Border management measures: intensified vigilance and financial scrutiny to prevent illegal migration and secure identity records.
Directives mandate intensified vigilance, inter-agency coordination and stricter financial scrutiny in India-Nepal border districts to counter illegal migration. Authorities will verify reported migrants and death cases, update or delete identity records upon confirmation, and conduct door-to-door verification while safeguarding genuine voters. A zero-tolerance stance on illegal construction and encroachments is paired with verification of business financing. District magistrates must ensure bank compliance with RBI reporting and PAN linkage, and sub-registrar offices face accountability for defective reporting of high-value property transactions.

DTAA narrowing prompts NRIs to move from traditional offshore structures to IFSCA regulated Gift City USD fund structures.
Tightening of treaty shopping rules under foreign exchange regulation, expanded beneficial ownership disclosure and increased tax authority scrutiny have eroded the cost benefit of Singapore and Mauritius structures, prompting NRIs to consider IFSCA regulated Gift City USD denominated funds. Gift City offers open ended equity funds, Category II AIFs with multi year lock ins and Category III AIFs for active equity strategies; advisers emphasise modelling embedded gains, consulting tax advisors on DTAA applicability, and assessing currency risk, liquidity profiles and the distinction between MOIC and IRR before restructuring.

Basic salary threshold changes require employers to restructure pay and update payroll systems under new laws.
New labour codes and the Income Tax Act 2025 require employers to reconfigure compensation structures so Basic Pay meets the prescribed threshold, increasing provident fund, social security, gratuity and leave liabilities; update payroll systems and TDS reporting to new rules and forms; effect prompt final wage settlement on separation via automated HRMS workflows; maintain fully digitized statutory records for real time inspections; and extend proportionate statutory benefits to fixed term employees, prompting reassessment of project and seasonal workforce liabilities.

Recovery of real estate regulatory dues intensified, with stricter property-tracing and revenue recovery measures to enforce orders.
The government will intensify recovery of unpaid dues under the Real Estate Regulatory framework by directing district collectors to expedite recoveries, identify and attach defaulting developers' properties across districts, and trace assets using land records, stamp and registration data, property tax rolls, company registrations, vehicle registration records and, where necessary, tax authority assistance; recovery will be pursued through statutory revenue-recovery mechanisms and overseen via periodic reviews by senior administrators.

Tax analytics modernization enables AI-driven tax administration, integrating secure cloud and citizen-facing portals to improve compliance and governance.
The program will deploy a secure cloud environment powered by NVIDIA AI infrastructure with LTM's BlueVerse as the intelligence backbone to consolidate analytics, simplify workloads, and deliver real-time insights. The integrated platform supports a smart citizen portal, automated campaign management, enhanced case workflows, and AI-driven helpdesk assistance to improve governance, reduce leakages, and strengthen taxpayer compliance and service experience.

Taxation of capital gains shifted to the company's residence; dividend rates, PE and information exchange provisions updated.
The Amending Protocol reassigns full taxing rights on capital gains from company share sales to the company's State of residence, removes the MFN clause, replaces a single dividend rate with a split withholding regime based on a ten percent ownership threshold, aligns the Fees for Technical Services definition with an established bilateral model, and expands Permanent Establishment to include Service PE.

Industry-specific AI chips drive Tata's semiconductor and AI infrastructure expansion through strategic partnerships and vertical solutions.
Tata Group is pursuing industry-specific AI chips and an industrial AI operating system while expanding semiconductor fabrication and packaging capacity, data centre AI hosting, and strategic partnerships to enable vertical AI solutions, with initial chip efforts focused on automotive applications.

Financial performance: Axis Max Life posts strong premium and profitability growth, boosting market share and new business margins.
Axis Max Life's 9M FY26 results show 20% YoY growth in Individual Adjusted First Year Premium to Rs. 6,396 crores and a 30% YoY increase in Value of New Business to Rs. 1,633 crores, with New Business Margin at 23.6% and private market share rising by 53 basis points to 9.8%; renewal premium, gross written premium, Embedded Value and Assets Under Management also registered double digit growth, while the release includes a standard disclaimer on forward looking statements and investment reliance.

Startup India expands funding, tax reliefs and compliance relaxations to boost venture financing, ESOP flexibility and GST ease.
Startup India recognises over 2.07 lakh startups and deploys three principal funding mechanisms-Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) via SIDBI backed AIFs (Rs. 25,547.98 crore invested), Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) providing grants/convertible/debt through incubators (Rs. 590.93 crore approved), and a Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS) guaranteeing loans (circa Rs. 808.18 crore). Concurrent regulatory and tax easements include profit linked tax deductions, ESOP TDS deferral, carry forward/set off relaxations, GST procedural reforms (simplified registration, QRMP, provisional refunds, interest/penalty waivers, reduced pre deposits) and Companies Act compliance relaxations (optional cash flow, deposit exemptions, reduced board meeting frequency, ESOP and convertible note flexibilities).

Electoral trusts disbursed Rs 3,826 crore in FY25, with one party receiving 82.5%-report calls for greater transparency.
Electoral trusts received Rs 3,826.34 crore in FY2024-25 and disbursed Rs 3,826.35 crore, with one party receiving 82.52% of distributed funds; ten of twenty trusts reported receipts, five trusts' reports were unavailable, and instances of nil reporting and accounting anomalies were noted. The report identified concentration among top donors and sectors, significant undisclosed donor addresses, and called for enhanced transparency and enforcement under the Electoral Trusts Scheme, 2013.

Technology sector urged to pursue trillion-dollar ambition by 2035 with tax incentives, clean energy and AI focus.
The minister urged the technology sector to pursue a trillion-dollar ambition by 2035 through applied AI, a 10 GW data centre capacity target by 2030, and strengthened clean energy integration, backed by income tax benefits for qualifying investments through 2047 to boost FDI, jobs and the data centre ecosystem, while emphasizing cybersecurity, data integrity, AI education, industry-led engagement with government facilitation, and coordinated action with states to streamline approvals and electricity access.

Sensex falls amid IT sell-off and AI concerns; TCS drops below Rs10 lakh crore market capitalisation.
Benchmark indices fell on heavy selling in IT stocks as AI-related disruption fears and diminished expectations of a near-term Fed rate cut following strong US jobs data drove volatility; TCS tumbled over 5%, pushing its market capitalisation below the Rs 10 lakh crore mark, while foreign institutional investor inflows in February provided limited offsetting support.

Direct tax collections rose 9.4% to Rs 19.44 lakh crore till Feb 10 on higher corporate receipts and lower refunds.
Net direct tax collections increased 9.4% to Rs 19.44 lakh crore through February 10, supported by a 14.51% rise in corporate tax to Rs 8.90 lakh crore and a 5.91% increase in non corporate taxes to Rs 10.03 lakh crore. Securities Transaction Tax receipts were nearly flat at Rs 50,279 crore, while tax refunds fell 18.82% to Rs 3.34 lakh crore. Gross direct tax receipts rose 4.09% to Rs 22.78 lakh crore, with gross corporate and non corporate mop ups of Rs 10.88 lakh crore and Rs 11.39 lakh crore respectively, against a Revised Estimate of Rs 24.84 lakh crore.

SBI becomes fourth most valuable listed firm as strong quarterly results lift market capitalisation and profits.
SBI overtook TCS as the fourth most valuable listed company after its shares rose and market capitalisation increased. The bank disclosed record standalone profit of Rs 21,028 crore and consolidated profit of Rs 21,317 crore for the December quarter; standalone core net interest income grew 9.04% to Rs 45,190 crore on about 15.14% loan growth and a domestic net interest margin of 3.12%. Non interest income rose 15.65% to Rs 8,404 crore while total expenses rose to Rs 1,08,052 crore, as reported in a regulatory filing.

TDS on property purchases: buyers currently bear the deduction liability; petitioner sought institutional safeguards for buyer awareness.
The petitioner argued that buyers of property over Rs. 50 lakh are placed solely liable for TDS despite many purchasers lacking knowledge of the obligation and that no registrar-level verification or administrative awareness mechanism exists; he sought limited procedural directions to establish institutional safeguards at registration to prevent inadvertent defaults, improve voluntary compliance, and protect revenue, without challenging the statutory tax liability.

Confident Group assures projects will finish, denies wrongdoing amid Income Tax inspection and ongoing probe.
The Confident Group described the office searches as a routine Income Tax inspection, confirmed full cooperation with investigators and an ongoing SIT probe, asserted it is a zero-debt, zero-investor firm financed by sales collections, denied benami transactions and external investments including claims about film personalities, and assured customers that all projects have resumed and will be completed on time.

Fake income tax officer arrested after extortion and forgery allegations; forged ID and notices recovered, case registered.
Allegations that an individual posed as an income tax officer to demand payment to avoid tax proceedings gave rise to criminal charges for extortion, forgery and criminal intimidation; police registered a case on complaint, arrested the suspect and recovered a forged ID, a forged departmental letter and a forged notice used to induce payment.

Income tax rules: PAN thresholds for cash, property, vehicles, hotels and insurance updated and crypto reporting added.
The draft rules implement the new Income Tax Act and streamline compliance through consolidated rules and pre-filled digital forms, while setting revised PAN thresholds: PAN mandatory for annual cash deposits/withdrawals above Rs 10 lakh, not required for hotel bills under Rs 1 lakh, required for vehicle purchases above Rs 5 lakh and for immovable property transactions above Rs 20 lakh; PAN also compulsory for account-based insurance relationships. The draft requires crypto exchanges to share information with tax authorities and accepts Central Bank Digital Currency as an electronic payment mode.

PAN quoting thresholds raised: mandatory PAN for large cash transactions, vehicle, hotel and property purchases and insurance onboarding.
Draft Income Tax Rules 2026 require PAN for cash deposits/withdrawals aggregating Rs 10 lakh in a year, motor vehicle purchases over Rs 5 lakh (including motorcycles), hotel/event payments over Rs 1 lakh, and immovable property transactions over Rs 20 lakh; PAN will also be required to open account-based relationships with insurance companies.

Bhima Jewellery opens Noida showroom offering 22 carat, 100% BIS certified jewellery and expanded pan India retail presence.
Bhima Jewellery opened a new Noida showroom (P17, Sector 18) as part of pan India expansion, offering 22 carat gold, 100% BIS certified products, transparent pricing, and a modern retail experience. The launch reflects a strategy of responsible geographic growth, omnichannel development, and maintaining legacy commitments to purity, craftsmanship, ethical business practices, and consistent quality controls across product categories.