutiny includes that section, it will not be pursued without supervisory approval and other issues may be examined only after such approval; recognized startups without Form No. 2 also require supervisory approval before inquiry. The DPIIT notification's scope is relaxed to apply where additions under section 56(2)(viib) were made and recognition plus Form No. 2 filing occurred subsequently.

Women Entrepreneurship: Nominations open for awards recognising women-led enterprises and support through WEP partnership collaboration.
NITI Aayog launched the Fourth Edition of the Women Transforming India Awards to recognise and promote women entrepreneurship, opening nominations via the Women Entrepreneurship Platform. WEP functions as a facilitation platform connecting women entrepreneurs with stakeholders across finance, marketing, mentoring, incubation and acceleration, hosting scheme information, enabling partner services such as credit ratings and skill development, and supporting data collection and grassroots engagement to extend benefits to the base of the pyramid.

Consumer Protection Act creates a Central Authority, three-tier dispute redressal, mediation, product liability remedies and penalties.
The Act establishes institutional and procedural mechanisms for consumer protection by creating the Central Consumer Protection Authority with investigatory and enforcement powers, a three-tier consumer disputes redressal system (District, State and National Commissions) with specified jurisdictional limits and procedures, mandatory mediation processes, remedies including recall, refund, replacement and compensation (including product liability claims), and offences with graded penalties for false advertising, adulteration and spurious goods.