Capital subsidy allocation continues RGGVY to complete spillovers, extend village electrification, and provide free BPL connections.
Continuation of RGGVY in the 12th Plan authorises completion of spillover works from 10th and 11th Plan projects, continued coverage of villages and habitations with population above 100, provision of free electricity connections to BPL households, and extension of DDG to grid connected areas where supply is under six hours daily. The Plan retains the central capital subsidy financing model and apportions total subsidy requirements between the 12th Plan and spillover to the next Plan.

Public shareholding compliance achieved: divestment OFS subscribed and government to receive divestment proceeds in two listed companies
An OFS divestment of central government equity in two listed entities was subscribed, producing divestment receipts for the Government; both companies have met the mandatory public shareholding thresholds for central public sector enterprises and have been confirmed SCRR compliant, evidencing conformity with shareholding and listing norms.

ST-3 eFiling Offline Utility enables Excel-based offline preparation and structured electronic submission of service tax returns.
An ST-3 eFiling Offline Utility and corresponding schema are made available as an Excel-based tool to enable offline completion and structured electronic submission of ST-3 service tax returns for the half yearly filing cycle, with downloadable software and documentation provided to assist taxpayer compliance.

Interest subvention scheme continues: subsidised short-term farm loans with a repayment-linked incentive and extended coverage.
Continuation of the interest subvention scheme provides subsidised short-term crop loans through PSBs, private banks, cooperative banks, RRBs and via NABARD refinance, extends coverage to private bank branch service areas, maintains the principal subvention rate for eligible short-term crop loans, and adds a timely-repayment incentive reducing effective interest for punctual borrowers; it also temporarily extends subvention to Kisan Credit Card loans against Negotiable Warehouse Receipts for post-harvest finance and notes the scheme's budgetary implication and raised agricultural credit flow target.

Interest subvention scheme ensures concessional crop-loan rates and an additional timely-repayment incentive for eligible farmers.
Continuation of the interest subvention provides short-term crop loans at 7 percent per annum for eligible loans across PSBs, private banks within branch service areas, Cooperative Banks, RRBs and through NABARD refinance; an additional 3 percent subvention is available for timely repayment, and identical subvention terms are temporarily extended to Kisan Credit Card advances against Negotiable Warehouse Receipts for small and marginal farmers.

FDI conditions in multi brand retail now mandate backend infrastructure investment and sustained local sourcing obligations.
Amendments require at least fifty percent of FDI in the initial tranche to be invested in back end infrastructure within three years, with back end defined to include processing, manufacturing, distribution, logistics, storage, warehousing and related capital expenditure but excluding land cost and rentals. At least thirty percent of procurement value of manufactured/processed goods must be sourced from qualifying Indian micro, small and medium enterprises, with small industry status fixed at first engagement and procurement measured as a five year average from the April of first receipt of FDI and thereafter annually. Retail outlets are limited to specified cities or as decided by States, within a defined radius and conforming to master plans with requisite facilities.

Definition of control expanded to include management rights, shareholding and shareholder agreements, broadening foreign investment calculation.
The FDI policy definition of control is expanded to include the right to appoint a majority of directors or to control management or policy decisions by virtue of shareholding, management rights, shareholders agreements or voting agreements, aligning the concept with takeover and company law approaches and capturing direct and indirect forms of influence for calculation of total foreign investment.

Extension of filing deadline for individual and HUF income-tax returns allows weekend filings under special arrangements.
Extension of the due date for filing income-tax returns for individuals, HUFs and non-auditable cases is authorized and field offices must make special filing arrangements, including weekend acceptance, to facilitate taxpayers filing returns during the extended period after paying due taxes.

Offer for Sale divestment of government equity over-subscribed; government to receive divestment receipts and achieve public shareholding compliance.
The Government conducted an Offer for Sale divesting 7.64% of its equity in National Fertilizers Limited on the principal stock exchanges; the sale was over-subscribed at 1.55 times, yielding approximately Rs. 101 Crore in divestment receipts and resulting in compliance with the SCRR minimum public shareholding norm of 10%.

Extension of filing deadline granted to facilitate e filing access; taxpayers urged to file returns after paying due tax.
Due to a surge in electronic filing and access failures linked to local internet service provider constraints, the income tax return due date originally 31st July, 2013 has been extended to 5th August, 2013 as an administrative measure for taxpayer convenience; taxpayers are requested to file during the extension after paying any tax due.

Foreign direct investment limits: TRAI invites stakeholder comments on proposed liberalisation of FDI caps in broadcasting.
TRAI has released a consultation paper at the request of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to re-examine Foreign Direct Investment limits and approval routes in the broadcasting sector. The paper considers carriage services, content services (uplinking/downlinking of news channels) and FM radio, guided by sector convergence and the principle of a level playing field. Stakeholders are invited to submit comments, which will be posted on TRAI's website.

Economic recovery measures proposed to tackle the current account gap, revive industry, and accelerate corridors and skills development.
The Council examined measures to correct the Current Account Deficit and revive industrial growth by combining fiscal and regulatory tools: raising duties on consumer and luxury goods, innovative curbs on gold imports, sovereign bond issuance and swaplines, asset sales to raise resources, restoring corporate cash flows, and resolving tax uncertainty. It recommended easing FDI conditions and FIPB speed, sector-specific zones, single-window clearances, accelerated depreciation for SMEs, pre-cleared projects, use of PSU land for parks, PPP for energy and coal operations, prioritising industrial corridors, visa facilitation for exports, and large-scale skill certification utilising existing employment schemes.

Foreign institutional investor participation dominant in government OFS transactions, outweighing insurance and bank allocations overall.
Government OFS transactions exhibited substantial Foreign Institutional Investor participation, with FIIs providing a plurality of funds in major offerings while insurance companies and public sector banks contributed smaller shares. Pricing of OFS issues is set by assessing company strength, market conditions, and investor interest to achieve a reasonable level that attracts long term investors across categories.

Applied economic research must remain faithful to founding ideals and resist political misdirection, enhancing policy relevance.
Emphasis on preserving NCAER's commitment to founding ideals and sustaining purposeful, applied economic research, urging affiliates to remain faithful to that vision and to produce policy relevant work that resists politically convenient narratives; construction of a new facility is presented as necessary infrastructure to support academic independence, research integrity, and increased impact of applied economic study.

Government stock repayment: maturity payable to registered holders via electronic credit or pay order; tender at paying offices permitted.
Maturity proceeds of the government stock will be paid to registered holders by electronic credit to the nominated bank account or by pay order; holders must submit bank account particulars in advance. If such particulars are not available, holders may tender duly discharged securities at Public Debt Offices, Treasuries/Sub Treasuries, or specified bank branches twenty days before the due date to receive the discharge value. Repayment in a State where the maturity date is a declared holiday will be made on the previous working day.

Corporate mobile number porting now allowed via letter of authorization, with distinct 48-hour processing and 90-day implementation timelines.
The Telecommunications Mobile Number Portability (Fifth Amendment) Regulations, 2013 create a dedicated procedure allowing up to 50 corporate mobile numbers to be ported in a single request through a letter of authorization from the corporate authorised signatory; the amendment becomes effective after 90 days to permit system changes and requires the Recipient Operator to forward corporate-number porting requests within 48 hours while maintaining a 24-hour period for individual requests.

Valuation of spectrum: consultation invites stakeholder input on reserve pricing and related rules under an expedited timetable.
The consultation solicits stakeholder input on quantum of spectrum to be auctioned, eligibility to participate, roll out obligations, valuation methods and estimation of the reserve price, review of spectrum usage charges, and spectrum trading; it sets an expedited timetable for written comments and counter comments and schedules an open house discussion, with submissions directed to the Authority and a statement that timelines will not be extended in light of the Department's request and a higher judicial directive.

Eligibility criteria revision expands educational access and removes mandatory computer literacy for upcoming PO/MT recruitment.
Eligibility for CWE PO/MT-III has been revised: a degree in any discipline from a recognised university or equivalent is required; age is restricted to a young adult band with government-prescribed relaxations for reserved categories; computer literacy is not mandatory. Administrative amendments include revised online registration and separate online and offline payment windows for application fees/intimation charges, together with an extended registration deadline. Candidates must refer to the official corrigendum and notified publications for authoritative details.

Research and Development programme in water sector advances technology, dissemination and institutional collaboration under national plan.
Research and Development programme in the water sector approved for the XII Plan to advance technologies for planning, design, construction and operation of water resources projects by sponsoring and coordinating research, supporting dissemination and technology transfer, and evaluating R&D activities and consultancies, implemented by Ministry of Water Resources organisations with participation from academic and research institutions.

Development communication drives awareness of government entitlements and promotes beneficiary uptake through media-led outreach campaigns.
Approval of the Plan Scheme "Development Communication and Information Dissemination" allocates a central outlay to media-led outreach to increase public awareness of government welfare and employment schemes, aiming to convert statutory entitlements into realized benefits through coordinated use of outdoor publicity, electronic and print media, public information campaigns, tours, people-to-people contact, special outreach programmes, live art and culture shows and new media.