Establishment of Navodaya Vidyalayas approved to expand residential rural schooling, admissions by Selection Test, and generate local employment.
Cabinet approval authorizes establishment of twenty-eight new Navodaya Vidyalayas under the Navodaya Vidyalaya Scheme with multi-year capital and operational funding, each school to be full fledged residential co educational institutions for Classes VI-XII accommodating 560 students per school under prescribed staffing norms; admissions to be by Selection Test, targeting talented rural children irrespective of socio economic status, and generating direct permanent employment, construction and ancillary local economic activity while aligning with National Education Policy 2020 as exemplar PM Shri schools.

Recognition of startups drives job creation and sectoral growth, backed by government schemes and digital platforms facilitating scale.
Recognised startups have reportedly created substantial direct employment across diverse sectors, supported by a combination of recognition criteria, stage-specific financing and guarantee schemes, market-access measures including public procurement facilitation, regulatory reforms, state ranking and awards, capacity-building and outreach to non-metro regions, ecosystem events, centralised digital platforms for stakeholder collaboration, and international linkages to enhance market access and scaling.

Industrial smart city approvals enable trunk infrastructure development with central equity funding and SPV-led PPP delivery.
Approval authorises development of trunk infrastructure for twelve industrial smart city projects under the National Industrial Corridor Programme, with State Governments providing land and central equity funding for internal trunk infrastructure; SPVs will manage projects and may use user fees, pricing innovations, PPPs, and multilateral financing, with sectoral focus determined by market demand assessments and construction timelines of 36-48 months from EPC appointment.

MSME land concessions proposed to allocate township land at concessional rates to boost industrial ecosystem and ease business.
The Government proposes earmarking areas and offering land at concessional rates in new townships and industrial parks to integrate MSMEs into larger industrial ecosystems, coordinated with states, alongside regulatory reforms to simplify processes, reduce compliance burdens and decriminalise laws to promote Ease of Doing Business.

Decriminalisation of minor boiler offences shifts enforcement to administrative penalties while retaining criminal sanctions for high risk breaches.
The Bill modernises boiler safety law by reorganising provisions into six chapters, updating definitions, omitting obsolete sections, and incorporating decriminalisation measures that convert court fines for non criminal breaches into executive penalties with administrative adjudication and appeal, while preserving criminal sanctions for major offences; it also details rule making powers for the Central Government, Board and States and provides transitional removal of difficulties and repeal and saving provisions.

Women-focused savings scheme promotes financial inclusion and offers attractive interest, fixed tenure, and withdrawal flexibility.
The Mahila Samman Savings Certificate Scheme allows women, or guardians for minor girls, to open accounts until the stated deadline to promote financial independence. Accounts carry a prescribed minimum and maximum deposit band for a two year tenure, a specified annual interest rate compounded quarterly and credited to accounts, and permit partial withdrawals and premature closure on compassionate grounds.

Maturity repayment of government bond at par requires bank mandate for electronic credit; otherwise surrender securities for payment.
Repayment of the '6.35% OIL MKTNCO GOI BOND 2024' falls on December 23, 2024, payable at par with no interest thereafter; if a State holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act falls on that date, repayment will occur on the preceding working day. Payment of maturity proceeds to registered holders in Subsidiary General Ledger/Constituent Subsidiary General Ledger accounts or Stock Certificates will be by pay order with bank particulars or by credit through electronic means, subject to submission of bank account particulars in advance; absent such particulars, holders must tender duly discharged securities at designated paying offices twenty days before the due date.

Competition approval for acquisition of shareholding in a logistics platform permits KDT's investment under merger control oversight.
The Competition Commission has issued competition approval for KDT Venture Holdings, LLC to acquire certain shareholding in Shiprocket Private Limited. KDT is a US incorporated early stage venture capital firm and wholly owned subsidiary of Koch, Inc.; Shiprocket operates a logistics services platform aggregating logistics providers for business customers. A detailed Commission order will follow.

Competition clearance for acquisition financing via optionally convertible debentures secures pledged airport shares to back subscription.
The Competition Commission approved a combination in which Platinum Stone A 2014 Trust will subscribe to unlisted, unrated optionally convertible debentures of GMR Infra Enterprises Private Limited. The Target SPV will acquire approximately nine percent of the fully diluted shareholding of GMR Airports Limited from its promoter and pledge that GAL shareholding in favour of the Acquirer to secure the OCD subscription. The Acquirer is a trust whose sole beneficiary is a sovereign investment institution; the Target SPV currently has no business operations.

ASI data access and use: conference to discuss application and methodology; registration open for stakeholders.
The Ministry will convene a one-day Data User Conference on ASI 2022-23 on December 5, 2024 in New Delhi to present key findings, discuss access and methodology, and promote use of unit-level data. MoSPI released ASI 2022-23 results and detailed publications in September and October 2024; these publications and unit-level data are available on the MoSPI website. The conference programme includes methodology and application sessions, a presentation on industrial data in GDP calculation, a panel on leveraging ASI for corporate planning and research, and a Q&A; the event will be live-streamed and requires registration.

Supply Chain Resilience Council formed with US chair and India vice chair to advance action plans and MoUs for critical sectors.
A Supply Chain Council under the Supply Chain Resilience Agreement (Pillar II) of the IPEF, chaired by the United States with India as Vice Chair, aims to strengthen supply chain resilience for national security and economic stability, encourage private sector engagement, and identify critical sectors and key goods. Initial operational measures include Action Plan Teams on Semiconductors, Critical Minerals and Chemicals, India's proposed leadership for a healthcare/pharma action plan, Sub Committees on Logistics and Data and Analytics, participation in a Crisis Response Network exercise, and bilateral MoUs on semiconductors and critical minerals.

Fraudulent subsidy claims under FAME II exposed, prompting regulatory searches and ongoing investigation into PMP noncompliance.
SFIO searched three electric vehicle manufacturers after investigations found misrepresentations of compliance with the FAME II Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP) guidelines, revealing that several restricted components had been imported contrary to eligibility requirements; digital records, books and other material were seized and investigations continue.

Data accuracy and transparency enforced through digital validation, harmonised metadata, and institutional review mechanisms.
National statistical governance mandates digital primary data collection with in-built validation, multi-level scrutiny, and robust training to minimise non-sampling errors and ensure data accuracy. A National Metadata Structure sets harmonised norms for producers, compilers and disseminators to promote comparable quality reporting, while Committees/Working Groups and stakeholder consultations validate statistics and enhance transparency through the e-Sankhyiki portal.

GDP base year revision: government updates base and forms advisory committee to standardize national accounts methodology.
The Government announced a GDP base year revision and constituted an Advisory Committee on National Accounts Statistics (ACNAS) to identify new data sources and advise on compilation methodology; it will standardize data structures across the National Statistical System and incorporate administrative data to harmonize quality reporting for the revised national accounts series.

Common but differentiated responsibility: partner countries must shoulder sustainability duties while addressing consumption-driven carbon footprints.
Partner countries are not responsible for historic environmental damage but have shared sustainability obligations under common but differentiated responsibility, with responsibility apportioned by contribution to environmental harm; policy focus should be on consumption-based carbon footprints, circular economy measures, aligning energy strategy for sustainable growth, mobilising liquidity for financial stability, and promoting trade, tourism, education and skilling alongside technological adoption.

National Pension System adoption promotes corporate onboarding and minor enrolment, enhancing retirement planning and pension coverage.
The National Pension System (NPS) promotion focuses on expanding retirement coverage through corporate onboarding, subscriber awareness campaigns, and product innovation. The programme outlines employer integration practices, partnerships with trade bodies, and subscriber-centric enrolment processes to increase participation. It frames these measures against demographic pressures and limited household pension allocation, and cites extensions such as the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) and NPS-Vatsalya to reach underserved cohorts and encourage early savings.

Decarbonization collaboration advances cement sector research and thermal plasma technology adoption under new industry MoUs.
NCB concluded two Memoranda of Understanding: one with the Global Cement and Concrete Association, India to coordinate decarbonization research and support sectoral pathways toward net zero, and another with AIC Plasmatech Innovation Foundation to explore applications of Thermal Plasma Torch Technology in cement manufacturing through technical evaluation, pilot assessment, and knowledge sharing.

National Single Window System: industry engagement and portal tracking urged to improve approvals and regulatory responsiveness.
A new Regulatory Affairs and Ease of Doing Business Portal with a member dashboard enables industry to submit, track and receive real time updates on suggestions and initiatives, intended to integrate industry inputs into the National Single Window System, improve licence facilitation and industrial land bank data, and enhance transparency and accountability in processing.

Decarbonization and circular economy advance as conference seeks industry support for startups and Net Zero roadmap.
The National Council for Cement and Building Materials, under DPIIT administration, held an international conference and technical exhibition focused on decarbonization, circular economy practices, and alternative fuels and raw materials; the event released sector publications and awards, and called for industry support for startups to advance R&D, energy efficiency and the Net Zero trajectory.

Renewable energy partnerships to expand clean energy access and catalyse joint industrial and technology collaboration between India and France.
India and France set a cooperative framework to scale renewable energy via the International Solar Alliance, expand defence and aerospace manufacturing in India under a patent-protected regime that does not require technology transfer, and pursue co-innovation in automotive, EV and digital technologies. The partnership targets joint R&D, startup and academic exchanges, enhanced trade and investment, and participation in major infrastructure and industrial city projects to strengthen long-term strategic and economic ties.