Common Reporting Standard enforcement advances with emphasis on staged implementation and strengthened confidentiality protections for exchanged tax data.
The Global Forum's AEOI Group will advance monitoring and implementation of the Common Reporting Standard (CRS), consider and potentially approve assessments of confidentiality and data safeguards in 32 jurisdictions including India, and pursue a transparent methodology for staged implementation and review to ensure recipient jurisdictions adequately protect exchanged tax data.

CEO appointment for national investment fund opens under Fund of Funds framework, outlining qualifications and application procedure.
Appointment of Chief Executive Officer for NIIF is invited to lead the Fund, constituted as a Fund of Funds (Category II Alternate Investment Fund). The CEO must have senior management experience including fund management/financial sector experience, and will handle set up, policy formation, fundraising, investor coordination, deal sourcing and analysis, approvals, funding, post investment asset management and exits. Selection is by a Search cum Selection Committee and applications or nominations must be submitted confidentially to the specified government email.

FDI liberalisation expands automatic approvals and eases conditions to promote industrial investment and ease of doing business.
The Government attributes higher industrial output to policy reforms that liberalise Foreign Direct Investment-including broader automatic approvals and eased conditionalities-and to industrial licensing relaxations such as pruning defence coverage, removing annual capacity requirements, extending license validity, and special longer terms for defence projects; complementary measures include e governance G2B services, an Investor Facilitation Cell, the Make in India programme, and development of National Industrial Corridors overseen by a coordinating authority.

FDI policy relaxation in insurance and railways increases foreign investment inflows and prompts ongoing policy review.
Revision of the FDI regime in the insurance sector corresponded with a marked increase in inflows for the comparative period, while railway infrastructure was opened to FDI but sectoral inflow data are not separately maintained. Central authorities do not compile data to assess employment effects of FDI liberalisation, though FDI is described as supplementing domestic capital, transferring technology and skills, and generating indirect multiplier effects. The Government conducts investor outreach and continuously reviews FDI policy to improve investor friendliness.

FDI liberalisation in medical devices: automatic route permits full foreign ownership for brownfield projects under new policy.
The regulatory measure permits full foreign direct investment in the medical devices sector by allowing 100 percent foreign equity under the automatic route for brownfield projects, removing prior approval requirements for qualifying brownfield investments and aiming to facilitate greater foreign participation in domestic manufacturing.

One way switch from Tier II to Tier I enables transfers of voluntary holdings between pension accounts under NPS.
POPs may upload contributions for shifted corporate subscribers and process voluntary contributions for any corporate subscriber; Uploading Offices may submit unequal employee/employer contribution files for government employees. Nodal offices can activate and operate Tier II accounts and accept voluntary investments into PRAN - Tier I accounts. A one way switch enables transfers from Tier II to Tier I for eligible subscribers without amount or frequency limits. Grievance handling is expanded to permit Pr.AOs/DTAs to record resolution remarks and a CRA pop-up alerts nodal offices to grievances pending over thirty days. QR codes on PRAN and nodal office bank/contact capture are also enabled.

Economic growth outlook strengthened as manufacturing and services recovery supports a higher annual growth projection.
The Ministry reports second-quarter GDP growth exceeded first-quarter growth, driven chiefly by a strong pickup in manufacturing and sustained service sector strength, with trade and transport services leading; fixed investment shows signs of revival, and on this basis the Ministry projects annual growth for the financial year to be in the vicinity of its stated forecast.

Foreign Direct Investment liberalisation to facilitate international capital flows and infrastructure investment through eased norms and business reforms.
The government emphasised mobilisation of international capital for infrastructure and other sectors by opening up Foreign Direct Investment in multiple sectors, liberalising FDI norms and improving ease of doing business to facilitate investor participation and channel investments through international financial centres.

Industrial infrastructure upgradation under MIIUS: department approved projects and invited further proposals; several remain under evaluation.
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, under the Modified Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation Scheme (MIIUS), approved 26 projects within allocated funds and invited additional proposals from states; six new proposals were received and six further state/UT proposals remain under evaluation seeking central grant assistance for industrial estate upgradation and effluent treatment infrastructure as detailed in project reports.

Concessional credit offer strengthens development cooperation and supports project financing and agricultural trade protections.
India expanded trade with African countries while offering project-based concessional credit to finance recipient-proposed projects in agriculture, infrastructure, power transmission and water supply; concurrently it urged joint negotiation with African partners at the WTO for a permanent solution on public stock holding for food security and a special safeguard mechanism for agriculture for developing countries.

FDI in e commerce: full automatic permission for B2B; retail allowed subject to manufacturer and single brand conditions.
FDI in the e commerce sector permits 100% under the automatic route for B2B e commerce. Retail e commerce is allowed only where: a manufacturer sells its own India made products online; a single brand retailer with physical stores sells online; or an Indian manufacturer (the investee owning the Indian brand and conducting the majority of manufacturing in India while sourcing the remainder from Indian manufacturers) sells its single brand products through e commerce. Stakeholder consultations informed the policy.

In-principle approval for National Investment and Manufacturing Zones advances establishment, funding mechanisms, international financing support, and pending state proposals.
The Government granted in-principle approval to twenty NIMZs (twelve outside DMIC) and final approval to Prakasam; eight DMIC Investment Regions were also approved as NIMZs. A Revolving Corpus for DMIC trunk infrastructure was approved and Japan pledged financing through JICA and JBIC. Additional state proposals for NIMZs were returned for further details.

National Manufacturing Policy promotes sectoral skill development to align training with industry needs and boost manufacturing employability.
National Manufacturing Policy identifies employment intensive industries such as textiles, leather, gems and jewellery, and food processing and emphasises sectoral skill development. Targeted initiatives include the Indian Leather Development Programme for shop floor upgradation, food processing institutes providing short term industry training, the Integrated Skill Development Scheme for Textiles and Apparel (including jute and handicrafts), and the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana for outcome based training aligned with industry needs.

RuPay Card usage condition extended, expanding eligibility window for inbuilt accidental insurance claims for classic cardholders.
The government extended the prior successful-transaction usage requirement for RuPay Classic debit-card accidental-insurance claims to a 90-day window effective 25 November 2015; accidents on or after 00:00:01 on 25 November 2015 qualify under the extended usage condition, while incidents before 23:59:59 on 24 November 2015 remain subject to the earlier shorter usage requirement. The temporal link between the last qualifying transaction and the incident continues to determine eligibility for accidental death and permanent disablement claims.

Foreign Direct Investment policy review leads to amendments in the Consolidated FDI Policy; see Press Note on DIPP website.
Review of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Policy resulted in targeted amendments to the Consolidated FDI Policy Circular of 2015 affecting multiple sectors; the changes were formally issued through Press Note No.12 (2015 series) on the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion website and made effective as specified in the Circular.

Pay revision: uniform fitment factor and new pay matrix reshape central government pay, allowances, and pension framework.
The Commission replaces pay bands and grade pay with a new pay matrix and prescribes a uniform fitment factor of 2.57, retains 3% annual increments, rationalises allowances through abolition or subsumption and introduces a nine cell Risk and Hardship Matrix; it revises pension fixation by notional pay in the new matrix with a choice between fifty percent of notional pay and a multiple of current basic pension (higher to apply), raises gratuity ceilings, revises Military Service Pay and expands medical and housing coverage for specified categories.

Technology acquisition subsidies enable MSMEs to access clean and energy efficient technologies and green manufacturing incentives.
Launch of the Technology Acquisition and Development Fund (TADF) creates a scheme under the National Manufacturing Policy, implemented through the Global Innovation and Technology Alliance, to subsidise MSME acquisition of clean, green and energy efficient technologies via direct reimbursement and an indirect patent pool licensing mechanism. The Fund also provides manufacturing subsidies for pollution control and conservation equipment and a Green Manufacturing incentive stream supporting audits, green building works, waste treatment and renewable energy projects for MSMEs owned by Indian residents.

Special loan conditions expanded: broader bilateral acceptance, procurement preferences, capped financing terms, and ministerial waiver authority.
The revised framework authorises senior ministers, with prime ministerial approval, to accept bilateral assistance from additional countries and establishes special loans for capital intensive and special projects subject to conditions: substantial minimum annual assistance from a partner, a requirement that a significant portion remain as normal untied loans, procurement preferences for funding country and Indian suppliers with ownership and sourcing caps, a switch to international competitive bidding if responses are inadequate, capped annual interest and extended tenor with moratorium, project cost eligibility floors, and state concurrence for state implemented projects; the Finance Minister may relax conditions.

Ratification of Articles of Agreement enables membership and enhanced access to multilateral infrastructure financing and governance participation.
Ratification of the Articles of Agreement authorises India's accession to the AIIB, establishing formal membership, shareholding and governance participation, and enabling access to additional multilateral resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects to supplement existing public and PPP financing.

Anticompetitive agreements: carriers fixed fuel surcharges on air cargo, triggering regulatory penalties and cease and desist orders.
The Commission found airlines engaged in concerted action by fixing and revising fuel surcharge rates for air cargo, constituting contravention of section 3(1) read with section 3(3)(a) of the Competition Act. It issued a cease and desist direction and imposed monetary penalties on three carriers, while declining penalties for two others for lack of parallel conduct or absence of control over third party vendors; penalties were calibrated with reference to average turnover.