Intellectual property cooperation expands patent examination capacity through a bilateral MoU enabling training, expert exchanges and technical collaboration.
Approval was granted for a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate in the field of intellectual property, establishing a flexible mechanism for developing automation, documentation and information systems, and providing for collaborative training, exchange of experts, technical assistance and outreach to enhance the capacity to examine patent applications.

Ease of Doing Business cooperation: bilateral technical assistance and official exchanges to support regulatory reform and capacity building.
A bilateral MoU creates a framework for India-UK cooperation to enhance Ease of Doing Business through reciprocal exchange of officials, technical assistance, and capacity building for central and state governments. UK agencies will provide professional courses and expertise on topics such as business registration, tax administration, insolvency, permits, electricity, risk based inspections, cross border trade, competition economics, access to credit, legislative drafting, regulatory reduction, and impact assessment. Each side bears travel and logistics costs for its officials and for co hosted events.

Trade openness signals policy review as government aligns liberalization with inclusive growth and protections for vulnerable groups.
Trade openness has risen, and although the global slowdown affected exports, recent months showed recovery; international forecasts view Indian growth as robust. The government adopts calibrated, cautious liberalization-protecting sensitive sectors-and regularly reviews policies to align liberalization with inclusive growth, pursuing multilateral outcomes that safeguard the poor.

No surcharge on debit card payments: consumers may refuse extra charges and lodge complaints with their bank.
Debit card activation enables electronic payments, ATM withdrawals and PIN-protected security; banks provide or enable PIN issuance and reissuance, and inactive cards may require activation. Promotional measures include zero MDR on debit card POS transactions for the promotional interval and an excise duty waiver on POS acquisition for a limited period to reduce merchant costs. Card-network rules prohibit merchants from imposing an additional surcharge for card acceptance; consumers may refuse such charges and lodge complaints with their bank. NPCI has provided an insurance cover for eligible RuPay cardholders under the programme.

FATCA and CRS reporting: RFIs must perform due diligence, collect self certifications/TINs and file Form 61B electronically.
Guidance directs Indian Reporting Financial Institutions to identify RFIs and Reportable Accounts under FATCA/CRS, apply tiered due diligence (electronic, paper, relationship manager) for preexisting and new accounts, obtain and verify self certifications and TINs, aggregate linked accounts, and report prescribed data (identification, TIN, account number, year end balance/value, gross payments) in Form 61B via the ITDREIN e filing process, observe specified timelines and cut off dates, obtain GIIN where applicable, and comply with retention and penalty rules for inaccurate or late reporting.

Old high-denomination notes exemption removed for petrol, diesel and gas stations and airport ticketing; LPG payments remain permitted.
Removal of exemption is announced for acceptance of old high-denomination bank notes at public sector petrol, diesel and gas retail outlets and for purchase of airline tickets at airports, effective midnight of 2nd December, 2016. Supply of domestic LPG sales remains within the exempted category and all other previously notified exempted categories continue unchanged.

Supplemental visa fee increase prompts trade dispute, with claims challenging visa fees and numerical limits.
The statute increases supplemental fees for L-1 and H-1B visas for companies meeting a specified employee-mix threshold, raising per-visa levies and affecting firms with visa-dependent workforces. The affected country pursued consultations under the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism challenging the measures as to visa fees and numerical allocation of H-1B visas, while the United States contends the law applies uniformly to all companies irrespective of origin.

Undisclosed income declarants face 30% tax, 33% cess, 10% penalty and 25% deposit under PMGKY.
The Bill substitutes section 115BBE to tax income falling under sections 68-69D at a high rate with remaining tax computed on reduced total income; strengthens search-related penalty section 271AAB by adding 30% and 60% penalty bands depending on admission and compliance; inserts section 271AAC imposing a 10% penalty on tax computed under clause (i) of section 115BBE for determined unexplained incomes (with limited exceptions); and establishes PMGKY allowing voluntary declarations with 30% tax, 33% cess, 10% penalty and a 25% deposit into a non interest deposit scheme, subject to exclusions and procedural conditions.

Social welfare system focus: enhanced education and healthcare provisions to strengthen services for children, women and seniors.
The Government proposes an extensive social welfare system prioritising improved education and strengthened healthcare for children, women and senior citizens, with rising resource allocations prompting calls for policy reforms and timely implementation. Stakeholders urged increased budgetary allocations for education and health, filling vacancies of doctors, nurses and teachers, strengthening DIETs and school sanitation, focused healthcare for vulnerable workers, monitoring mechanisms for scheme implementation, and higher taxation on tobacco for public health.

Telecommunication sector achievement report highlights Make in India progress and sectoral regulatory and policy milestones.
Telecommunication sector achievement report under the Make in India initiative is a government press release summarising sectoral progress, capacity-building, infrastructure expansion, and regulatory developments aimed at promoting manufacturing and services investment in telecommunications and recording implementation milestones and policy measures taken to support the initiative.

Make in India automotive sector achievement report released, outlining sectoral initiatives, policy achievements and future objectives.
Release of the Make in India Automotive Sector Achievement Report by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry announces government-assessed progress, policy measures, and sectoral initiatives aimed at promoting investment, manufacturing capacity, and technology adoption in the automotive industry.

Industrial policy update: Make in India textile and apparel achievement report outlines sectoral promotional and regulatory measures.
Announcement of a sectoral achievement report detailing implementation, performance and promotional measures under the Make in India initiative for the Textile & Apparel sector, communicating governmental monitoring of sectoral objectives and summarizing policy driven interventions to boost manufacturing, exports and competitiveness.

Trade Facilitation in Services proposal seeks to ease cross-border services trade while preserving developing countries' policy space.
Trade facilitation in services is proposed as a WTO initiative to remove barriers and operationalise measures that facilitate cross-border services trade. The initiative foregrounds the development dimension, seeks to preserve policy space for developing countries, and prioritises implementation of Bali and Nairobi Ministerial Decisions. India circulated a Concept Note and a subsequent detailed communication outlining the rationale and possible constituent elements of a Trade Facilitation in Services Agreement, aiming to create a services counterpart to the goods Trade Facilitation Agreement and to identify negotiable elements for future ministerial outcomes.

Insolvency professional registration and exam framework established; entity recognition allowed with joint and several liability.
The regulations set a framework for registration, regulation and oversight of insolvency professionals, prescribing eligibility through Limited or National Insolvency Examinations, transitional registration without exam for experienced designated professionals with limited validity, and Board publication of exam syllabus and criteria. They allow recognition of insolvency professional entities where a majority of partners or whole time directors are registered professionals and permit use of entity resources subject to joint and several liability for acts or omissions.

Digital transformation enables cashless transactions and online booking at public trade fairs, expanding ticketing and exhibitor services.
The fair implemented a digital transformation by introducing an online space-booking system with payment gateway integration, expanding online ticketing to all event days, and deploying a mobile application providing exhibitor contacts, floor plans, product search and navigation. Cashless infrastructure was established through bank-supplied point-of-sale terminals and digital wallet partnerships to enable electronic payments and support small enterprises and exhibitors.

International maritime cooperation advances port development and shipbuilding collaboration through government MOUs and technical licences.
A series of Memoranda of Understanding and agreements establish frameworks for port development, utilization and management, maritime transport cooperation, and shipbuilding collaboration; Cochin Shipyard Limited concurrently entered into technical collaborations, service agreements and licensing arrangements with foreign firms to obtain designs, construction partnerships, technical services and patented technology for specialized vessels, thereby enabling technology transfer and capability-building in the domestic maritime sector.

Administration of Copyright Act transfer prompts amendment to Board terms and initiates appointments process.
Administration of the Copyright Act was transferred to the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion and the department amended sub rule (1) of rule 3 of the Copyright Rules to revise the terms and conditions of office for the Chairman and Members of the Copyright Board; procedural steps for appointing a Chairman and advertising vacancies for two Members have been taken, with the Board's establishment projected in the next financial year.

Central financial non-assistance policy: industry support limited to scheme-based incentives processed by ministries, states decide locations.
The Central Government generally does not provide direct financial assistance for setting up industries; instead, financial and non-financial incentives are available only under defined Sectoral and Spatial Plan Schemes administered by Ministries (including special packages for difficult areas, NEIIPP, transport/freight subsidies, IIUS/MIIUS, and ILDP). Project proposals are received and processed by the concerned Ministries under scheme parameters, and the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion does not centrally maintain production details of specific industrial establishments.

Special and differential treatment urged in WTO talks; India presses subsidy, public stockholding and safeguard implementation.
India seeks enhanced protections for developing countries in WTO talks, pressing for special & differential treatment and prioritized implementation of Ministerial decisions on fisheries subsidies, public stockholding for food security, and an agricultural special safeguard mechanism while coordinating with developing-country coalitions. India has also defended its domestic safeguard investigations into aluminium and steel as consistent with the WTO safeguard mechanism.

BRICS trade promotion: inaugural Trade Fair facilitated cross-border business engagements and B2B partnerships among member nations.
The inaugural BRICS Trade Fair in New Delhi, organised under India's BRICS Presidency, served as an interactive business engagement to promote trade and investment among BRICS nations by showcasing technologies, goods and services, facilitating B2B meetings and exploring joint venture opportunities; it was not a consumer sales event and immediate revenue for participating Indian firms was not quantifiable, and the decision on future fairs rests with the next Presidency.