Competition approval for minority investment in a housing finance company enabling Naspers Ventures to acquire a small equity stake.
The Competition Commission of India approved a proposed minority acquisition by Naspers Ventures B.V., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Prosus N.V., in Vastu Housing Finance Corporation Limited. The acquirer is an investment holding company providing equity and debt funding. The target offers home loans, extension and construction loans, loans against property, and micro/MSME lending; its subsidiary provides vehicle and equipment financing. The transaction contemplates a minority shareholding on a fully diluted basis and a detailed CCI order will follow.

Centralized startup registry enables personalized stakeholder IDs and consolidated access to resources for enhanced collaboration.
BHASKAR is a government digital platform established as a centralized registry for startups, investors, mentors, service providers, and government bodies, providing consolidated access to resources, tools, and knowledge. It will assign a unique BHASKAR ID to each stakeholder to enable personalized interactions, enhance searchability, and facilitate networking, discoverability, and matchmaking across the entrepreneurial lifecycle. The platform also aims to support cross-border collaboration and promote India's global innovation brand.

AI and competition study to identify market structures and emerging competition issues, informing Commission priorities.
Engagement of Management Development Institute Society to perform a market study on AI and competition to map AI systems, actors, inputs, value chains and market structures; identify emerging competition issues; assess AI applications, risks and competition ramifications; review regulatory frameworks domestically and internationally; and consult stakeholders to inform the Commission's enforcement and advocacy priorities under its statutory mandate to address practices adversely affecting competition.

Regional trade and digital cooperation promoted, with AI for all and paperless trade advancing inclusive and sustainable economic integration.
India framed its regional agenda around a vision of security, economic development, connectivity, unity, respect for sovereignty and environmental protection, highlighting digital public infrastructure, paperless trade and trust based transparency as mechanisms to accelerate inclusive economic development and cross border logistics. Ministers adopted instruments on creative economy cooperation, trade promotion coordination, and an economic preferences database, and issued a statement on fair trade and sustainable development. India promoted an "AI for all" approach prioritising transparency, fairness, security, accessibility and responsibility, while urging collective action for value chain advancement and adherence to the organisation's charter principles in connectivity and trade initiatives.

Inter institutional collaboration establishes MoUs to drive joint research, internships, IPR protection, and commercialization of footwear innovations.
Four Memoranda of Understanding between FDDI and four academic institutions create collaborative frameworks for faculty and student exchange, joint research, product and prototype development, internships, PPPs, and commercialization, with emphasis on leveraging Centres of Excellence and campus infrastructure and ensuring Intellectual Property protection to convert MoU commitments into industry-relevant, marketable outputs.

Administrative efficiency campaign to institutionalize Swachhata and reduce departmental pendency through targeted record and space management.
Departmental action to implement Special Campaign 4.0 seeks to institutionalize Swachhata and reduce pendency across DPIIT and its nineteen attached bodies through a Preparatory Phase to identify targets for PMO, VIP/MP/State Government and Cabinet references and record/space management, followed by an Implementation Phase focused on achieving identified targets, supported by field office mobilization, guidelines and record-management training.

Critical minerals and tech cooperation bolster bilateral strategic ties while urging a united global response to terrorism.
India and the United States are strengthening cooperation on critical minerals, supply-chain resilience, and advanced technologies, emphasizing strategic and geopolitical alignment and promotion of India's reform agenda to enhance trade and investment. The communication also calls for reinforcement of a global coalition against terrorism, denounces divisive propaganda, and links security cooperation to principles of cultural respect and international solidarity.

Time-bound completion obligations accelerate bridge delivery and mandate expedited traffic and connectivity works by civic authorities under defined accountability frameworks
A federal minister expedited completion of a delayed urban bridge through active oversight, regular meetings with implementing agencies, and coordination with municipal and traffic authorities, authorising extended work hours and traffic management to minimise disruption. He instructed local agencies to accelerate remaining works, including underpass widening and coastal road extension, and called for time-bound completion with defined accountability to relieve traffic bottlenecks and improve connectivity.

Institutional ranking: IIFT leads globally in networking on LinkedIn's MBA list and ranks among top programmes worldwide.
IIFT attained top global position for networking in LinkedIn's top MBA programmes list and is ranked among the world's top hundred programmes; leadership and government representatives framed this as evidence of strong alumni, corporate and international linkages and academic and research emphasis. The Institute is establishing a Centre for International Negotiations to train corporates and policymakers and an International Business Case Study Centre to produce practitioner-focused case studies in collaboration with industry and government to enhance institutional capacity and global outreach.

Local currency settlement and CEPA deepen India-UAE economic partnership, boosting trade, investment and technology collaboration.
India-UAE economic partnership emphasises local currency settlement and a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to expand bilateral trade. Operational initiatives include setting up a Bharat Mart in Jebel Ali Free Zone, promoting investment and trade across healthcare, biotechnology, renewable energy and sustainability, and leveraging technology and Artificial Intelligence to drive collaboration. The forum signals sustained high-level engagement and invites stakeholders to utilise new settlement mechanisms, CEPA-derived access and trade-zone platforms to deepen commercial and sustainable development cooperation.

Financial literacy promoted through public marathon and conference to strengthen investor awareness and protection nationwide.
Promotion of Financial Education and Investor Protection through public engagement and targeted outreach. IEPFA, with NCAER and Pardada Pardadi Educational Society, organised the "Niveshak Mashal" half marathon and a conference to advance investor awareness. The marathon offered multiple race categories to engage students and local communities, while the conference focused on financial education in rural and semi urban areas, challenges reaching underserved populations, and strategies to bolster literacy and investor protection.

Integrated multimodal planning advances road corridors and bypasses to improve connectivity, decongest cities, and streamline freight movement.
The Network Planning Group reviewed eighteen road projects under PM GatiShakti to advance integrated multimodal development, last-mile and intermodal connectivity, and synchronized implementation. The proposals-comprising corridor upgrades, bypasses, ring roads and greenfield alignments-seek to reduce travel distances, relieve urban congestion, enhance freight movement, and improve access to economic nodes, ports, tourist destinations, and agricultural markets through capacity augmentation and alignment rationalization.

Maritime security through a regional economic corridor enabling faster, secure trade and expanded cooperation across India, Middle East and Europe.
IMEC is described as an initiative to enhance maritime security and speed the movement of goods by integrating India with Middle Eastern and European partners, reducing logistics costs through improved connectivity and cooperation. Complementary domestic measures-PLI schemes, Ease of Doing Business reforms and FTAs-are identified as supporting manufacturing and agri-value chains for corridor activity. The statement calls for a tourism working group and highlights investment opportunities across renewable energy, manufacturing, maritime and blue economy, digitisation, pharma, IT, agriculture and tourism, while emphasising shipping-sector collaboration and continued port capacity expansion.

Intellectual Property Awards open for applications from individuals, institutions, startups and corporations; submissions invited before the closing date.
Intellectual Property Awards 2024 invites applications from individuals, academic and R&D institutions, MSMEs, startups, large corporations and other entities to recognise innovative research, institutional IP practice and technology translation. Submissions are to be made via the official website or designated email, with a specified closing date in the announcement. The awards aim to increase visibility and reputation of contributors and will be presented at a ceremony in the national capital; applicants are directed to the official contact and instructions for entry.

Single window approval system enhances ease of doing business; streamlines time bound approvals and reduces regulatory burdens.
A genuine Single Window approval platform is central to Ease of Doing Business by consolidating approvals, making industry approvals time bound and accessible without in-person visits, and enabling States to adopt best practices. The release of the Regulatory Compliance Burden Booklet documents reductions in business compliances and the decriminalization and removal of redundant provisions, supporting streamlined processes and a level playing field to attract investment.

Domestic steel production target prompts emphasis on decarbonisation, AI adoption, indigenous machinery and border adjustment tax talks.
A policy directive establishes a national steel production objective to be achieved by 2034 and directs the industry to pursue decarbonisation, higher productivity and quality, adopt artificial intelligence to optimise production and reduce waste, and integrate indigenous machinery to bolster domestic manufacturing. The Government commits to ensuring a level playing field, will discuss border adjustment tax issues with industry leaders to promote sustainable manufacturing, and underscores continued infrastructure investment, capacity building and safeguarding of industry interests.

Application of Emerging Technologies recognized - ONDC's interoperable digital commerce network expands seller participation and consumer choice.
ONDC received a Gold Award for applying emerging technologies to citizen centric services; its interoperable, unbundled and decentralised architecture modularises e commerce into discrete microservices, promoting trust, competition and inclusion. The network has scaled order throughput and seller onboarding, empowering small businesses and diverse sellers, while pursuing deeper integration with government platforms to streamline business processes, credit access and data flows.

Industrial corridor development expands greenfield smart cities and integrated nodes to attract investment and boost manufacturing competitiveness.
The National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP) directs NICDC and partner SPVs to develop greenfield industrial cities and integrated corridors with master planning, feasibility studies, financing, and multimodal connectivity aligned to PM GatiShakti. The Cabinet approved twelve new industrial nodes to provide ready land and infrastructure to attract anchor industries and MSMEs, enhance exports, generate employment, and promote sustainable, ICT enabled smart city development through central state joint venture SPVs.

Port-led industrial development at Dighi Port Industrial Area to catalyse manufacturing investment and regional infrastructure rollout.
Secretary DPIIT visited the proposed Dighi Port Industrial Area, a port-led development over 6,056 acres leveraging proximity to Dighi Port, major highways and a forthcoming airport. The project plans trunk infrastructure-roads, power, utilities, treatment plants and ICT networks-within three years, targets manufacturing sectors including engineering, food & beverages and pharmaceuticals, and emphasises plug-and-play infrastructure and Industry 4.0 compliance to accelerate time-to-production following master planning, environmental clearances and land acquisition.

Procurement estimates for kharif paddy and millets guide state procurement operations and central pool supply planning.
Meeting reviewed operational arrangements for central pool procurement of Kharif crops, fixing aggregate procurement estimates for paddy and a separate estimate for coarse grains and millets; States were advised to prioritise millet procurement for crop diversification and nutrition. Attendees included State Food Secretaries, FCI, meteorological and agriculture officials. The meeting also discussed Supply Chain Optimization of the Public Distribution System, procurement centre infrastructure improvements, Jan Poshan Kendras and workflow automation for release of food subsidy to States to support procurement and distribution operations.