Last-mile procurement access expanded via India Post and CSC assistance for seller onboarding and fulfilment on GeM.
The initiative enables last-mile access to the GeM Portal via Common Service Centres and India Post to assist buyers, sellers and service providers with registration, catalogue upload and management, order acceptance, fulfilment and invoice generation. Targeted support and in field training will connect under-served seller groups directly to government procurement markets. Value added services-product photography, packaging, logistics and shipment-will be provided through CSCs and India Post at charges defined by CSC and Department of Posts; some registrations are exempt from charges while catalogue management and value added services may attract nominal fees. Seller registration requires identity, contact, business constitution, address and bank details.

Dearness allowance increase announced, extending higher payments to central government employees and pensioners effective from January.
Approval was granted for an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance for Central Government employees and Dearness Relief for pensioners, effective 01.01.2023, increasing the existing rate by 4 percentage points over 38% of basic pay/pension under the accepted Seventh Central Pay Commission formula.

Quality initiative drives statewide adoption of accreditation and standards to improve services in education, health and MSMEs.
The Uttar Pradesh Gunvatta Sankalp is a state partnership with the Quality Council of India to advance quality standards across sectors by leveraging QCI accreditation and national quality promotion mechanisms. Focusing on education, healthcare, MSMEs and skilling, the initiative emphasises technology, transparency, resource optimisation and capacity building, positioning QCI as a long term implementation partner to mainstream accreditation, sectoral governance and digital interventions for improved service and product quality.

Indo Pacific economic engagement advances as India pursues supply chain, clean economy and fair economy talks to deepen ties.
India participated in the second IPEF negotiating round in Bali (13-19 March 2023), engaging in in depth, text based discussions on Supply Chains (Pillar II), Clean Economy (Pillar III) and Fair Economy (taxation and anti corruption, Pillar IV). The Indian Chief Negotiator emphasized IPEF's role in deepening economic engagement and inclusive development. Indian negotiators held bilateral meetings with partners; industry stakeholders joined engagement sessions and a Business Forum where NPCI presented the Unified Payments Interface as Digital Public Infrastructure. Partners committed to an aggressive 2023 negotiating timetable, with further round dates to be announced.

Appointment as Managing Director & CEO: additional charge assigned until a full-time regular appointment is made.
Ms. Manmeet K Nanda, IAS, has been appointed as Managing Director & CEO (additional charge) of Invest India by the Board to serve until a full-time regular appointment is made, following the resignation of the previous head; the Board recorded appreciation for his leadership and contributions.

NPS beneficiaries above age 60: continued contributions and annuity receipt recognized under NPS framework in government data
National Pension System beneficiaries above age 60 total 5,67,116, comprising individuals who continue to contribute after age 60 and those who have exited after 60 and are receiving annuity payments. The total aggregates active post 60 contributors and former subscribers drawing annuity, with State and Union Territory level details provided in an annexure.

Global startup policy coordination to harmonize definitions, capital access, and inclusive sustainable support across borders.
The Startup20 Engagement Group will advance coordinated international startup policy through three taskforces: Foundation and Alliances to develop consensus-based definitions, a global knowledge repository, cross-border market and talent access mechanisms, and collaborative policy recommendations; Finance to expand access to diverse and patient capital, harmonize tax and legal regulations to encourage investment, and produce best-practice investor engagement guidance; and Inclusion and Sustainability to support underrepresented founders and promote startups aligned with SDGs through targeted market, finance, training and regulatory measures.

Merger approval: Competition regulator clears Reliance Retail's acquisition of Metro Cash and Carry India, subject to detailed order.
CCI approved Reliance Retail Ventures Limited's acquisition of 100% of the issued and paid-up equity share capital of METRO Cash and Carry India Private Limited. The Acquirer, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited, operates wholesale and retail businesses across multiple product categories, while the Target conducts cash and carry wholesale trading in India. The CCI's detailed order will follow.

Merger control approval: Cummins to acquire sole control of Meritor following regulator clearance, detailed order to follow.
The Competition Commission of India granted clearance for the acquisition of sole control of Meritor, Inc. by Cummins Inc., confirming merger control approval of the proposed transaction; a detailed CCI order providing the reasons and conditions will be issued separately.

Business Twenty engagement spotlights Sikkim organic farming and advances startup ecosystem, green investment and skills development.
The press note announces the B20 Conference in Gangtok to showcase Sikkim's organic farming and regional business opportunities, describes DPIIT's role in organising four B20 events in the North East, and summarises B20 deliverables such as workforce reskilling, green energy investment, climate finance enhancement, inclusive innovation and private sector participation to build regional value chains. It also outlines Startup20 as a new engagement group under India's G20 presidency aimed at representing startup stakeholders, strengthening the global startup ecosystem, and positioning startups as job creators, and notes DPIIT's nodal role and the scheduled meetings and summits.

PMMY loans prioritize women and disadvantaged borrowers, boosting entrepreneurship and reported net additional job creation.
Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana reported over 38.58 crore loans disbursed since April 2015, with about two thirds of loans to women entrepreneurs and roughly half to SC/ST/OBC borrowers, based on Member Lending Institutions' data. A national large sample survey by the Ministry of Labour and Employment associated the Scheme with approximately 1.12 crore net additional employments over the survey period; district and State/UT disbursement details are provided in an annexure.

Economic growth projection: India expected to sustain recovery and remain among fastest growing major economies.
Official National Income estimates report strong real GDP expansion driven by a completed post pandemic recovery; the Ministry's revised annual figures form the basis for assessing sustained growth momentum and are corroborated by international forecasts identifying India among the fastest growing major economies and high in global GDP rankings.

International coordination on crypto assets prevents regulatory arbitrage and supports harmonised policy standards across jurisdictions.
International coordination on crypto assets is required because their borderless nature creates potential for regulatory arbitrage; the Government is engaging G 20 partners to prioritise international collaboration during the Indian Presidency so that domestic legislation or bans can be effective only alongside shared evaluation of risks and benefits, a common taxonomy, and agreed standards.

Startup advisory council to shape the national startup ecosystem and launch an investor-connect portal advancing innovation and capacity building.
The National Startup Advisory Council meeting, chaired by the Union Minister under the India@2047 theme, will address tech landscape priorities, logistics innovation, global skill market development, innovation hubs, women entrepreneurship, domestic capital capacity building and thematic seed funds, and will see launch of the Startup India Investor Connect portal by DPIIT and SIDBI; NSAC advises the Government on measures to nurture startups, comprises public officials and non-official ecosystem representatives, and incubates national programs such as MAARG, National Mentorship Program, Incubator Capacity Development Program and Startup Champions 2.0.

Tax devolution to states: supplementary instalment released to strengthen state capital and developmental expenditure.
Release of a supplementary monthly tax devolution instalment distributes the Net Proceeds of Union Taxes and Duties to State Governments to bolster state-level capital and developmental expenditure. The Union Government issued the 14th instalment for March 2023, with the payment exceeding the normal monthly devolution, and provided a state-wise breakup of amounts released.

Semiconductor supply chain partnership to coordinate resilience and diversification and promote bilateral R&D and skills development.
Establishes a collaborative mechanism between India and the United States under the India-US Commercial Dialogue to coordinate policy and cooperation on Semiconductor Supply chain resiliency and diversification, aligning objectives from the US CHIPS and Science Act and India's Semiconductor Mission and facilitating mutual R&D, talent development, and commercial opportunities across the semiconductor value chain.

National Pension System subscriber growth drives a marked rise in pension assets under management.
The release documents a year on year rise in National Pension System (NPS) subscribers and an increase in total pension Assets under Management (AUM), with scheme wise subscriber and AUM tables showing growth across Central Government, State Government, Corporate, All Citizen Model and APY; NPS Lite remains closed to new registrations since April 1, 2015.

Indigenization: auto industry urged to boost R&D and local sourcing to strengthen self reliance and supply chains.
The release urges the auto components sector to prioritize investment in indigenization via sustained Research and Development and higher quality standards to reduce external R&D dependence and serve domestic and global markets. It demands formalization of informal supply segments, stronger protection against copyright and patent infringement, startup mentoring, buyer education on product quality and life time costs, and partnership with consumer authorities. The statement also calls for supply chain localization supporting tier 2 and tier 3 suppliers and adopting a net zero sustainability commitment.

Enhancing efficiency of financial services to operationalise budget initiatives through stakeholder webinars and thematic breakout sessions.
Government convenes a post-budget webinar series to solicit stakeholder input for implementing Union Budget initiatives in the financial sector through six thematic breakout sessions on international financial services, credit facilitation and guarantees for MSMEs, customer ease including digital payments and account opening, central data processing and reclaiming of shares and dividends, regulatory optimisation for long-term goals, and national financial infrastructure and capacity building in securities markets.

Quality standards to curb low-quality imports and strengthen domestic manufacturing competitiveness while promoting sustainable consumption.
Government will introduce reasonably strict but practical quality standards for many products to curb low-quality imports, strengthen domestic manufacturing competitiveness, and protect consumers; this will be supported by expanded quality control orders and coordinated action across manufacturers, retailers, consumers, and investment in infrastructure, innovation, R&D and sustainability.