Assistance to Training Institutions scheme to continue in national five-year plan after evaluation recommends modest funding and rate increases.
The central Assistance to Training Institutions (ATI) Scheme provides central-sector financial assistance for creation and strengthening of training infrastructure and for conducting training programmes, implemented through national EDIs, NSIC, Central Tool Rooms and partner institutions. An independent evaluation deemed the Scheme catalytic and cost-effective, recommended continuation into the XII Five Year Plan with marginal increases in infrastructure assistance limits and per-trainee rates, and the Ministry has decided to continue the Scheme during the XII Plan with suitable improvements.

MSME sector growth: census data indicates substantial expansion in enterprises and employment, with micro units predominating.
Government monitoring via All India Censuses shows substantial expansion in MSME employment, enterprise numbers, and average employment per registered unit between the early 2000s censuses; the Fourth Census also records that most registered and virtually all unregistered MSMEs are micro enterprises, underpinning official sectoral assessment.

Civil Aviation Authority proposed to replace DGCA, to be established by parliamentary act providing administrative and financial flexibility.
A significant portion of sanctioned posts in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) remain unfilled, with filling of vacancies undertaken under the prescribed recruitment procedure. A legislative reform is proposed to replace the DGCA with a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to be established by Act of Parliament, designed to give greater financial and administrative flexibility to meet the functional requirements of an effective safety oversight system; a draft Bill has been prepared.

Foreign airline investment allowed in domestic carriers to address airline working capital shortages and losses.
Permission for 49 percent FDI by foreign airlines in domestic carriers permits foreign equity stakes below majority control to improve access to working capital and operational support, while preserving domestic ownership and management, as a government relief measure addressing airline losses and liquidity constraints.

Trade balance widened as imports rose and exports fell, increasing the trade deficit in the reported period.
Exports for November 2012 fell in US dollar terms and cumulative April-November exports recorded negative dollar growth though positive rupee growth; imports rose in November and cumulative imports recorded slight negative dollar growth but higher rupee growth. Oil imports increased for both the month and cumulative period, non-oil imports declined cumulatively, and the April-November trade deficit widened compared with the prior year, with provisional figures and percentage growth rates provided in dollar and rupee terms.

Financial assistance for food processing units in the North East encourages new establishments and modernization through targeted grants.
The Centre supports food processing in the North East through Mini Mission IV, providing enhanced capital assistance for new units and for upgradation of existing units with funds disbursed via SFAC; SFAC also offers soft loans under a Venture Capital Assistance scheme to agri projects. Under the National Mission on Food Processing, the Ministry grants aid for plant, machinery and technical civil works at a standard rate in general areas and at a higher rate with larger ceilings in designated difficult areas, including the North Eastern States, with implementation possible through State/UT agencies.

Preference for domestically manufactured telecom equipment in government procurement and security purchases to strengthen local industry.
The National Telecom Policy-2012 promotes indigenous telecom manufacturing by supporting R&D, IPR creation and industry development, setting national production and value addition targets, and directing preference for domestically manufactured telecommunication products in government procurement-particularly for items with security implications. Government notifications implement procurement preference for domestically manufactured electronic and telecom products across Ministries and government funded telecom projects (excluding defence) and call for standards development and participation in international standardisation.

Reserve price for 2G spectrum set as auction floor; final one-time charges via auction and revenue tied to usage charges.
The Government fixed a pan-India reserve price for 1800 MHz 2G spectrum as an auction floor, with final one-time spectrum charges to be discovered through auction; total Government receipts will depend on both auction-determined one-time charges and ongoing Spectrum Usage Charges, while prior 2G start-up spectrum was allotted under the Unified Access Service License without upfront fees but subject to annual usage charges as a percentage of Adjusted Gross Revenue.

UCC SMS complaint mechanism: non-implementation by an access provider prompted regulatory action to enforce forwarding requirement.
The amendment requires Access Providers to implement an SMS-based UCC complaint mechanism by forwarding received UCC SMS to the prescribed short code with the originating telephone number or SMS header and date appended; compliance checks found one Access Provider had not implemented this forwarding requirement, and the regulator initiated action against that provider for non compliance.

Foreign direct investment conditions require local sourcing from MSMEs, shaping access to capital and technology.
Foreign Direct Investment permits 100 percent FDI in single brand retail subject to a local sourcing obligation that proposals beyond majority foreign equity must source a portion of goods from India, preferably from MSMEs, village and cottage industries, artisans and craftsmen. FDI is framed as complementary to domestic investment, providing SMEs access to capital, advanced technologies, managerial practices and global market integration, while FDI in MSEs remains subject to sectoral caps, entry routes and other sectoral regulations.

Unsolicited Commercial Communications restrictions: new measures impose per SMS charges, mandatory notices and potential disconnection and complaint forwarding.
The Tenth Amendment Regulations, 2012 strengthen controls on Unsolicited Commercial Communications by imposing a minimum per SMS charge beyond a daily concessional threshold, requiring Access Providers to notify subscribers that commercial use from private numbers risks disconnection, obtaining a non telemarketing undertaking at connection, and enabling forwarding of unsolicited SMS details to the complaint number to facilitate enforcement. TRAI reported telemarketer registration numbers and has issued notices and disconnected telecom resources for violations.

Foreign direct investment permitted in mining under automatic route, subject to sectoral restrictions and atomic-substance prohibition.
FDI up to 100% is permitted under the automatic route for mining and exploration of metal and non-metal ores, subject to applicable mining law and regulatory compliance; restrictions apply to titanium ores, and the Department of Atomic Energy may notify additional substances in which FDI is prohibited.

Income eligibility revision for housing schemes expands access to credit and programme participation for EWS and LIG.
Revision of eligibility income criteria raises the qualifying income ceilings for EWS and LIG households, and the new ceilings have been communicated to State Governments, Union Territories and central nodal agencies, which have notified banks, financial institutions and housing finance companies and uploaded the notification on the Ministry website to enable wider access to credit and programme participation.

Rationalization of coal sources: recommendations partly implemented; power utility objections require energy authority intervention to proceed.
Task Force recommendations approved and forwarded to Coal India Limited; CIL implemented rationalization for captive power, sponge iron and cement consumers, but interlinked reallocations for power utilities remain only partially implemented due to objections by an electricity board. Ministry of Power and Central Electricity Authority were requested to intervene and a meeting was held to seek prompt action to complete the source rationalization and allocation swaps.

Crop insurance schemes: state choice of notified areas with yield, weather and expert based compensation mechanisms enforced by monitoring.
Four crop insurance schemes provide compensation for farmers: States choose areas/crops to notify; implementation is by the Agriculture Insurance Company and private insurers per scheme guidelines. Yield based compensation relies on state provided yield data; weather index compensation uses automatic weather station data notified by States; coconut palm compensation is based on expert assessment of plant damage. The Department of Agriculture & Cooperation regularly monitors loss assessment and payments to farmers under each scheme.

Kisan Credit Cards expand credit access and financial inclusion for eligible farmers, supported by raised agricultural credit targets.
Provision of Kisan Credit Cards to eligible and willing farmers is advanced to facilitate timely flow of agricultural credit and increase financial inclusion, supported by a Rehabilitation Package and a Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Policy and by elevated agricultural credit targets for 2012-13 compared with the prior year.

Fertiliser subsidy frameworks: price support for urea and nutrient-based subsidies for P&K with targeted horticulture assistance.
Central government subsidy frameworks provide price support for fertilisers via NPS-III for urea and the Nutrient Based Subsidy Policy for P&K fertilisers, with the Government covering the difference between delivered cost and subsidised MRP or announcing fixed nutrient-based subsidies; horticulture and seed assistance is channelled through NHM and HMNEH with specified per-hectare ceilings and differing public/private rates, while RKVY and MMA grant states flexibility to implement subsidy-bearing programmes under existing norms.

Contract farming regulation: model Act mandates sponsor registration, agreement recording, dispute resolution and land-rights protection.
The Consolidated FDI Policy, 2012 allows FDI in specified controlled agricultural and allied activities while barring it elsewhere. The Ministry promoted a Model State Agricultural Produce Marketing Act and Rules to regulate contract farming by mandating registration of sponsors, recording of agreements with APMC or a prescribed authority, instituting dispute settlement mechanisms, and protecting farmers' title or land rights; states are encouraged to adopt these provisions.

One-time spectrum charge introduced; operators pay auction-determined prices for holdings above baseline, with surrender option.
A one-time spectrum charge applies prospectively at the auction-determined 2012 price for holdings above a baseline, with retrospective application from July 2008 for holdings above a higher threshold using a two-tier pricing approach: a pro-rated historic price indexed by SBI PLR for the earlier period and the auction price thereafter. Licensees may opt to surrender spectrum beyond the baseline in lieu of payment. Mobile tariffs remain under regulatory forbearance, allowing providers commercial discretion in pricing.

Network security obligation: Telecom providers must deploy certified equipment per standards and retain audit-ready test certificates.
License amendments require that Telecom Service Providers are responsible for network security and may induct only network elements certified to relevant Indian or international security standards; licensees must retain test results and certificates for audit, and from the transition date certification must be obtained from authorized Indian agencies/labs, while the licensor may demand records for verification.