Foodgrain allocation to BPL families under TPDS extended until National Food Security Bill implementation, with extra state allocations available.
An additional allocation of fifty lakh tonnes of foodgrains has been approved for BPL families during 2013-14 under the Targeted Public Distribution System, available for lifting by States/UTs until 31 March 2014 or until the National Food Security Bill is passed and implemented. The allocation supplements prior years' additional BPL supplies in view of adequate Central Pool stocks and addresses requirements for about 6.52 crore BPL families, including Antyodaya Anna Yojana households, at BPL prices.

Corporate Social Responsibility contribution supports disaster relief as company donates to Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.
SPMCIL presented a cheque to the Union Finance Minister for the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for Uttarakhand, funded through the company's Corporate Social Responsibility allocation and pooled contributions of employees' one-day salaries, handed over in a formal ceremony attended by senior government and company officials.

Foreign direct investment caps and approval routes clarified, specifying automatic entry for many sectors and case-by-case clearance where needed.
Foreign direct investment policy sets sectoral caps and classifies approval routes: specified sectors are subject to explicit share limits and either the automatic route or require consideration by the investment approval authority, with defence production beyond the lower threshold eligible for case-by-case approval when it offers access to modern technology.

Wholesale Price Inflation rises as food and fuel pressures offset mineral declines, lifting the June monthly WPI.
The Wholesale Price Index for June 2013 rose to 172.7 producing an annual WPI inflation rate of 4.86% and a financial-year build-up of 1.53%; the increase reflected heterogeneous movements with Primary Articles (notably food) and Fuel & Power rising while Minerals declined, and Manufactured Products showing a modest net increase driven by selected subgroups, with annexed tables providing commodity-level month-on-month, year-on-year and build-up inflation breakdowns.

Industrial Production Index shows mixed sectoral performance with manufacturing and mining contracting while electricity and intermediate goods expand.
Quick estimates for May 2013 show the IIP general index at 167.6, down 1.6% year on year with April-May cumulative growth of 0.1%. Sectoral indices: Mining contracted, Manufacturing declined, and Electricity expanded; eleven of twenty two manufacturing groups recorded negative growth. Use based results: Basic Goods slightly down, Capital Goods down, Intermediate Goods up, Consumer Durables fell markedly while Consumer Non Durables rose, producing an overall decline in Consumer Goods. April indices received a first revision and February indices a final revision; April will undergo a further final revision with the July release.

Ministerial trade policy forum revival to advance bilateral trade and address market access, transfer pricing, and immigration issues.
Agreement to revive the Ministerial Trade Policy Forum to advance bilateral trade, including India's review of Preferential Market Access, concerns on transfer pricing, and elements of the Bali package; discussions also covered immigration reform impacts on IT skilled mobility and India's TRIPS-compliant intellectual property regime, alongside promotion of the National Manufacturing Policy and National Skills Mission as opportunities for commercial engagement.

Trade deficit widens as exports fall and imports rise, driven by higher oil imports and mixed non oil trends.
India's June 2013 and April-June 2013-14 trade data show exports declined in dollar terms while imports rose over the quarter, yielding a wider trade deficit. Oil imports increased for both the month and quarter, non-oil imports fell in June but rose cumulatively, and differing dollar versus rupee growth rates across categories affected provisional monthly and quarterly trade balances.

XBRL taxonomy templates open for comment to align insurance financial reporting with Insurance Act and IRDA requirements.
Draft XBRL taxonomy templates for Life and Non life insurance companies specify separate reporting formats aligned with the Insurance Act and IRDA requirements; insurance specific data elements were compiled from statutory provisions, IRDA circulars and common industry disclosures, and the drafts are open for stakeholder comment to refine taxonomy elements and facilitate electronic filing of insurers' financial statements in XBRL.

Industrial infrastructure upgradation scheme approved with national project selection, PMA oversight and NER set aside for projects.
The Cabinet Committee approved the Modified Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation Scheme (MIIUS) for the 12th Plan with an outlay of Rs.1030 crore, reserving at least 10 percent for North Eastern Region projects and targeting 14-16 projects. A Project Management Agency will be appointed to assist the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion in appraisal and monitoring; proposals will receive in principle approval from an Apex Committee, be monitored against milestones for final approval, and targeted for completion by the end of the 12th Plan.

Investment environment: India urges U.S. companies to build local manufacturing and promises transparent, non-discriminatory policies.
Meetings with U.S. corporate leaders, Ex Im Bank officials, and the Senate Finance Committee chair addressed transfer pricing, U.S. immigration law impacts on skilled visas, taxation, and recommendations to raise FDI caps; the Finance Minister urged U.S. companies to set up local manufacturing in India and affirmed India's pro growth, WTO compliant policies and commitment to a transparent, fair and non discriminatory investment environment.

Foreign Direct Investment discussions advanced during an official ministerial visit with business and trade leaders on retail and e commerce regulation.
Commerce ministerial engagement focused on advancing bilateral commercial dialogue and sectoral investment policy through a four-day official visit involving keynote addresses, CEO and manufacturer roundtables, and meetings with business and trade interlocutors. The visit centrally addressed Foreign Direct Investment in the retail and e commerce sectors, aiming to discuss market access, regulatory entry conditions, and the interface between trade policy and digital commerce with multinational firms to inform policy positions.

Appointment of senior executives: government named new CMD for a bank and a new MD for the insurance entity with fixed tenures.
The Central Government appointed Shri Sudhir Kumar Jain as Chairman and Managing Director of Syndicate Bank for a five year term from assumption of charge or until further orders, and appointed Shri S.B. Mainak as Managing Director of LIC from assumption of charge until the terminal date specified in the announcement.

Open Regionalism to harmonize trade practices and promote trade facilitation among regional member states for sustainable economic growth
The communique promotes Open Regionalism to harmonise trade practices, reduce barriers, and prioritise services, agribusiness, and the ocean/blue economy; it supports interaction between trade and investment promotion bodies, endorses a Work Program on Trade Facilitation, encourages SME participation, and urges Member States to adopt WTO consistent measures to stimulate intra regional trade and investment.

Industrial project clearance: minister urged to expedite approvals and monitor corridor development to remove bottlenecks.
Meeting addressed administrative oversight of major infrastructure initiatives, focusing on the Delhi-Mumbai and Chennai-Bengaluru industrial corridors and related schemes; the minister apprised the head of government of project progress and obstacles and was advised to prioritize expediting project clearances and sustained monitoring of ongoing industrial projects to remove implementation bottlenecks.

Regional trade cooperation: institutionalise business interaction, liberalise visas and streamline fund use to boost investment.
The statement calls for institutionalising regional trade cooperation by creating mechanisms for business interaction and priority-area cooperation, liberalising visa regimes including visa on arrival, simplifying utilisation of the IOR-ARC Special Fund to implement priority projects, encouraging private investment in agro and infrastructure under liberalised FDI rules, and strengthening maritime enforcement to secure high-seas trade while avoiding militarisation.

Deepening economic linkages: ministerial conference attendance and bilateral trade meetings to advance regional trade cooperation.
Union Minister Shri Anand Sharma visited Mauritius to attend the IOR-ARC Economic and Business Conference focused on deepening economic linkages for balanced, inclusive and sustainable growth; eighteen Trade Ministers confirmed participation. He conducted bilateral meetings with counterpart ministers, including representatives from Japan, Australia and Mauritius, to advance bilateral trade and industry cooperation alongside the Conference.

Floating rate bond interest: coupon fixed by adding auction-determined markup to average Treasury bill base rate.
The coupon for Floating Rate Bonds, 2017 for the half-year July 2, 2013-January 1, 2014 is set at 7.73% per annum, calculated by adding the auction-decided markup of 0.34% to the variable base rate, defined as the average implicit yields of the last six Government of India 364-day Treasury Bill auctions (rounded to two decimal places), which for this period was 7.39%.

Floating rate bond coupon determination set by variable base rate plus auction mark-up, fixing the annual coupon rate.
Rate of interest on Floating Rate Bonds 2015 for the annual coupon period is set by adding the auction-decided mark-up of plus 0.19 percent to the variable base rate, which is the average of implicit yields at cut-off prices from the three Government of India 364-day Treasury Bill auctions immediately preceding the coupon reset date, rounded to two decimal places.

Continuation of National Mission on Food Processing decentralizes implementation to states and funds infrastructure and HRD schemes.
Approval continues the National Mission on Food Processing for the remainder of the plan period with central funding supplemented by State contributions and directs State Governments to implement schemes for technology upgradation, cold chain and value-addition infrastructure, abattoir works, human resource development, promotional activities, rural primary processing/collection centres, meat shop modernisation, reefer vehicles and revitalisation of food parks, while establishing a National Food Processing Development Council to guide sectoral policy and mission coordination.

Foreign equity participation increase enables issuance via QIP or GDRs to eligible non-resident investors under foreign investment rules.
Approval permits Yes Bank Limited to increase foreign equity participation up to 60 percent by issuing equity to eligible non-residents through a Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) and/or by issuing Global Depository Receipts (GDRs), enabling the bank to solicit offshore institutional and non-resident investors subject to investor eligibility and applicable foreign investment rules.