Revision of interest rates for small savings: quarterly rates notified with marginal reductions and compounding/payment frequencies specified.
Revision of interest rates for Small Savings Schemes notifies quarterly, scheme-specific interest rates and the compounding or payment frequency for the second quarter of financial year 2019-20 (1 July-30 September 2019), implementing the Government's decision to fix rates on a quarterly basis and listing marginal changes and periodicity for each covered instrument.

Budget secrecy lock-in preserves confidentiality ahead of presentation, triggering restricted access during the printing process.
The Halwa ceremony marked the start of printing for the Union General Budget 2019-20 and confirmed administrative confidentiality measures: officials involved in preparation and printing are placed under a lock-in to preserve secrecy until the Finance Minister presents the Budget, with the North Block press serving as the secured site and senior finance officials overseeing the process.

Financial stability coordination advances: regulators presented budget proposals and progress on data and cybersecurity infrastructure.
The Council reviewed global and domestic economic conditions and financial stability risks, focusing on banking and NBFC vulnerabilities, and collected regulator proposals for the Union Budget. It noted progress on establishing a Financial Data Management Centre for integrated data aggregation and analysis and a CERT-Fin to strengthen cybersecurity, and reviewed actions of the FSDC Sub-Committee and member follow-up on prior decisions to enhance regulatory coordination and preparedness.

Fiscal prudence and reform agenda guide pre-budget deliberations to address slowing growth and financial sector stress.
Pre-budget deliberations assembled senior finance secretaries and policy officials to design measures reversing the economic slowdown by increasing revenue mobilisation, promoting manufacturing investment, creating jobs, and maintaining fiscal prudence. The meeting emphasised responding to financial-sector stress-notably NBFC liquidity-by considering an IBC-type framework or a special liquidity window, and prioritised actions to address agricultural distress and improve farm incomes while supporting private and public investment.

Minimum wages enforcement and expanded social security proposed to protect workers and formalise precarious employment.
Pre-Budget consultation with trade unions and labour organisations proposed stronger enforcement of the Minimum Wages Act, extension of social security to unorganised and contract workers, a comprehensive unemployment insurance scheme, conversion of casual/contractual roles into formal employment, and creation of a National Fund for Unorganised Workers; further recommendations covered skill-development alignment, ITI syllabus revision, expansion of MGNREGA coverage and workdays, increased social-sector allocations, and opposition to public sector disinvestment.

Data governance reforms urged to regulate the digital economy and strengthen infrastructure, privacy, and start up incentives.
Consultations recommended regulatory and policy interventions for the digital economy focusing on data governance, privacy, consumer protection, and financial regulation; leveraging Big Data and AI for public governance and service delivery; institutionalising inter governmental and public private data sharing; establishing mechanisms to counter cross border digital fraud; incentivising domestic R&D and IP; maintaining tax benefits for digital firms while addressing angel tax and tax treatment differences between assembled and manufactured goods; and reforming spectrum and telecom norms to bolster digital infrastructure and domestic software capacity.

Fiscal management priorities: borrowings, consolidation and financial stability to underpin job oriented growth and structural reforms.
Pre-budget consultations prioritized fiscal management and macroeconomic stability, recommending appropriate public sector borrowing, fiscal consolidation, and an independent fiscal policy committee. Measures to support financial stability included bank capital infusion and an IBC-style framework for NBFCs. Growth-oriented proposals focused on promoting manufacturing and labour-intensive sectors, tariff and EXIM reforms, removal of specific duties on textiles, GST simplification, implementation of a Direct Tax Code, incentives for digital transactions, and skilling to boost employment.

Public investment in social infrastructure prioritised to guide budget measures for health, education and social protection improvements.
Pre-Budget consultation emphasised prioritising public investment in social infrastructure-education, health and social protection-to improve human development, and stakeholders proposed measures including expanded healthcare infrastructure, free medicines and diagnostics, PPP promotion in tertiary care, cluster-based model schools, enhanced scholarships, nutrition and sanitation initiatives, protection of children from labour, and targeted budgets for special schools and rehabilitation centres.

Infrastructure financing priorities: fiscal and regulatory measures proposed to mobilise investment and incentivise green and transport sectors.
Pre-budget consultations sought policy and fiscal measures to mobilise capital and reduce costs for infrastructure projects, proposing tax-free bonds, levy rationalisation, streamlined land acquisition, GST reclassification for telecom towers, and user development fees for railway upgrades. Climate-focused proposals recommended a Green Technology Acceleration Fund, Infrastructure Status for renewable energy, incentives for domestic solar manufacturing and electric vehicles, vehicle-scrapping provisions, enhanced recycling, and increased R&D support in the automobile sector.

NBFC liquidity support: propose dedicated liquidity window and regulatory distinction between solvency, governance and liquidity pressures.
Pre budget consultations urged regulatory separation of solvency, governance and liquidity issues for NBFCs and proposed creation of a dedicated NBFC liquidity window, easing liquidity pressures from insolvency, and review of NPA provisioning via a specialised committee. Additional proposals sought market reforms such as a Debt ETF, separate bond exchange, permitting bank investment in InvITs, review of small savings rates, rationalisation of capital markets taxes, capacity building in audit and credit rating, online MSME trade licensing, and progressive corporate tax measures to incentivise MSMEs.

Pre-Budget Consultation gathers industry suggestions on tax, FDI, GST, MSME and policy reforms to boost growth.
Pre-Budget consultations with industry, trade and services solicited proposals on tax simplification, corporate and capital gains tax, GST administration, FDI facilitation, and measures for MSMEs, start-ups, e commerce, tourism, food manufacturing, land reforms, SEZs, R&D investment, and skill development to boost economic activity and employment ahead of the General Budget.

Rural infrastructure investment priority: pre budget consultations seek measures to boost agriculture, market access and non farm jobs.
Pre budget consultations prioritised rural economic and social infrastructure to tackle unemployment and poverty by supporting agriculture, allied activities and the non farm economy; key proposals included promoting start ups to integrate agricultural markets, strengthening agricultural research and extension, incentivising agro processing, resolving GST issues for Farmer Producer Organisations, expanding micro irrigation and solar pumps, boosting R&D and providing financial incentives to states for market reforms.