Merger control approval: internal group restructuring transferring target shareholdings to acquirer allowing the deal to proceed.
Merger control approval was granted for an internal group restructuring transferring indirect shareholdings: acquisition of 100% of PAMP Technologies (India) Private Limited and a majority fully diluted stake in MMTC PAMP India Private Limited by the acquiring holding company. PAMP Technologies supplies captive IT services to group companies; MMTC PAMP refines and sells gold and silver products. A detailed order will follow.

Wholesale price inflation shows a modest rise as WPI records sectoral upticks; provisional figures and monthly change noted.
The Wholesale Price Index for March 2024 stood at 151.8 with a provisional annual inflation rate of 0.53%, led by increases in food articles, electricity, crude petroleum & natural gas and manufactured goods; M-o-M WPI rose 0.40%. Primary Articles, Fuel & Power, and Manufactured Products showed varying M-o-M changes, and the WPI Food Index inflation rose to 4.65%. March figures are provisional (weighted response rate 83.6%) and subject to finalisation under the WPI revision policy; the next release is scheduled for 14 May 2024.

Engagement of Young Professionals: call for contract consultants with email-only submissions and published eligibility terms.
The Sixteenth Finance Commission invites applications for Young Professionals and Consultants on a contract basis, with eligibility, terms of reference, remuneration, and application form published on its website. Applicants must submit the duly filled proforma only by e-mail to the designated Commission officials; physical copies are not accepted. The Commission's published guidelines provide the operative eligibility, scope, duration, and remuneration framework that govern engagement.

Access to medicine: calls for IPR reform and collaborative policy measures to secure equitable public health access.
The text focuses on the interplay between access to medicine, the right to health, and Intellectual Property Rights, noting the practical invocation of the Disaster Management Act where the Epidemic Diseases Act proved deficient during the COVID-19 response and the relevance of public interest in granting injunctions in pharmaceutical patent disputes. It underscores calls for collaborative policy solutions, potential IPR reform to serve public health objectives, and the role of evidence-based research and local governance in implementing health policy.

Clean Economy investment mobilization: forum to showcase climate tech and investible sustainable infrastructure for private investors to engage.
The Clean Economy Investor Forum under IPEF creates a platform to mobilize private investment into sustainable infrastructure, climate technology and renewable energy projects. India's Department of Commerce and Invest India manage outreach. Two operative tracks allow Indian participation: the Climate Tech Track, an open call to identify top climate tech companies for a Top 100 shortlist and investor pitches governed by published eligibility and selection methodology; and the Infrastructure Track, which showcases investible projects prioritizing those ready for private investment within 18 months across energy transition, transport and waste sectors.

Integrated planning on PM GatiShakti platform strengthens coordinated infrastructure decision making and mandates GIS data onboarding.
DPIIT promoted onboarding of GIS data layers onto the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan to enable integrated planning and harmonised project implementation; ministries were urged to upload data layers, develop SOPs for data management, build planning capacity, and deploy ministry specific planning tools. The workshop highlighted PMGS NMP principles-logistical efficiency, multimodality, and connectivity-presented system architecture and tools, reviewed adoption status and best practices, and set action points to identify interventions, analyse data, and accelerate platform adoption to streamline operations and de risk infrastructure investments.

Acquisition approval: AMG India to acquire NFCL assets and full shareholding of ZeroC using investor funding.
CCI approved a proposed combination whereby AMG India will acquire specified NFCL assets used in urea and micro irrigation and will acquire 100% of ZeroC's shareholding, both transactions to be funded by investment proceeds from the AMG Entities, Baker Street Investment, Gentari, and Platinum Rock; the NFCL assets include a urea plant in Kakinada and three micro irrigation plants, while ZeroC currently has no revenue generating operations in India.

New tax regime as default: taxpayers may choose between new and old regimes, opt-out allowed until return filing.
The Finance Act 2023 introduced the new tax regime under section 115BAC(1A) as the default regime for non-corporate taxpayers from FY 2023-24, offering lower slab rates but excluding most exemptions and deductions except specified standard deductions; taxpayers may opt out and choose the old regime until filing their return, and eligible non-business taxpayers can elect regimes year by year.

Public procurement digitalisation expands market access and supplier inclusivity through platform-based transparency and onboarding reforms.
GeM functions as a digital public procurement platform that aggregates a broad base of buyers and sellers, expands market access for small and marginalized suppliers through targeted inclusion mechanisms and local access points, and increases procurement transparency and efficiency. Rapid growth has been driven by a surge in services procurement, extensive onboarding of sellers and last-mile buyers, active state and central buyer participation, and a concurrent technology modernisation effort to enhance configurability and ease of onboarding diverse procurement entities.

Core industries growth signals expansion as multiple sectors record positive production increases while fertilizers decline.
The combined Index of Eight Core Industries rose 6.7% year on year in February 2024, with Coal, Natural Gas, Cement, Steel, Crude Oil, Electricity and Refinery Products recording positive growth while Fertilizers declined. The ICI, covering eight sectors and representing 40.27% of the IIP basket, shows a provisional cumulative April-February growth of 7.7% and a revised final growth for November 2023 of 7.9%. Recent monthly data are provisional and methodological notes address inclusion of renewable electricity and a new steel product.

Women workforce participation in logistics urged through stakeholder consultation to develop a roadmap and policy actions enabling inclusion.
Stakeholder consultation convened by DPIIT targets promotion of gender inclusivity in logistics by assembling industry, MSMEs, training institutes, academia and international partners to identify measures addressing infrastructural and policy barriers, workplace safety, training, and professional development. A follow up study will gather stakeholder feedback to prepare a roadmap for an enabling environment to increase women's participation across the logistics value chain through collaborative policy design, skills development and institutional reforms.

Seizure under NDPS Act prompts arrests and probes into international drug smuggling syndicate across Indo Nepal routes.
Officers intercepted and recovered multiple ingestible capsules and concealed luggage containing cocaine after targeted intelligence; field testing confirmed the controlled substance. The consignment was traced to an international syndicate transporting narcotics via air to Kathmandu and across the Indo Nepal border for onward movement into India. The recovered capsules and luggage were seized and the carrier and recipient were arrested and processed under the NDPS Act, with further investigation ongoing.

Special Working Group for Startups and Innovation to institutionalize SCO startup cooperation and India's permanent chairmanship advancing collaborative programs.
The fourth SCO Startup Forum in New Delhi advanced multilateral cooperation to promote innovation and entrepreneurship through plenary participation, a startup showcase, and a workshop on establishing seed funds. The forum reaffirmed the institutional framework of the Special Working Group for Startups and Innovation (SWG), whose regulations were adopted and which is permanently chaired by India. DPIIT-led initiatives-virtual forums, a startup hub, mentorship programs and SWG meetings-are intended to coordinate capacity building, investor engagement and thematic collaboration across SCO Member States, with future SWG and Forum meetings scheduled.

Acquisition approval for consolidation of shareholding in a core investment company, enabling group ownership realignment.
Approval of a proposed change in shareholding in Shriram Investment Holdings Private Limited by the Competition Commission of India for acquisition by Shriram Ownership Trust of minority stakes held by two shareholders, consolidating ownership within the Shriram group; SIHL is an unregistered core investment company holding mainly wholly owned subsidiaries, and a detailed CCI order will follow.

Gold smuggling enforcement leads to seizures and arrests after coordinated intelligence led interdictions across multiple states.
DRI's multi state operation 'Rising Sun' targeted a syndicate smuggling foreign origin gold via the Indo Myanmar land border, leading to seizure of smuggled gold, vehicles, cash and electronic items, identification of cars with concealed compartments, interception of transit vehicles, and apprehension of multiple suspects; the action applied customs enforcement and seizure measures supported by coordinated intelligence and inter regional interception.

Integrated network planning under PM GatiShakti advances multimodal projects to boost connectivity and freight efficiency nationwide.
Evaluation under PM GatiShakti considered three highway projects and two railway projects focusing on integrated network planning, multimodal connectivity, and logistics efficiency. Key measures include a Multi Modal Logistics Park at Pune on DBFOT to aggregate freight and shift traffic to efficient modes; widening NH 334D to four lanes to improve airport and expressway connectivity; an elevated 4 lane corridor on NH 139 to ease urban congestion; a Greenfield broad gauge rail line linking Assam and Arunachal Pradesh to boost regional development; and doubling a Bihar rail section to increase capacity and offer an alternative route.

Joint Economic and Trade Committee establishes bilateral trade cooperation framework enabling technical assistance, training and market engagement.
The protocol establishes a Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) as a bilateral institutional mechanism between India and the Dominican Republic, signed on March 12, 2024 after Union Cabinet approval, to formalise a standing forum for trade and commercial policy coordination. JETCO's functions include strengthening cooperation in trade, services and industrial technologies through technical assistance, training programmes and capacity building, facilitating knowledge sharing and best practices to address trade and industry challenges, and operationalising early meetings to expand existing bilateral commerce.

Competition approval: acquisition of healthcare provider stake cleared via staged investment and subsequent majority acquisition.
The Competition Commission of India approved a proposed combination in which TPG Growth V SF Markets Pte. Ltd. and Waverly Pte. Ltd., via Asia Healthcare Holdings Pte. Ltd., will subscribe for fresh redeemable preference shares in AHH and AHH will thereafter acquire a majority shareholding in Asian Institute of Nephrology and Urology Private Limited, a single-specialty provider of urology, nephrology, dialysis and transplant services in South India. The parties include a TPG-managed investment fund, a GIC-related special purpose vehicle, and a Singapore-based healthcare holding company; detailed CCI order will follow.

Industry-led collaboration expands the Bharat Mobility Global Expo to multiple venues, boosting stakeholder engagement and investment promotion.
Decision to scale up the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 as a multi-venue, multi-day Industry-led event organised simultaneously at three major exhibition centres, featuring vehicles, EV components, software, batteries, tyres and construction equipment, with sectoral sessions, buyer-seller meetings, product launches and start-up showcases, and with active contributions from Central Ministries and invited State Governments to present investment and policy initiatives.

Investment incentives for North East industrialisation: zone-based capital, interest subvention and GST-linked production support.
The UNNATI scheme provides zone-differentiated incentives for new and expanding industrial units in the North East, comprising a Capital Investment Incentive based on eligible plant, machinery and building investment with zone-specific caps and GST considerations; a Central Capital Interest Subvention at prescribed zone rates for a fixed period; and a Manufacturing & Services Linked Incentive for new units linked to net GST payments where GST applies, subject to an overall per-unit benefit cap. Implementation is by DPIIT with national and state committees overseeing registration, monitoring and disbursement.