Startup ownership protection urged to retain original promoters while promoting incorporation, listing and innovation hubs in India.
The Council directed policy support to boost VC funding, capacity building and awareness in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, emphasised protecting startup ownership with original promoters and encouraged incorporation and listing in India alongside developing innovation hubs. It reported progress on National Mentorship, Investor Startup Matchmaking and Incubator Capacity programs. The NavIC Grand Challenge was launched to promote NavIC adoption and to identify and handhold startups building NavIC enabled drones, within the DPIIT constituted multi stakeholder advisory framework.

Lab grown diamonds policy push for R&D and skilling to boost production, technological self-reliance and exports
Promotion of the lab-grown diamond sector centers on Research and Development, setting up common enabling facilities, and large-scale skilling to achieve technological self-reliance in production machinery and leadership in output. The initiative recognizes HPHT and CVD as the main production technologies and notes industrial applications beyond jewellery that increase strategic value. India's strength in cutting and polishing and recent export growth underpin a market-oriented approach, with projected employment expansion linked to coordinated government-industry measures to enhance R&D, infrastructure, workforce capability, and export competitiveness.

WPI inflation rises as fuel, metals and food price increases push wholesale price pressures nationwide.
Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation (base 2011-12) was provisional 15.08% in April 2022 and the WPI Food Index rose to 8.88%. Monthly WPI increased 2.08% from March 2022, with Primary Articles up 2.70%, Fuel & Power up 2.79% and Manufactured Products up 1.69%. The April rise was led by mineral oils, basic metals, crude petroleum & natural gas, food articles and chemicals. Provisional figures are compiled with an 83% weighted response rate and will be finalized under the WPI revision policy.

Government security repayment: holders must provide bank details for electronic credit or tender securities at paying offices before maturity.
Repayment of the 8.15% government security is payable at par on maturity and stops accruing interest from that date; if a State Government declares a holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act, paying offices in that State will repay on the previous working day. Under Government Securities Regulations, 2007 sub regulations 24(2) and 24(3), maturity proceeds are payable by pay order with bank particulars or by credit to the holder's bank account via electronic means, for which holders must submit bank particulars in advance. Absent such particulars, holders may tender duly discharged securities at designated paying offices twenty days before maturity.

Smuggling enforcement targets cross-border gold syndicates, intelligence-led operation yields seizures, vehicle detentions and arrests nationwide.
Intelligence-led interceptions on a national highway disrupted an organised cross-border gold smuggling syndicate from the Indo Myanmar border; after simultaneous stops of two oil tankers and a truck, concealed gold biscuits were recovered from multiple vehicle compartments, five suspects were arrested, and three vehicles were seized, with further investigations ongoing.

Concealment of gold detected and seized from imported air cargo following an intelligence-led inspection operation.
An intelligence-led operation uncovered sophisticated concealment of high-purity gold within imported triangle valves; after detailed inspection officers effected the seizure of gold concealed in multiple valve components, demonstrating detection of elaborate concealment techniques and the role of targeted intelligence in countering smuggling.

Bilateral trade talks aim to strengthen investment ties and explore pathways to increase trade between the two countries.
A UAE ministerial delegation visited India to hold high-level meetings with commerce officials and engage in B2B events, industry interactions, and investor meetings in New Delhi and Mumbai, aiming to strengthen bilateral trade and investment ties and to explore avenues for expanding commercial cooperation between the two countries.

Bilateral economic engagement: Oman delegation to India for joint commission and business council meetings strengthening trade ties.
A high-level multi-sectoral delegation from Oman will visit India from 10-14 May 2022 led by the Omani Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion. The 48-member delegation includes officials and business representatives from health, pharmaceuticals, mining, tourism, telecommunications, energy, shipping and real estate. The visit focuses on the 10th India-Oman Joint Commission Meeting on 11 May and a Joint Business Council meeting on 12 May, alongside B2B events, industry interactions and investor meetings to strengthen bilateral economic ties and promote investment.

Trade cooperation: India and Italy propose a fast-track mechanism to boost bilateral investment and sectoral industrial partnerships.
India and Italy are advancing a strategic economic partnership by institutionalising a fast track mechanism to accelerate economic cooperation and harness bilateral trade and investment complementarities. Co-operation will focus on priority sectors including railways, defence and aviation, automotives and electric mobility, food processing, leather, textiles and fashion, infrastructure financing, fintech, green energy, telecom, energy transition, and space and technology, alongside measures to promote SMEs, industrial partnerships, and linkages through multilateral and regional frameworks.

Startup valuation milestone: India reaches a centennial unicorn benchmark, signaling rapid sectoral growth and broader geographic spread.
India's startup ecosystem has reached 100 Unicorns, with recent rapid additions and substantial aggregate valuation. The release highlights accelerated year-on-year growth in unicorn formation, a wide range in time taken to achieve unicorn status, DPIIT recognition of tens of thousands of startups across all States and Union Territories, and sectoral diversification. It links these developments to government recognition frameworks and the objectives of the Startup India initiative and Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Industry 4.0 adoption urged for SMEs to boost productivity and sustainability while government facilitates manufacturing and exports.
SMEs are encouraged to adopt Industry 4.0 technologies to boost productivity, efficiency and sustainability, with emphasis on spreading these practices to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. The Government positions itself as a facilitator, promoting manufacturing and exports through measures such as Production Linked Incentives, trade agreements and Ease of Doing Business reforms, and by reducing compliance burdens via the National Single Window to support industry transformation.

One Nation One Ration Card expansion to benefit migrant populations, with biometric portability and zero tolerance for corruption.
Union Minister directed officials to identify land for a 'Tourist Craft Village' to showcase artisans, mandated regular DISHA coordination meetings and online project transparency, recommended establishing an APEDA-certified lab in Uttarakhand to validate organic produce for export, and set out procedural measures for the Public Distribution System including post-census ration-card revision and implementation of the One Nation One Ration Card scheme with biometric portability, while emphasizing sensitive execution of PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana and zero tolerance for corruption.

Services exports record surpassed previous high, driven by telecom, computer and business services, boosting overall export levels.
India's services exports reached a record in FY 2021-2022, led by telecommunications, computer and information services, other business services, and transport; March 2022 was an all time monthly high. Merchandise exports also hit a record, together producing a new aggregate exports peak for the financial year. Provisional April-December 2021 component data show concentrated credits in telecom and computer services, surpluses in several business service categories, and net deficits in certain transport and travel subcomponents.

Ease of doing business reaffirmed as a priority to deepen MSME cooperation and attract sectoral investment and partnerships.
DPIIT leadership reaffirmed India's commitment to improving ease of doing business while seeking to deepen bilateral MSME cooperation and attract investment in sectors including Food Processing, Textiles, Manufacturing, AI and Technology, Hydrogen and Green Energy, Sustainability and Digitalisation through government-led outreach and partnership facilitation.

Geographical Indications promotion boosts market access and branding for registered GI products through dedicated exhibitions.
A five day Geographical Indications pavilion at AAHAR 2022 showcased twenty five registered GI food and beverage products to promote branding, market linkages and international engagement, using the GI logo and tagline to advance recognition. The exhibition connected GI producers with commercial buyers and highlighted that GIs are goods whose quality or reputation is attributable to geographical origin, covering agricultural, natural, manufactured and handicraft products and reflecting an expanding register of GIs.

Index of Eight Core Industries growth signals sectoral rebound with steel, cement and natural gas driving industrial production recovery.
The Office of the Economic Adviser released the ICI showing a provisional cumulative growth of 10.4% for April-March 2021-22 and a 4.3% year on year rise in March 2022; the ICI covers Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement and Electricity and represents 40.27% of the IIP weight, with recent months marked provisional and subject to revision based on updated source agency data.

Continuation of PM SVANidhi scheme extends collateral-free lending and digital payment support for street vendors through extended term.
Cabinet approval extends Prime Minister Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) lending until December 2024, increasing the loan corpus and enhancing budgets for digital payment promotion including cashback. The extension focuses on providing affordable collateral free loans, institutionalizing access to formal credit for street vendors to support business expansion, mitigating potential NPAs for lending institutions, and delivering holistic socio economic upliftment for vendors and their families, citing continued pandemic related stress as the basis for extension.

Production-linked incentive scheme expands domestic component manufacturing for air conditioners and LED lights, enabling selection of committed investors.
The PLI Scheme for White Goods establishes a declining percentage incentive on incremental sales over five years after a one year gestation period to develop a domestic component ecosystem for air conditioners and LED lights. It targets specific components currently underproduced in India, requires applicants to submit commitments of investment and be selected under published guidelines, and allows additional applications under a defined clause; a second application round attracted nineteen applicants for AC and LED component manufacturing with projected production and employment impacts.

Intellectual property reform boosts patent and trademark activity and promotes IP awareness, commercialization among startups.
India's IP strategy emphasizes procedural simplification and ecosystem strengthening: trademark forms reduced to eight and patent filings consolidated into one form, measures credited with substantial increases in patents granted and trademarks registered. DPIIT links these reforms to Vision @2047 and advances IP awareness through NCERT inclusion, IPR chairs and IPR cells, and extensive institutional programmes. The agenda also promotes startup support, industry-academia collaboration and IP commercialisation, with special attention to the creative economy as a source of entrepreneurship and economic value.

Holistic ecosystem support urges awardees to adopt districts and mentor startups under seven targeted engagement pillars.
Secretary, DPIIT urged National Startup Awardees to adopt one district each to provide mentoring and handholding support, and announced a structured Handholding Support programme for awardees organised around seven pillars: Investor Connect, Mentorship, Government Connect, Unicorn Engagement, Capacity Development and Startup India Benefits, Market Access, and Brand Showcase, intended to translate award recognition into practical ecosystem development and scaling opportunities.