Delegation of powers for highway project approvals reorganised to speed appraisal and require ministerial approval where conditions apply.
Delegation of powers for appraisal and approval of National Highways projects has been revised: higher value projects will be appraised by committees chaired by expenditure or PPP appraisal authorities with final approval at the top investment approval forum; lower value projects (except those appraised by the roads ministry) will be appraised by a Standing Finance Committee with ministerial approval subject to conditions, with referrals to PPP or expenditure committees and to the highest forum where conditions are unmet or dissent is recorded.

Index Revision: industrial production index revised upward after correction to electricity sector data, altering sectoral and use based growth rates.
Correction issued to previously released industrial production statistics: a recording error in the Electricity sector data has been rectified, producing an upward revision of the Electricity sector index and the overall General Index for April 2013. The corrigendum specifies the corrected Electricity-sector index and states that the revised General Index is higher than the earlier published figure, and summarizes revised sectoral and use-based growth rates.

Consumer Price Index reports provisional monthly inflation with distinct rural and urban rates and state level indices released.
The release publishes Consumer Price Indices on base 2010=100 for rural, urban and combined areas, giving provisional indices for May and final indices for April, reporting all India general, group and sub group CPI numbers and point to point inflation rates, and providing State/UT detailed indices and annexures with underlying price collection procedures.

Consumer Price Index release shows May inflation trends and rural urban and food group breakdowns for monitoring price movement.
Release of Consumer Price Index (Base 2010=100) for May 2013 with CPI levels for rural, urban and combined areas and point to point annual inflation rates (May 2013 over May 2012) for combined, rural and urban segments. The statement also supplies provisional annual inflation rates for the 'food and beverages' group and provides final inflation figures for April 2013 for comparison.

Index of Industrial Production shows mixed sectoral and use based growth for April 2013, with recent months revised.
Quick estimates for April 2013 present the IIP level and year on year growth, report sectoral indices for Mining, Manufacturing and Electricity with their growth rates, and identify manufacturing industry groups and specific items with significant positive or negative performance. The use based classification shows differing growth in Basic, Capital, Intermediate, Consumer durables and Consumer non durables. March 2013 indices have undergone a first revision and January 2013 a final revision based on updated source agency data, with a further final revision for March to coincide with June releases. Accompanying tables provide sectoral, 2 digit NIC 2004 and use based breakdowns.

Index of Industrial Production shows modest year on year growth with mixed sectoral and use based performance.
The release reports the monthly Quick Estimates of the Index of Industrial Production for April 2013, a composite indicator measuring short term changes in industrial production, with disaggregated performance for Mining, Manufacturing, and Electricity and a use based breakdown showing expansion in Basic, Capital, Intermediate and Consumer Non Durables and contraction in Consumer Durables.

Acting Chief Justice appointment under constitutional provision assigns senior-most judge to perform duties after incumbent's retirement.
The President, exercising powers under Article 223, appointed the senior-most judge of the High Court to perform the duties of Chief Justice with immediate effect consequent upon the retirement of the incumbent, thereby providing administrative continuity in court leadership.

Appointment under Article 217: Additional Judges confirmed as permanent judges upon assuming charge of office.
The President, invoking Article 217, has appointed three Additional Judges of the High Court as Judges of that High Court, the appointments becoming effective when each appointee assumes charge of office.

Appointment under Article 224: President names an Additional Judge to the High Court with effect from assumption of charge.
The President, exercising the power under Article 224 of the Constitution, appointed Dr. Bharat Bhushan Parsoon as an Additional Judge of the High Court of Punjab & Haryana, effective from the date he assumes charge, as a formal executive notification of temporary judicial appointment.

Judicial appointment under constitutional provision elevates an Additional Judge to Judge by presidential order upon assuming office.
The President, exercising the power conferred by Article 217(1) of the Constitution, has appointed Shri Justice Mool Chand Garg, then an Additional Judge of the High Court of Delhi, as a Judge of that High Court, with the appointment taking effect from the date he assumes charge of the office.

National Skill Development Agency to coordinate skilling policy, anchor qualifications framework and address marginalised groups' training needs.
The Government constituted the National Skill Development Agency by subsuming prior coordination bodies to coordinate and harmonize public and private skill development efforts, develop and monitor an overarching framework, anchor the National Skills Qualifications Framework, and facilitate professional certifying bodies, with an explicit mandate to address skilling needs of disadvantaged and marginalized groups.

Investment protection and telecom selection process: reassurance of transparent bidding and expedited resolution of investor concerns.
The document reports discussions on the ongoing selection process for telecom companies in Myanmar with assurances of transparency and calls for serious consideration of Indian bidders; it also records bilateral exploration of investment collaboration across multiple sectors and a commitment to address investor concerns, including protection of investment and expedited resolution of pending matters raised by Telenor.

Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG subsidy credited to Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts on cylinder booking; market-priced supply with cash credit follows.
Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG subsidy began in eighteen pilot districts with an operational mechanism that automatically credits an advance subsidy to Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts at the time of cylinder booking while consumers receive LPG at market price; consumers without Aadhaar-seeded accounts continue to get subsidized cylinders and are given time to seed their accounts, with early implementation showing high uptake and low failure rates.

Development partnership driving regional connectivity and capacity building to align trade and infrastructure cooperation with Myanmar's priorities.
India commits to a bilateral development partnership with Myanmar prioritizing trade and investment through the ASEAN Comprehensive Economic Partnership, regional connectivity projects such as the trilateral highway and Kaladan Multimodal Transit-Transport Project, and sectoral assistance including IT and vocational training centres, expanded training slots, agricultural research and a Rice Bio Park funded by grant assistance to support Myanmar's economic priorities.

Project approval for hospital redevelopment enables establishment of specialty and emergency blocks with PPP diagnostic facilities.
Phase I approval authorises construction of two distinct blocks: a Super Specialty cum Paid Ward block for major specialties with some diagnostic services via Public Private Partnership, and an Emergency block for orthopedics, neurosurgery, general surgery and emergency cases with hospital provided diagnostics; both blocks include ICU capacity and specified bed complements, and the project includes a defined implementation schedule inclusive of commissioning, operationalization and stabilization.

Concessional credit for persons with disabilities expands via NHFDC-PNB refinance, enabling easier education and self employment loans nationwide.
NHFDC and Punjab National Bank signed an MOU under which NHFDC will refinance PNB for concessional loans to Persons with Disabilities, covering self-employment loans that are within the Credit Guarantee Scheme of CGTMSE and education loans for higher studies. Concessional NHFDC credit to PwDs is available up to specified ceilings at interest rates within a defined range, with a 1% rebate for women beneficiaries; education loans for studies in India and abroad carry concessional rates and lower rates for female students. PNB branches will distribute the NHFDC education loan products nationwide.

Permanent High Court benches established to improve access to justice and speed case disposal for local litigants.
Establishment of permanent benches of the Karnataka High Court at Dharwad and Gulbarga to improve access to justice and expedite case disposal by converting existing rotational circuit benches into permanent benches. The State provided requisite infrastructure-court buildings, halls, judges' and staff quarters-and sanctioned officer positions; the proposal has State Government and Chief Justice approval.

Programme restructuring shifts planning to block-level, adds towns and village clusters, and delegates project approval to states.
Restructuring revises MsDP into an area-focused model by shifting the planning unit from district to Block level, extending coverage to towns/cities and clusters of minority-concentration villages, constituting Block Level Committees for grassroots planning and monitoring, delegating project approval powers to States, and expanding geographic scope to additional Blocks and towns to address socio-economic infrastructure and basic amenity deficits.

Definition of group company sets voting-rights and board-control thresholds determining related enterprises under FDI policy.
Group company is defined for FDI policy as two or more enterprises which, directly or indirectly, are in a position to exercise specified voting-right control in another enterprise or to appoint a majority of the other enterprise's board; the definition was incorporated into the Consolidated FDI Policy and directed to take immediate effect.

Foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail: addition of Himachal Pradesh to list permitting FDI under government approval route.
The press note amends paragraph 6.2.16.5(2) of the Consolidated FDI Policy to add Himachal Pradesh to the list of States/UTs consenting to permit Foreign Direct Investment in the Multi-Brand Retail Trading sector under the government approval route, and states that the amendment takes immediate effect.