Industrial corridor approvals establish centralized NICDIT-led planning and SPV execution, with node land acquisition and funding tracked.
Approval has been given for development of five national industrial corridors to be implemented through NICDIT, with SPVs incorporated for identified nodes and NICDIT-driven master planning and preliminary engineering recommended for Cabinet consideration. Node-level land-acquisition and implementation statuses are recorded-Visakhapatnam and Chittoor prioritized under VCIC, Krishnapatnam, Tumakuru and Ponneri advanced under CBIC-with trunk infrastructure, plot allotments and ADB-financed civil works underway. Corridor-wise budgetary allocations and utilizations under the Project Development Fund and Project Implementation Fund are disclosed, and certain projects face implementation constraints delaying development.

Merger approval: competition authority clears acquisition of a steel division, regulatory order to follow.
The Competition Commission has approved Laptev Finance Private Limited's acquisition of the Plates & Coils Mill Division of Welspun Corp Limited as a combination under the Competition Act; Laptev is described as a trader in goods including steel and Welspun as a large welded pipe and tube manufacturer. A detailed CCI order will follow, confirming regulatory clearance for the proposed transfer of the specified business division.

Merger control approval for acquisition of stake in major airport operator enabling regulatory clearance under Competition Act.
Approval under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002 for Adani Properties Private Limited to acquire a combined 23.5% shareholding in Mumbai International Airport Limited from Bid Services Division (Mauritius) Limited and ACSA Global Limited. APPL is a diversified infrastructure group active in property leasing and related businesses; MIAL operates and manages Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and provides terminal and air-transportation-incidental services. A detailed CCI order will follow.

Merger control approval allows CDC's investment in a logistics and digital fulfilment services provider under competition law.
Approval under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002 is recorded for CDC Group plc's proposed investment in Ecom Express Private Limited. CDC is a development finance institution owned by DFID; Ecom provides delivery, fulfilment and warehousing plus digital services such as e KYC facilitation, asset verification, contact point verification and a Digital Original Seen and Verified service. A detailed order from the Commission will follow.

Secondary acquisition approval under competition law allows investor to increase shareholding in a logistics services firm.
Approval under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002 permits a holding company investor to increase its aggregate shareholding in Delhivery Private Limited through a secondary acquisition, resulting in a higher post-transaction ownership stake. The investor holds the shares on behalf of a venture fund, and the target operates in the third-party logistics market providing transportation, warehousing, freight and fulfilment services to a range of enterprise customers. A detailed order will follow.

Export revenue surge drives substantial company revenue and profit growth alongside higher import activity and reduced overheads.
MMTC's half-year results to 30 September 2019 show overall revenue growth and a marginal increase in net profit, led by a marked rise in export revenue and a substantial increase in import revenue. Other income doubled, and reductions in overheads and other costs supported earnings despite adverse global market conditions.

Consumer price inflation: provisional CPI and food price index released showing rising food inflation and regional variation.
The National Statistical Office released provisional CPI (base 2012=100) and CFPI for October 2019 for Rural, Urban and Combined, reporting point to point annual inflation and monthly changes. The note presents all groups, group and sub group indices and inflation rates (including key food sub groups), State/UT provisional indices and major State annual inflation rates, specifies that October figures are provisional and September figures final, and explains that indices are compiled as weighted averages of State indices from price data collected by NSO field operations.

State Indicator Framework alignment with national SDG indicators to strengthen statistical monitoring and data-driven policymaking.
Emphasis on developing State Indicator Frameworks aligned with the National Indicator Framework for subnational SDG monitoring, with MoSPI facilitating robust monitoring mechanisms. The conference promotes coordination among central ministries, state statistical agencies and other stakeholders to share best practices, address data challenges, deploy technology for real-time monitoring, and build capacity to improve the timeliness and reliability of statistics for policy-making.

Sustainable Development Goals monitoring strengthened through national conference to advance state indicator frameworks and close SDG data gaps.
A national conference is convened to advance monitoring of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by addressing data gaps and improving indicator timeliness and quality, building on the Ministry's National Indicator Framework (NIF). The gathering focuses on preparing a State Indicator Framework (SIF) through consultation with State/UT governments, central ministries and other stakeholders to enable effective SDG monitoring at subnational levels.

Fast track implementation of government schemes: task force to recommend measures while state eases approvals and MSME clearances.
A central High Level task force chaired by the DPIIT Secretary will review Central and Himachal Pradesh schemes to recommend measures to expedite implementation; concurrently, Himachal Pradesh has deployed an online Single Window System for approvals, enabled online land purchase applications under section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972, simplified construction permit NoC requirements, promulgated the HP MSME (Facilitation of Establishment and Operation) Ordinance, 2019 to allow MSME projects to commence without awaiting approvals/NoCs, and issued policy measures including the HP Tourism Policy 2019 and sectoral investment policies.

Credit outlook change: negative outlook noted while government stresses unchanged ratings, robust reforms, and continued growth prospects.
Moody's change of outlook to negative is noted while long-term foreign- and local-currency issuer ratings remain unchanged; the Government stresses robust macroeconomic fundamentals, controlled inflation, low bond yields, growth prospects supported by multilateral forecasts, and recent reforms and policy measures to attract investment and stabilise the economy.

Public procurement digital marketplace expanding inclusion for self help groups and artisans with fintech and traceability integration.
GeM is onboarding self-help groups and artisan clusters as Emporium Products and integrating technical solutions for working capital linkage and product traceability. The portal is improving accessibility for MSMEs and start-ups through faster seller registration, AI/ML-driven catalogue sanitisation, flexible bidding, pre-despatch inspection, online vendor assessment, payment assurance via GeM Pool Account integration, and Direct Purchase capabilities with delivery-area filtering.

Code on Wages draft rules set central minimum wage methodology, working hours, weekly rest day and bonus framework.
The draft rules prescribe a method for fixing the minimum rate of wages on a daily basis using specified consumption and expenditure norms, convert daily to hourly and monthly rates, require geographical categorisation and occupational skill classification by a technical committee, and set working time norms (nine hour normal day; spread limits), weekly rest day and overtime pay rules, while also detailing payment, deduction and deposit procedures for undisbursed wages.

Voluntary disclosure scheme eligibility clarified: conditions, filing process, forms and payment obligations determine access to relief.
The FAQs set out eligibility, scope and procedures under the Sabka Vishwas Scheme: declarations are filed electronically in Form SVLDRS1; the Designated Committee issues an estimate with a personal hearing (Form SVLDRS2) and finalizes amounts in Form SVLDRS3; duty/tax already paid (including via input credit) is adjusted; periodical notices can be opted independently; cases returned from the Settlement Commission are eligible if conditions are met; penalty and late-fee SCNs are covered at any stage; failure to pay within the stipulated period causes lapse of the declaration.

Merger control: Approval granted for Hyundai and Kia equity stakes in ride sharing and EV charging, subject to modifications.
Approval was granted for Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation to acquire equity stakes in ANI Technologies and Ola Electric Mobility, subject to conditional approval requiring the parties to implement modifications proposed under the procedural regulation for combinations, with a detailed Commission order to follow specifying the conditions and compliance obligations.

Green Channel approval deemed effective on filing for acquisition of stake in renewable energy companies.
Notification under the Green Channel covers Masdar's acquisition of equity in Hero Future Energies Global Ltd and non voting compulsorily convertible preference shares in Hero Future Energies Private Ltd. The Indian operating company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the UK holding company. Pursuant to Regulation 5A of the Combination Regulations, the Proposed Combination notified under the Green Channel is deemed approved upon filing and acknowledgement.

Ease of Doing Business ranking improved, reflecting regulatory reforms advancing multiple business regulation indicators and Distance to Frontier score.
India's Doing Business performance improved with a higher Distance to Frontier (DTF) score and rank gains in seven indicators. Notable operational advances occurred in Resolving Insolvency-with improved recovery rates and shorter resolution times-and in Construction Permits, Registering Property, Trading Across Borders, Paying Taxes, Getting Electricity, and Starting a Business, reflecting regulatory and procedural reforms toward international best practices.

Cashless procurement payments: GeM and Federal Bank to enable GPA transfers, e PBG advising and EMD pooling.
The MoU between GeM and Federal Bank provides payment services including GeM Pool Account transfers, electronic advising of Performance Bank Guarantees and facilitation of Earnest Money Deposit processes to create a cashless, paperless and transparent procurement payment system; GeM is also arranging bill discounting and working capital financing with cost linked to seller performance and contemplates an EMD pool account to ease bidder compliance.

Minimum Support Price principle secures at least half again over cost, prompting MSP increases and reinforced procurement support.
CCEA approved higher MSPs for all mandated Rabi crops for RMS 2020-21 based on the Budget principle of fixing MSPs at not less than 1.5 times the all India weighted average cost of production, ensuring a minimum margin over cost to raise farmers' incomes. Procurement and price support for cereals will continue through FCI and designated state agencies with state procurement of coarse grains subject to central approval and NFSA distribution; NAFED, SFAC and other central agencies will procure pulses and oilseeds, with government reimbursement of procurement losses under guidelines.

Market authorisation reform lowers entry barriers and permits non oil and foreign investment in fuel retailing.
Revision of guidelines for granting market authorisation reduces entry barriers and permits non oil and foreign entities to seek retail and bulk authorisations, allows JV or subsidiary structures, and removes prior sectoral investment requirements. Authorised entities must install at least one new generation alternate fuel facility at each retail outlet within three years, deploy CCTV, promote digital payments and targeted employment, and establish a minimum share of retail outlets in notified remote areas subject to monitoring.