Fund of Funds to boost early-stage and deep-tech startups through seed allocations and support centres.
Approval of a government-backed Fund of Funds to mobilise patient capital for early-stage and seed financing of startups in deep tech domains, with an implementing institution receiving an initial disbursement to channel allocations for seed funding and support of small startups; establishment of a dedicated Startup India Desk as a multilingual toll free helpline; and directives to create state support centres providing shared infrastructure and prototyping facilities alongside regulatory simplification to ease startup compliance.

Comprehensive modular survey on education to collect national indicators and household expenditure after trainer CAPI workshop.
The Comprehensive Modular Survey (Education) will be implemented nationwide (excluding inaccessible Andaman and Nicobar villages) during April-June 2025 to collect education indicators, prioritising household expenditure data. A national trainers' workshop provided canvassing demonstrations and CAPI hands-on training to standardise field procedures, and the Ministry stressed data quality and proactive coordination with state authorities to ensure smooth survey operations.

Strengthening statistical systems: conference urges Centre-State collaboration for sub national estimates, SSS scheme and technical support.
Strengthening statistical systems at national and sub national levels is the conference's core objective, prioritising the production of sub national estimates, a sustained Centre-State collaboration framework, technical support to States/UTs, use of administrative and alternative datasets, and refinement of sub national SDG monitoring. Operational focus includes implementation of the Support for Statistical Strengthening (SSS) Scheme, State participation in national sample surveys for district level estimates, and methodologies for compiling GDP, IIP and CPI at sub national levels.

Entrepreneurship finance for SC, ST and women expanded under Stand Up India, increasing access to bank loans and inclusive enterprise support.
Stand Up India facilitates bank loans for entrepreneurs from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women to start greenfield enterprises, concentrating on credit access, outreach and structured sanctioning and disbursement to expand participation of these underserved groups.

Domestic startup investment urged to strengthen capital base and reduce foreign dependence, backed by government support for founders.
Call for increased domestic investment in startups to fortify India's capital base and reduce reliance on foreign funding, emphasising support for emerging technologies such as robotics, automation, machine learning, 3D manufacturing and next generation factories. The government commits to handholding and support for struggling startups to enable perseverance, and proposes nationwide initiatives, including a competition to identify young innovators from colleges and incubators to broaden participation and strengthen the startup pipeline.

IEM eligibility revised: higher investment and turnover thresholds now determine acknowledgment and reclassification.
Enterprises with investment in plant and machinery or equipment exceeding 125 crore, or annual turnover exceeding 500 crore, qualify for IEM acknowledgment under the revised guidelines effective 1 April 2025, replacing earlier thresholds and reclassifying units beyond MSME limits.

Startup Mahakumbh promotes national and international startup collaboration, showcasing diverse tribal entrepreneurs and advancing innovation partnerships.
Startup Mahakumbh convenes entrepreneurs, investors, incubators and accelerators to promote innovation, collaboration and market access, with inclusive participation including tribal entrepreneurs and institutional incubatees, and features international pavilions and curated exhibitor engagement to strengthen capital linkages and commercialization pathways.

Startup onboarding enables DPIIT-registered startups to register and sell on GeM through dedicated pavilion support.
End-to-end onboarding assistance will be provided to eligible DPIIT-registered Startups to enable registration and sales on the Government e Marketplace (GeM) via a dedicated Pavilion offering on-site Seller registrations, guided integration, free professional product photography and catalogue uploading support, and a multi-language virtual assistant to navigate the portal and manage queries.

Service Level Agreement-backed labour compliance enables streamlined government manpower outsourcing via a digital procurement platform.
GeM's manpower outsourcing service allows government buyers to engage outsourced personnel via a digital marketplace that emphasises labour compliance and transparency. The platform connects buyers with thousands of service providers, offers selection by skills, qualifications and experience, and provides transparent pricing options including minimum-wage and fixed-remuneration models. A comprehensive Service Level Agreement framework delineates legal obligations and ensures statutory labour protections and procurement compliance for outsourced resources.

KYC modernization aims to streamline processes, enhance security and reduce redundancy across financial sectors through stakeholder inputs.
Revamp of the Central KYC Records Registry and modernization of KYC processes were proposed to streamline customer identification across financial services, reduce duplication, and strengthen data security; stakeholders and regulators discussed challenges, reviewed measures taken, and offered suggestions for further efficiency, redundancy reduction, and security improvements.

Acquisition of additional voting rights and issuance of convertible preference shares alters shareholder voting and capital structure.
Approval concerns two corporate measures for Groww: collapse of founders' differential voting rights by acquisition of additional voting rights by certain shareholders, and issuance as a bonus of compulsorily convertible preference shares to all existing equity shareholders, together altering voting entitlements and the company's capital structure.

Bribery in tax administration prompts arrests after a sting operation for demanding and accepting a refund-related bribe; investigation ongoing.
A criminal probe alleges a CGST Superintendent demanded a portion of a GST refund and agreed to accept payment via a private intermediary; a sting operation led to the intermediary's apprehension while receiving the payment on behalf of the officer, and both accused were arrested and remain under investigation.

Arbitration and mediation mechanisms to boost investor confidence by improving dispute resolution efficiency and impartiality.
Arbitration and mediation frameworks must be strengthened to ensure faster, impartial, and investor friendly dispute resolution; reforms should reduce judicial delays, address corporate dominance and international bias concerns, and align arbitration laws and practices with global benchmarks. Complementary legal reforms under the Jan Vishwas Act and a proposed Jan Vishwas 2.0 aim to decriminalise minor offences, simplify processes, and reduce legal complexity. The government seeks stakeholder and legal fraternity engagement to modernise systems, integrate technology, and build a clear legal infrastructure that enhances investor confidence and supports India's manufacturing competitiveness.

Regulator-academia collaboration advances generative AI tools to simplify financial reporting and promote open-source innovation for improved financial analysis.
NFRA and an academic institution convened a collaborative hackathon to stimulate development of Generative AI and Large Language Model applications aimed at making corporate financial statements more accessible and decision-useful by automating data extraction, simplifying complex accounting concepts, and generating clear narrative explanations. The initiative promoted regulator-academia engagement, expert mentorship, and open-source release of solutions to encourage wider improvement and adoption in financial reporting.

Multimodal logistics reform to improve efficiency and reduce costs through institutional strengthening, warehousing standards and digitalization.
The SMILE Program creates a policy and investment framework to strengthen multimodal logistics at national, state and city levels by institutional capacity building, warehousing standardization, digital trade logistics, and smart low emission systems to reduce logistics costs and improve supply chain resilience; it also mandates gender audits of land ports and assessment of integrated check posts for gender responsiveness, aligning with the National Logistics Policy, PM Gati Shakti and Atmanirbhar Bharat objectives.

Official Development Assistance loan agreements finance sector projects to boost infrastructure, capacity building and sustainable development.
Loan agreements under Japan's Official Development Assistance were signed with JICA to finance six projects in forest management, water supply, urban transport, aquaculture, biodiversity conservation and investment promotion, each combining capital investment, technical assistance and institutional capacity building to achieve sectoral development objectives such as improved water supply in Chennai, enhanced forest management capacity, expansion of metropolitan mass rapid transport, aquaculture-led rural livelihood improvement in Assam, biodiversity and wetland management in Punjab, and investment promotion and skills training in Tamil Nadu.

Dearness allowance increase approved for central employees and pensioners, raising pay and relief levels nationwide.
An additional instalment of Dearness Allowance for Central Government employees and Dearness Relief for pensioners is approved w.e.f. 01.01.2025, increasing the existing rate by 2 percentage points to compensate for price rise, implemented under the formula based on the Seventh Central Pay Commission, and imposing a specified recurring annual cost to the exchequer.

Integrated multimodal connectivity evaluated to align infrastructure projects with PM GatiShakti principles, enhancing logistics and mobility.
The Network Planning Group assessed five projects for conformity with PM GatiShakti principles, focusing on integrated multimodal infrastructure, last mile connectivity to economic and social nodes, and intermodal coordination to enhance logistics efficiency and urban mobility. The package included two road upgrades to improve regional links and access to hubs, two railway works comprising a greenfield port link and a brownfield doubling to augment capacity, and a brownfield metro extension to integrate urban transit lines.

Intellectual property reform urged to adopt AI-driven trademark searches and stronger copyright protection, enhancing innovation and judicial support.
The government is strengthening the intellectual property ecosystem through legislative and administrative reforms, digital interventions in trademark and patent processes, large-scale recruitment of patent examiners, and a new IP office to expedite grants and protection. Measures include fee reductions for women entrepreneurs, startups and MSMEs, promotion of research foundation collaboration and grassroots innovation, calls for stronger copyright protection, adoption of AI and data analytics for trademark searches and enforcement, and proposals for specialized IP benches and law-student internships.

Startup funding support under the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme enables incubators to finance prototype to market pathways for startups.
The Government expanded the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme, under which an Experts Advisory Committee selects incubators from private and academic sectors for allocation of funds to support proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry and commercialization; this scheme functions alongside the Fund of Funds for Startups and the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups and is complemented by initiatives to improve market access, corporate mentorship, digital platforms and inclusive outreach to disadvantaged, rural and tribal entrepreneurs.