Maturity repayment of government stock: holders must provide bank account details or tender securities early for payment.
Repayment of 10.47% Government Stock, 2015 is payable at par on February 12, 2015 with no interest thereafter; if that date is a State holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act repayment will occur on the previous working day. Under Government Securities Regulations, 2007, maturity proceeds to registered holders will be paid by pay order incorporating bank account particulars or by credit to an account able to receive electronic funds, and holders must submit bank account particulars in advance; absent such particulars, holders may tender discharged securities at specified paying offices 20 days before the due date.

National IPR policy draft invites stakeholder consultation; comments to designated government email will inform subsequent revisions.
A draft of a National Intellectual Property Policy has been circulated for public consultation, with stakeholders invited to submit comments to the designated government email within the consultation period; the drafting body will review submissions and update the draft accordingly, incorporating stakeholder input into subsequent revisions.

Ease of doing business measures to lower entry barriers and streamline dispute resolution to boost manufacturing under Make in India
The policy focus is to facilitate the ease of doing business for 'Make in India' by lowering initial entry barriers, creating an enabling post-entry environment, streamlining the dispute resolution mechanism, and removing land availability bottlenecks for manufacturing. A National Workshop with 25 central ministries and all States, organised across eighteen sessions, seeks to coordinate short- and medium-term actions; Departments of Industrial Policy & Promotion and Commerce have begun cutting red tape, simplifying rules, and delicensing to support these objectives.

Investment promotion measures expand FDI openness and fiscal reforms to stimulate manufacturing and infrastructure investment.
Policy measures aim to revive investment through fiscal consolidation with expenditure and tax reforms, deregulation of key input prices, fiscal incentives for industry and infrastructure, and targeted support for transport and power. Complementary actions include FDI promotion in selected sectors, facilitation of low-cost long-term foreign borrowings for companies, and the Make in India initiative to improve Ease of Doing Business and position India as a manufacturing and design hub.

Advance Pricing Agreement provides transfer pricing certainty and reduced litigation, enhancing investment confidence for Japanese investors in India.
A bilateral Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) was concluded between India and a Japanese company for five years, finalised in about one and a half years. The APA provides transfer pricing certainty and uniformity for multinational enterprises, aims to reduce transfer pricing litigation, and is intended to improve the investment climate and generate positive sentiment among Japanese investors in India.

Compulsory licensing of drugs enables domestic manufacture of patented oncology medicines to address access and supply concerns.
A compulsory licence was granted for an anti cancer drug containing Sorafenib Tosylate, permitting domestic manufacture despite a patent held by the original patentee under statutory compulsory licence provisions. Subsequent ministerial recommendations to consider compulsory licences for three other oncology drugs prompted inter ministerial scrutiny: one patent lapsed, one drug was found unsafe by health authorities, and further information was requested for the remaining candidate before any compulsory licensing action.

Minimum area requirement for NIMZs upheld; sub-threshold zones may seek cluster status to access NMP dispensations.
The National Manufacturing Policy requires a minimum area of 5000 hectares for designation as a National Investment & Manufacturing Zone; proposals below that threshold do not qualify as NIMZs but may be developed as industrial clusters to avail benefits under the NMP pursuant to the circulated cluster definition, guidelines and dispensations. State-specific requests were addressed: Tamil Nadu was advised to pursue cluster status for its zones, while Haryana's Manesar-Bawal region has existing NIMZ designation and thus qualifies for NMP dispensations.

Patent awareness drives outreach to increase domestic filings through industry and institutional programs and capacity building.
Low domestic participation in patenting reflects limited awareness of the patent system, weak industry planning for a patent portfolio, and inadequate research infrastructure. The national patent office responded with outreach and capacity-building measures: in-house awareness programmes, officers serving as resource persons at external events, and collaborative seminars with international and national partners and State Governments to promote strategic filing and support small industry clusters.

Financial cooperation for green energy corridors enables renewable energy transmission through inter state and intra state project financing.
Government of India and Germany concluded financial cooperation for the Green Energy Corridors project, executing a Note of Exchange and three loan agreements with KfW totalling Euro 625 million for intra state and inter state transmission schemes, and grant agreements providing technical assistance through two Euro 2 million grants for forest ecosystem climate proofing and Tamil Nadu urban infrastructure technical assistance.

Industrial park cooperation expands bilateral infrastructure partnerships, enabling state agencies to sign implementation agreements for park development.
A Memorandum of Understanding established bilateral cooperation on industrial parks to enable cluster-style enterprise development. Subsequent state-level implementing MoUs were signed: a Gujarat agency with a Chinese development bank to support park establishment in Gujarat, and a Maharashtra industrial undertaking with a Chinese manufacturer to set up an industrial park in Maharashtra, as reported by the central minister in parliament.

Ease of Doing Business reforms under Make in India expand single window online clearances and streamline industrial licensing for investors.
The Make in India programme seeks to position India as a global manufacturing and design hub by improving the investment environment through FDI liberalisation, infrastructure upgrades, and active investor promotion rather than by offering specific concessions to foreign investors.

Rail link agreement to facilitate cross border trade and border haats set up to enhance local commerce.
India has maintained a growing trade surplus with Bangladesh from 2009-2014, marked by rising exports and expanding bilateral trade; a Memorandum of Understanding was signed to develop the Agartala-Akhaura rail link to facilitate trade and exchanges (land acquisition begun, completion date not fixed), and four Border Haats along the Bangladesh-Tripura border are being set up with Bangladesh's concurrence, as disclosed by the Minister of State in a written parliamentary reply.

Appointment of Presiding Officers in Debts Recovery Tribunals approved, fixed term or until statutory retirement age established.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved appointments of Presiding Officers to multiple Debts Recovery Tribunals for a fixed term of five years or until attaining the statutory retirement age of 62 years, with specific tribunals and appointees identified by name and location.

Finance Commission report presented to the President, followed by the Chairman's consultation with the Union Finance Minister.
The Finance Commission report was formally presented to the President, after which the Commission Chairman met with the Union Finance Minister to discuss the report, constituting an executive-level briefing and intergovernmental consultation regarding the Commission's recommendations.

FDI limits: permitted up to sectoral caps under automatic or conditional routes; no proposed cap reduction for listed firms.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is permitted in non prohibited sectors under the Consolidated FDI Policy Circular 2014, subject to applicable laws, sectoral conditionalities and security requirements. For activities not specifically listed, FDI is allowed up to full foreign ownership on the automatic route, subject to legal and security conditions. There is no proposal to impose a reduced cap on FDI in listed companies or to alter sectoral caps for unlisted companies.

Small savings policy: reintroduced retail instruments and interest alignment with government securities to improve saver returns.
Kisan Vikas Patras have been reintroduced and a Girl Child savings scheme notified; the Public Provident Fund investment ceiling has been raised and the Senior Citizens Savings Scheme continues as a distinct instrument. Interest rates for small-savings schemes are aligned with yields on comparable government securities plus a fixed spread, with a larger spread applying to the Senior Citizens Savings Scheme.

Fiscal prudence measures impose mandatory non-plan expenditure cuts and immediate austerity restrictions on administrative spending.
Measures impose an immediate 10% mandatory cut in non-plan expenditure for the current financial year with specified exclusions (interest, debt repayments, defence capital, salaries, pensions, Finance Commission grants). Additional austerity measures restrict creation of posts, vehicle purchases, foreign travel and luxury conferences and tighten discipline in transfers to States, PSUs and autonomous bodies. The measures operate until further orders and reported savings are not centrally monitored or quantifiable.

Insurance law reform: Cabinet-approved amendments aim to modernize statutes and improve protections and efficiency for the insured.
Approval of amendments to the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2008 authorizes submission of changes to the Rajya Sabha to excise archaic and redundant statutory provisions and to modernize the legislative framework so the insurance sector can operate with greater efficacy for the benefit of policyholders.

Debt recovery tribunal expansion to reduce backlog and rationalise jurisdiction, enhancing adjudication under the RDDBFI and SARFAESI frameworks.
Establishment of six new Debt Recovery Tribunals at Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Ernakulam, Dehradun, Siliguri and Hyderabad is intended to expand tribunal capacity and rationalise jurisdiction to expedite adjudication and recovery under the Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993; DRTs also exercise appellate jurisdiction under the SARFAESI Act, 2002, and the expansion responds to stakeholder recommendations and a growing backlog of pending cases.

National IPR Policy drafting body constituted to prepare policy and advise on intellectual property issues.
A six-member IPR think tank has been constituted to prepare a draft National IPR Policy, with the primary mandate to stimulate innovation across sectors and to provide advice on other intellectual property issues, drawing on a multi-disciplinary membership to inform policy formulation.