Market access in India-EU FTA negotiations discussed as key to enhancing bilateral trade and investment ties.
Discussion focused on advancing bilateral trade and investment frameworks, emphasizing market access as a central element of India-EU FTA negotiations. Ministers reviewed trade and investment trends, identified regulatory and commercial barriers to deeper integration, and highlighted priority sectors-infrastructure, renewable energy, mobility and aerospace-alongside WTO engagement and investment facilitation measures to support expanded commercial ties.

Strategic partnership expands trade, technology and investment ties, accelerating bilateral economic engagement and growth opportunities.
India and France are deepening a strategic partnership to expand trade, investment, tourism and technological cooperation, driven by leadership momentum and strengthened by business communities and the Indian diaspora. Priorities include boosting exports, enhancing infrastructure and logistics, attracting investment and technology (including defence manufacturing) while promoting indigenous production. India positions itself as offering "Scale, Speed and Skills," leveraging demographic and managerial capacity, digital connectivity, and a focus on innovation, sustainability and the green economy, with government attention to gender parity and accelerated bilateral dialogue to expand trade and investment.

Strategic partnership with France reinforces cooperation and calls diaspora engagement to support India's development and economic outreach.
India emphasizes its long-term strategic partnership with France and urges the diaspora to act as ambassadors to deepen cooperation in defence, technology, investment and tourism. Domestic government programmes-universal sanitation, clean cooking fuel, universal healthcare, education reform, digital connectivity and water supply-are presented as foundational enablers that improve dignity, health and opportunity, prepare citizens for technological transformation, and support economic growth and global engagement.

Bilateral economic cooperation advanced through India France Business Summit focusing on green transition, technologies and defence collaboration.
Bilateral economic cooperation between India and France is being advanced through an India France Business Summit focusing on the green transition, emerging technologies, defence cooperation and Indo Pacific engagement; senior ministers and a delegation of top Indian CEOs will co chair and participate in ministerial and business sessions to catalyse private sector partnerships.

National Startup Awards promote recognition and support for startups through category-based awards, mentorship and market access.
Launch of the National Startup Awards 2023 establishes a government-backed recognition programme with applications open from 1 April 2023 and a submission deadline of 31 May 2023. The Awards comprise twenty categories aligned to national innovation priorities; one winning startup per category will receive a cash prize and winners and finalists will obtain handholding support including investor and government connect, mentorship, international market access, and corporate linkages.

Railway infrastructure projects under PM GatiShakti to enhance multimodal connectivity and improve nationwide logistics efficiency.
Recommendation under PM GatiShakti endorses four Ministry of Railways projects to enhance multimodal connectivity and logistics efficiency: doubling the Sawai Madhopur-Jaipur Broad-Gauge line to relieve a feeder corridor and increase capacity; a new Broad-Gauge link Anand Nagar-Maharajganj to provide a direct alternative route and support regional development including freight movement to Nepal; a new Broad-Gauge line Junagarh-Nabarangpur to shorten mineral routes and enable road-rail intermodal logistics; and Automatic Block Signaling upgrades on freight-dense Western Railway to increase capacity and speeds.

Pension scheme enrolments rise as National Pension System and Atal Pension Yojana report significant subscriber growth.
Subscriber enrolments across the National Pension System and Atal Pension Yojana exceeded 1.35 crore in the financial year. The NPS private-sector component, comprising All Citizen and Corporate schemes, accounted for the majority share of new subscriptions with cumulative private-sector engagement exceeding ten lakh subscribers, while APY continued to attract a large cohort, contributing substantially to the aggregate enrolment tally.

Logistics policy focus drives infrastructure and digital platforms to reduce costs and deliver goods more efficiently nationwide.
Logistics is central to national policy with an emphasis on reducing costs through scale, efficiency and technology. Implementation focuses on coordinated infrastructure planning and integrated digital platforms-notably PM GatiShakti, the Unified Logistics Interface Platform, and dedicated freight corridors-and on partnering with industry and research bodies to translate recommendations into actionable roadmaps while promoting trust, transparency and skilled human resources to strengthen trade competitiveness.

Regional economic development: B20 conference to advance multilateral business partnerships and sectoral investment opportunities.
The conference in Kohima promotes regional economic development by targeting multilateral business partnerships in agriculture and food processing, tourism, and information technology through plenary sessions, sectoral addresses, and business to business and business to government meetings, while state authorities present investment opportunities and organise site visits and cultural programmes to connect delegates with local developments.

Repayment of Government Securities at par: holders must provide bank account details or tender securities for payment.
Repayment of Government Securities at scheduled maturity is payable at par and interest ceases from that date; if the repayment day is a holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, paying offices in the State will repay on the previous working day. Registered holders in Subsidiary General Ledger, Constituent Subsidiary General Ledger or by Stock Certificate will be paid by pay order incorporating bank account particulars or by electronic credit, and must submit bank particulars in advance; absent those particulars, holders may tender duly discharged securities at Public Debt Offices, Treasuries/Sub Treasuries or specified bank branches for repayment.

Repayment of government security at par with no further interest; payment via bank credit or tender at paying offices.
Repayment of 6.30% GS 2023 is payable at par on maturity and interest ceases from that date; if the maturity falls on 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 regs 24(2)-24(3), proceeds to registered holders in Subsidiary General Ledger accounts or by stock certificate shall be paid by pay order with bank particulars or by electronic credit, and holders must submit bank account particulars in advance. Absent such particulars, holders may tender discharged securities at designated paying offices for repayment.

Index of Eight Core Industries growth reported, led by coal, electricity, steel and fertilizers; recent data are provisional.
The Index of Eight Core Industries rose in February 2023 year on year, led by increases in coal, electricity, steel, fertilizers, cement, refinery products and natural gas while crude oil fell; a provisional cumulative growth for April-February is reported and November 2022 growth has been revised. The release supplies industry weights, sectoral indices and growth rates, notes provisional status of recent months, inclusion of renewable electricity and a 2019 expansion of steel product coverage, and states that indices are revised as source data are updated.

Resilient global value chains prioritized to diversify critical supply sectors and enhance inclusive MSME participation in trade.
G-20 Trade and Investment Working Group priorities under the Indian Presidency focus on making trade an engine for inclusive growth by strengthening resilient global value chains, diversifying supply chains in critical sectors, reducing cross-border and hinterland transaction and logistics costs, and increasing participation of developing countries and the Global South. The agenda highlights integrating MSMEs into global trade and addressing credit constraints and gender-based barriers facing women-owned MSMEs through cooperative interventions, infrastructure improvements and shared policy measures to enhance trade facilitation and market access.

Repayment of government security at par requires bank mandate or surrender at designated paying offices for payment.
The outstanding principal of the 8.08% PLI GOI SPL SECURITY 2023 is repayable at par on March 31, 2023, with no interest thereafter. Under Government Securities Regulations, 2007, maturity proceeds shall be paid by pay order or electronic credit to the bank account furnished by the registered holder; holders must submit bank particulars in advance. Absent such particulars, holders may tender duly discharged securities at Public Debt Offices, Treasuries, Sub Treasuries or specified State Bank of India branches for repayment.

Commercial quantity under NDPS Act triggers seizure and arrest after CBN operation targeting synthetic drugs.
Operation by the Central Bureau of Narcotics led to searches and seizures under the NDPS Act, 1985, recovering MDMA/Ecstasy, cocaine, suspected psychotropic powder, packing and weighing materials and delivery vehicles; two foreign nationals were arrested and diplomatic channels notified, and the classification of MDMA quantities as a commercial quantity informed enforcement.

GDP growth projection: government and multilateral forecasts align, with deviations limited to exceptional global shocks.
The Economic Survey's real GDP projection for the coming year was affirmed by the Union Minister of State for Finance and corresponds closely with the World Bank's independent forecast. Historically, official growth estimates have generally tracked actual growth, with significant divergence confined to years affected by exceptional global shocks such as the global financial crisis and the COVID 19 pandemic.

Maturity repayment procedure for government securities: holders must provide bank account details for electronic payment.
Payment at par is made on the maturity date with interest ceasing from that date. Holders of securities in Subsidiary General Ledger, Constituent Subsidiary General Ledger, or Stock Certificate form must submit bank account particulars or an electronic mandate in advance so payment can be made by credit or by a pay order incorporating bank particulars. Absent such particulars, holders may tender duly discharged securities at Public Debt Offices, Treasuries/Sub Treasuries, or designated bank branches for repayment. Paying offices will advance payment if the maturity date is a state-declared holiday.

Strengthening multilateral development banks to boost financing capacity and coordination for sustainable development outcomes.
Constitution of an expert group to strengthen Multilateral Development Banks tasked with preparing a roadmap with milestones and timelines to update the MDB ecosystem, reform vision, incentive structures, operational approaches and financial capacity to better finance Sustainable Development Goals and transboundary challenges, evaluate funding needs and complementary capacity sources, and design coordination mechanisms among MDBs, with a report due to the G20 Presidency.

Competition approval for acquisition of NSPIRA share capital, increasing promoter shareholding and management consolidation.
Approval was granted under the Competition Act for the acquisition of share capital of NSPIRA Management Services Private Limited by three individual acquirers who will purchase minority stakes from two selling shareholders, thereby increasing their aggregate holding alongside existing promoter and management positions. The acquirers include the Managing Director and a Director of the Target. NSPIRA provides management services to educational institutions, including administrative, academic support, infrastructure and IT services. A detailed order will follow.

Merger control approval confirms acquisition of JM Baxi Ports and Logistics by a Hapag Lloyd subsidiary, pending detailed order.
The Competition Commission of India approved the proposed combination in which HL Terminal Holding B.V., a newly incorporated wholly owned subsidiary of Hapag-Lloyd Aktiengesellschaft, will acquire certain shareholding in JM Baxi Ports and Logistics Private Limited, a provider of container terminal and inland logistics services; a detailed order of the regulator will follow.