Double taxation avoidance: treaty limits source taxation and provides information exchange and anti-abuse safeguards for cross-border investment.
A Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between India and Fiji allocates taxing rights by taxing business profits in the source State only when a permanent establishment exists, taxes aircraft operation profits in the country of place of effective management, allows residence and source taxation of dividends, interest, royalties and technical service fees subject to treaty maximum source rates, treats capital gains on share transfers as taxable in the source State, and includes exchange of information, assistance in tax collection, and anti-abuse provisions to prevent treaty misuse.

Auction of government securities via uniform price method enabling competitive and non-competitive bids with electronic submission.
Sale by re-issue of central government securities will be conducted by price-based auction using the uniform price method; both competitive and Non-Competitive Bidding are allowed with up to five percent of each issue reserved for eligible individuals and institutions. Bids must be submitted electronically on the central bank's core banking platform within prescribed time windows, payment by successful bidders occurs on the stated settlement date, and the stocks are eligible for When Issued trading under the central bank's guidance.

Risk Management System: customs directed to set measurable goals to reduce dwell time and paperwork and master IT
The Finance Minister directed Customs to strengthen and quantify its Risk Management System (RMS) by setting measurable quantitative goals focused on reduction of dwell time and reduction of paperwork, and urged customs officers to master and keep pace with technology and IT systems. He credited restrictions on gold imports with helping contain the Current Account Deficit and indicated those restrictions may be revisited at fiscal year end.

Presidential Award of Appreciation recognizes specially distinguished service in customs, excise and enforcement across prevention, prosecution and administration.
Forty officers of the Customs & Central Excise and Directorate of Enforcement were selected for Presidential Award of Appreciation Certificates for a specially distinguished record of service on Republic Day 2014. Selection rested on sustained exemplary performance in preventing smuggling and narcotics trafficking, detecting tax evasion and trade based money laundering, uncovering foreign exchange violations, effecting arrests and seizures, upgrading anti smuggling capability, streamlining enforcement procedures, and contributing to revenue mobilization, automation, litigation management, international trade facilitation, dispute resolution and administrative and training functions.

Auction of government inflation-indexed stock via uniform price method with non-competitive facility and electronic bidding schedule.
Sale (re-issue) of 1.44% Inflation Indexed Government Stock-2023 will be conducted by the Reserve Bank of India through a price-based auction using the uniform price method, with up to 20% allotted under the Scheme for Non-Competitive Bidding Facility. Competitive and non-competitive bids must be submitted electronically on the Reserve Bank of India Core Banking Solution (E-Kuber) within specified windows, with results announced and payment scheduled on the stated dates.

Viability Gap Funding approved for multiple PPP infrastructure projects, enabling private concessions under DBFOT and BOT toll frameworks.
The Public-Private Partnership Appraisal Committee recommended five MoRTH highway projects for DBFOT/BOT toll concessioning with a combined estimated cost of Rs. 7,595.19 crore. The Empowered Committee approved VGF support totalling Rs. 1,280.65 crore, providing final approvals for two Uttar Pradesh projects and in-principle approval for additional Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh road projects to enable private-sector participation under DBFOT/BOT frameworks.

Exchange rate determination for customs purposes sets specified import and export currency conversion rates and supersedes prior notification.
Determination under the Customs Act: the Central Board of Excise and Customs fixes specified conversion rates between listed foreign currencies and Indian rupees for import and export goods, superseding the earlier notification and making the annexed Schedule I (per unit rates) and Schedule II (per 100 unit rates) the official benchmarks for customs valuation.

Tariff value amendment under Customs Act updates customs valuation for edible oils, metals, seeds and areca nuts.
CBEC substitutes TABLE-1, TABLE-2 and TABLE-3 of Notification No. 36/2001-Customs (N.T.), prescribing revised tariff values in US dollars per specified units for listed imports including crude palm oil, RBD palm oil, palmolein variants, crude soyabean oil, brass scrap, poppy seeds, areca nuts, and specified entries for gold and silver where notification benefits are availed.

Voluntary implementation of governance recommendations promotes non legislative consumer protection and regulatory transparency reforms.
The guidance handbook urges financial sector regulators to undertake Voluntary Implementation of selected non legislative, governance enhancing recommendations from the FSLRC, providing rationale, global practice examples, and operational guidance on consumer protection, rule framing, transparency in board meetings, reporting, investigation and adjudication processes, penalty imposition, and capacity building; the handbook has been circulated to regulators and published publicly for reference.

Disaster recovery financing enables Uttarakhand to restore housing and rural connectivity while strengthening state disaster management capacity.
The project provides World Bank IDA financing to restore housing and rural connectivity, rebuild damaged infrastructure, and strengthen disaster risk management capacity in Uttarakhand through six components including Resilient Infrastructure Reconstruction, Rural Road Connectivity, Technical Assistance and Capacity Building, Financing Disaster Response Expenses, Project Implementation Support, and Contingency Emergency Response, with the State government as implementing agency for a four-year implementation period.

Commercial activity reclassification under Section 2(15): tax-exemption withdrawn and past assessments reopened for associations' scrutiny.
Four regional cricket associations had income-tax exemptions withdrawn after certain of their activities were classified as commercial under the amended Section 2(15), leading the tax department to reopen prior assessments to verify the correctness of earlier exemption claims and to scrutinise eligibility based on activity recharacterisation.

Foreign exchange data sharing enables automated transmission of electronic Bank Realization Certificates for export compliance and tax refunds.
A Memorandum of Understanding between DGFT and the Enforcement Directorate establishes secure electronic sharing of Bank Realization Certificate (eBRC) data to enable automated access to export foreign exchange realisation records for discharge of export obligations, verification of export incentives, and state VAT refund processes; the eBRC platform, launched and later made mandatory in 2012, centralises bank uploads, reduces manual interfaces, and facilitates multi-agency use and foreign exchange monitoring.

International economic cooperation advances through coordinated trade, taxation, financial supervision and infrastructure MOUs between India and Korea.
India and Korea agreed to deepen international economic cooperation via multilateral coordination and bilateral measures: continue consultations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement; jointly address customs clearance difficulties; promote SME cooperation; pursue revision of the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention; consider licensing for bank branches subject to laws; negotiate an MOU on financial supervision; advance infrastructure cooperation through MOUs and export credit arrangements; and support financial sector reform dialogue, training, state property management, public procurement cooperation, and a joint Science and Technology fund.

Revision of double taxation convention to enhance tax cooperation and enable bilateral investment, customs and financial-sector coordination.
Revision of the Korea-India cooperation framework focuses on negotiating the Double Taxation Convention to enhance tax coordination and expand bilateral investment, coupled with measures to ease customs clearance, permit Korean bank branches in India through streamlined permissions, and promote SME collaboration. The meeting also addresses macroeconomic policy responses, multilateral cooperation, supervisory coordination in the financial sector, and policies to support infrastructure development and a mid to long term trade and investment roadmap.

Government securities auction uses uniform-price method with competitive and non-competitive bidding and when-issued trading eligibility.
Sale (re-issue) of multiple Central Government stocks is announced to be allotted through price-based auctions using the uniform price method, permitting competitive and non-competitive electronic bids on the E-Kuber system within prescribed windows. Up to five percent of each notified amount is reserved for eligible individuals and institutions under the Non-Competitive Bidding Facility. Auctions specify result announcement and settlement dates, and the stocks are eligible for when-issued trading under applicable RBI guidelines.

Direct tax collections rise as corporate and personal income tax receipts boost net fiscal revenue for the period.
Gross direct tax collections increased year on year in the April-December fiscal period, led by growth in Corporate tax and stronger growth in Personal income tax receipts, resulting in a higher net direct tax collection. Securities Transaction Tax showed modest growth and Wealth Tax collections rose more markedly, together reflecting broad based revenue increases across major direct tax heads and select ancillary levies.

Exchange rate notification sets conversion rates for imports and exports, effective from early January under Customs Act.
Determination of conversion rates for foreign currencies into Indian rupees for import and export valuation under Section 14 of the Customs Act, superseding the prior notification and fixing distinct rupee equivalents for specified currencies in Schedule I (per unit) and Schedule II (per 100 units), with separate columns for imported and export goods and an exception preserving actions taken before the supersession.

Credit agreement secures international funding for Rajasthan road modernisation to improve rural connectivity and road safety.
A Credit Agreement and Project Agreement were signed by authorised government and lending institution representatives to finance the Rajasthan Road Sector Modernisation Project, aimed at improving rural connectivity, enhancing road safety and strengthening road sector management capacity. The Project comprises three components-Rural Connectivity Improvement; Road Sector Modernisation and Performance Enhancement; and Road Safety Management-and provides a specified implementation timeframe with a scheduled closing date in December 2018.

Tariff value revision for edible oils and metals alters customs valuation and import duty calculations nationwide.
The Board, invoking powers under sub-section (2) of section 14 of the Customs Act, substitutes TABLE-1, TABLE-2 and TABLE-3 of Notification No. 36/2001-Customs (N.T.) to prescribe updated tariff values in US dollars for specified goods, including edible oils, brass scrap, poppy seeds, gold, silver and areca nuts, thereby establishing the tariff valuation figures for customs assessment and importer compliance.