Steel business transfer via slump sale and 50% JFE stake will create a 50:50 joint venture with JSW Steel.
The Commission approved the transfer of Bhushan Power and Steel Limited's steel business to JSW Sambalpur by way of a slump sale, and JFE Steel Corporation's acquisition of 50% of JSW Kalinga, producing an indirect 50% holding in JSW Sambalpur; JSW Kalinga and JSW Sambalpur will be operated as a 50:50 joint venture between JFE and JSW Steel Ltd.

Tata Steel acquisition of 50.01% stake in Thriveni Pellets approved, affecting iron ore pellet production and sales.
The Commission approved Tata Steel Limited's acquisition of 50.01% equity in Thriveni Pellets Private Limited from Thriveni Earthmovers Private Limited, giving Tata Steel majority control of a company engaged in production and sale of iron ore pellets; TPPL's subsidiary Brahmani River Pellets Limited also produces and sells iron ore pellets in India.

MSME digital lending via Jan Samarth enables instant in-principle sanctions using digital footprints and automated credit assessment.
Public Sector Banks adopted a Credit Assessment Model using digitally verifiable footprints to automate MSME loan appraisal and model-based limit assessment for ETB and NTB borrowers. The system ingests GST, ITR, bank statements via account aggregators, CIC reports and other API-fetched data for KYC, fraud checks and due diligence, enables instant in-principle sanctions through the Jan Samarth Portal for loans within defined thresholds, supports end-to-end Straight Through Processing, and integrates with credit guarantee mechanisms such as CGTMSE.

LIC urged to align its capital and digital strategy with national growth priorities while expanding insurance coverage.
LIC's designation as a Domestic Systemically Important Insurer (D-SII) carries responsibility for financial stability; the Secretary urged using LIC's consolidated AUM and strong solvency to align investments with national priorities such as green energy, infrastructure, startups and alternate investment funds, while improving persistency. Operational measures include Project DIVE for end-to-end digital transformation, a strategic product shift to high-growth non-participating and customizable products to attract younger customers, and strengthening distribution via Jeevan Samarth and the Bima Sakhis programme to expand rural coverage.

India's financial reforms advance investor protection, market deepening, KYC simplification, digital payments, CBDC rollout and infrastructure financing.
Policy and regulatory reforms strengthened market integrity, investor protection, and digital finance infrastructure. Under an FSDC mechanism, regulatory adjustments tightened SME public-issue norms, improved derivatives monitoring, mandated direct client payouts, and regulated algorithmic trading. Market-deepening steps included MF Lite, shorter debt listing timelines, CCN adoption, and single-window onboarding for foreign investors. Investor measures introduced a unified mobile app, SEBI Check for UPI verification, revised nomination norms, and small-ticket SIPs. Digital initiatives scaled the Account Aggregator SRO, internationalised UPI, mandated standardized intermediary UPI IDs, and expanded retail and wholesale CBDC pilots, while KYC interoperability and sector cybersecurity were advanced.

Womaniya initiative empowers women led MSEs to secure public procurement orders and expand access to government markets.
The Womaniya initiative on the Government e Marketplace provides a digital interface to increase women led MSE participation in public procurement; over two lakh women led MSEs are registered and have secured orders exceeding Rs.80,000 crore (4.7% of GeM orders), surpassing the three percent procurement target. The initiative removes intermediaries, lowers entry barriers, promotes price discovery and GFR awareness, and pairs capability building with stakeholder convergence. A Memorandum of Understanding with the Women's Collective Forum formalises support for onboarding, documentation, compliance, training and visibility to enhance women entrepreneurs' access to government markets.

FDDI Foundation Day launches Vision 2030 and an Industry Membership Programme to boost skills, innovation and sustainability.
FDDI, an Institution of National Importance, unveiled Vision 2030 focused on innovation-led education, sustainability, entrepreneurship and global competitiveness, and launched an Industry Membership Programme alongside Memoranda of Understanding to institutionalise collaboration in education, research, skilling and technology transfer, aligning workforce development and industry-academia engagement.

NFRA launches AI challenge for financial reporting compliance, offering prizes, startup participation, and a potential deployment contract.
NFRA, with IndiaAI, launched the IndiaAI Financial Reporting Compliance Challenge to solicit AI solutions that extract data from multi-format documents and validate it against frameworks, offering a Rs.1.5 Crore prize pool, interim awards to up to ten teams, and a potential two-year national deployment contract; required deliverables include explainable compliance validation reports, automated risk analytics, and an AI insight bot, with applications closing February 22, 2026.

Paripoorna Mediclaim Ayush Bima expands CGHS beneficiaries' coverage with indemnity inpatient insurance and co-payment options.
Department of Financial Services launched Paripoorna Mediclaim Ayush Bima for CGHS beneficiaries, an optional indemnity in patient hospitalization product for up to six members per policy with Rs.10 Lakh and Rs.20 Lakh sum insured options and selectable 70:30 or 50:50 co payment. Key features include room rent caps (1% normal, 2% ICU), 30 day pre and 60 day post hospitalization cover, AYUSH coverage up to 100% of sum insured, modern treatment cover up to 25% with an optional full cover rider, a cumulative 10% no claim bonus per year up to 100%, discounted premiums by co payment, and no GST; distribution via insurer offices and online platform.

Government security holders must provide bank details for electronic maturity payment or tender discharged securities 20 days before repayment.
Maturity proceeds of the government security must be paid to the registered holder by electronic credit or by pay order where bank account particulars are provided; interest ceases from the repayment date and, if no electronic mandate is on file, holders must tender duly discharged securities at designated paying offices at least 20 days before maturity to receive repayment.

Adoption of chain-based IIP methodology proposed, inviting stakeholder comments on annual weight updating and methodology.
The Ministry proposes adopting a chain-based method for compiling the Index of Industrial Production to allow annual updating of sector and industry weights, improving accuracy as production structures change; MoSPI invites comments from stakeholders on Discussion Paper 2.0 setting out the proposed chain-linking methodology and data source revisions.

PFRDA outreach to MSMEs promotes NPS enrollment for retirement security and financial inclusion of employees.
PFRDA promoted the National Pension System to MSMEs at the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference, emphasizing NPS attributes-cost-effectiveness, flexible contributions, tax efficiency, portability, no minimum employee threshold-and recent reforms such as higher equity exposure, greater withdrawal flexibility, raised maximum account age, and NPS Vatsalya. Through PwC and PoP representatives and an exhibition stall, PFRDA explained the NPS Corporate Sector Model that allows employers to provide structured old age social security with combined employer and employee contributions and supported on site awareness and enrolment efforts.

PFRDA expert committee to design assured payouts under the National Pension System, covering guarantees, operational terms, risk and disclosures.
PFRDA has formed a 15-member expert committee to design regulations enabling assured payouts under the National Pension System, focusing on market-based legal mechanisms for guarantees, operational terms for decumulation (lock-in, withdrawals, pricing, fees), capital and solvency risk requirements, tax treatment preserving NPS membership, and standardized disclosures to prevent mis-selling.

National Traders' Welfare Board reviews retail initiatives, highlighting GST reforms, vocal for local and digital market access.
The Board forwarded representations from trade associations to relevant Ministries, sought suggestions to increase awareness of welfare schemes, and prioritized GST reform benefits, Vocal for Local promotion and digital transformation through platforms like the Open Network for Digital Commerce to expand market access. Future policy focus includes capacity building, financial support, social security, market linkages and transparent grievance redressal for trader welfare.

SWAMIH Fund provided last mile financing to stalled housing projects, enabling large-scale home completions and partial capital returns.
SWAMIH Investment Fund delivers last mile financing to stalled affordable and mid income residential projects, fully committing its corpus before 5 December 2025. Its portfolio spans over 145 projects in 30 cities, aims to deliver over 100,000 homes and has delivered ~61,000 homes across 110 projects as of 15 December 2025. The Fund unlocked Rs.37,400 crore+ across 127 projects, achieved 55 full and 44 partial exits, and returned nearly 50% of drawn capital (about Rs.3,500 crore of ~Rs.7,000 crore from the Government of India). A Rs.15,000 crore blended SWAMIH Fund 2 was announced to complete another 100,000 units.

Public Financial Management System expands DBT, procurement manuals revised, and states eligible for performance linked additional borrowing.
The Department of Expenditure highlights PFMS enabled Direct Benefit Transfer across 966 schemes delivering 210.56 crore transactions and Rs.2.87 lakh crore to beneficiaries in FY 2025-26 (till 31 Dec 2025); revised procurement manuals (Goods, Consultancy, Non Consultancy Services, Works) updating policy and CVC guidance; expansion of the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure with specified allocations and disbursements; Net Borrowing Ceilings at 3% of GSDP and an additional 0.5% GSDP borrowing window linked to prescribed power sector reforms; and allocation of Finance Commission and disaster grants for 2025-26.

Gold smuggling syndicate busted; 29.2 kg seized, cash recovered and four arrests under customs enforcement.
DRI conducted coordinated searches and seizures under the Customs Act, recovering 29.2 kg foreign origin gold and approx. Rs.2.9 crore cash from consignments routed via Tripura to Delhi, and arresting four syndicate members alleged to have operated with handlers in Dubai, Bangladesh and local jewellery operators.

India EU Free Trade Agreement talks focus on zero duty access for labour intensive sectors and expedited ministerial negotiations.
A ministerial visit is intended to expedite conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement by resolving outstanding negotiating issues and guiding negotiation teams. India prioritises zero duty access for labour intensive sectors (textiles, leather, apparel, gems and jewellery, handicrafts) while seeking safeguards for farmers and MSMEs and greater integration into global supply chains within a rules based trading framework.

PPP project pipeline launched listing 852 projects worth over Rs. 17 lakh crore to improve investor visibility.
The Department of Economic Affairs has compiled a three-year Public Private Partnership pipeline of 852 projects across Central infrastructure ministries and States/Union Territories with an aggregated project cost exceeding Rs. 17 lakh crore to provide early visibility so investors, developers and other stakeholders can undertake more informed planning and investment decisions.

CCI approves acquisition of additional shareholding in Roppen Transportation Services by MIH Investments One B.V.
CCI approval was granted for MIH Investments One B.V.'s proposed acquisition of additional shareholding in Roppen Transportation Services Private Limited. The Acquirer is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary holding investments in portfolio companies; the Target provides app enabled on demand transportation and taxi services via the Rapido mobile application. A detailed order from the Commission will follow.