Social security schemes expand affordable insurance and guaranteed pension access via bank auto-debit and government co-contribution.
Three bank linked schemes extend affordable social security: PMSBY offers annual renewable accidental death and disability cover for ages 18-70 via participating general insurers; PMJJBY offers annual renewable life cover for ages 18-50 via LIC or other life insurers; APY provides a guaranteed fixed minimum pension for subscribers entering at ages 18-40 with contributions until age 60 and limited government co contribution for eligible non members of statutory schemes and non taxpayers.

Financial stability review addresses account aggregation, bank capital requirements and market deepening measures including credit default swaps and corporate bonds.
Review of financial stability risks and regulatory measures focused on global and domestic factors affecting systemic resilience. Deliberations targeted an account aggregation facility, supervision of capital requirements for banks, and initiatives to deepen the credit default swap market and the corporate bond market, and reviewed the functioning of Technical Groups.

Approval for overseas charitable disbursements fast tracked for earthquake relief; expedited processing and document guidance published online.
Fast track processing applies to applications by voluntary organisations and trusts seeking approval under section 11(1)(c) to apply charitable income outside India for earthquake relief in Nepal. The Department will endeavour to process completed applications on an expedited timetable and has published the list of required supporting documents on the Income Tax Department website.

DTAA claims for FIIs to be decided within one month, streamlining treaty benefit determinations for securities income.
Officers must decide Foreign Institutional Investors' treaty benefit claims under the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements relating to income from securities within one month from the date the claim is filed, as an administrative directive to ensure prompt resolution of DTAA entitlement disputes.

Use of regional languages: banks must provide trilingual documents and communications to enhance customer access.
Banks must adopt regional languages alongside English and Hindi for customer-facing materials and communications, including indicator boards, business posters in semi-urban and rural branches, customer booklets, and transactional communications. Printed retail-customer materials such as account forms, pay-in slips and passbooks must be trilingual; cheque forms are to be printed in Hindi and English while customers may write cheques in Hindi, English or the regional language; branches must provide drop-box and over-the-counter cheque acknowledgements and display this in all three languages.

Separation of Chairman and Managing Director roles: non executive chair sets policy while MD&CEO manages daily operations.
Approval was given to separate Chairman and Managing Director posts in Public Sector Banks, creating a non executive Chairman responsible for overall policy direction and an executive MD&CEO responsible for day to day management, to introduce checks and balances and enhance board level accountability.

Transparency in government procurement: mandatory portal publication plus phased e-procurement to broaden online tendering and disclosure.
The Central Public Procurement Portal is designated as the mandatory repository for publishing tender enquiries, corrigenda and bid award details by all Central Government ministries, subordinate offices, Central Public Sector Enterprises and autonomous/statutory bodies; a phased mandate requires these entities to commence electronic procurement for procurements above progressively lower value thresholds on specified commencement dates to extend online tendering and enhance procurement transparency and efficiency.

Insurance coverage for disabled persons recognised subject to insurer underwriting and supported by social security schemes.
Insurers may provide medical and life insurance to mentally challenged and physically handicapped persons, but coverage, acceptance and premium depend on each insurer's underwriting assessment and board-approved policies; there are no specific Authority regulations mandating terms. Government schemes and IRDA's rural and social sector obligations complement private provision by designating persons with disabilities among social sector lives and offering targeted medical and social security insurance support.

Increase in registered income-tax assessees reported, reflecting returns and TDS-recorded taxpayers and provisional growth over recent years.
Increase in the number of income-tax assessees is reported across three assessment years, based on the sum of income-tax returns entered in the system and cases where tax was deducted at source though the taxpayer had not filed a return; one year's figure is noted as provisional and the data was disclosed in a ministerial written reply to a parliamentary question.

TDS on recurring deposits remains not deducted for Post Office Recurring Deposit Scheme, affirmed in government statement.
The current tax position is that TDS is not deducted on the Post Office Recurring Deposit Scheme. This non-deduction stance was communicated by the Ministry of Finance in a written parliamentary reply, identifying the operative tax treatment for deposits under the Post Office Recurring Deposit Scheme without indicating an affirmative change to withholding obligations.

Interest rate deregulation lets banks set term deposit rates with board approval; senior citizen schemes may offer higher fixed rates.
Banks may set term deposit interest rates freely subject to Board approval; they may also institute fixed deposit schemes for resident senior citizens offering higher fixed rates, which do not apply to non resident deposits. Recent policy rate cuts have led several public sector banks to reduce median term deposit rates, illustrating transmission of monetary easing into deposit pricing.

Social security insurance schemes provide standardized bank-linked accidental and life cover to eligible savers with subscriber-paid premiums.
Two government social security insurance schemes provide annually renewable accidental death and disability cover and life insurance cover to eligible saving bank account holders. The accidental cover is offered through public sector and other general insurers, and the life cover through LIC and other life insurers, each on standardized terms requiring insurer approvals and bank tie-ups. Subscribers pay the premiums and the schemes rely on bank-insurer arrangements for enrollment and administration.

Long-term government bond issuance with extended maturity proposed to meet insurers' and provident funds' long term liability hedging demand.
Proposal to introduce a 40-year maturity bond to lengthen the government debt portfolio and limit rollover risk, responding to demand from insurance companies and provident funds for instruments to hedge long-term liabilities; initial issuance will be small to gauge market appetite and may be adjusted based on experience.

Tax deduction for dependants with disability increased to strengthen relief and cover rising medical and care expenses.
Section 80DD grants residents-individuals and Hindu undivided families-a deduction where they incur medical, training or rehabilitation expenditure for a dependant with disability or pay premiums for an insurer maintenance scheme; it distinguishes between disability and severe disability and defines "dependant" by familial relation and financial dependence. The Finance Bill, 2015 proposes to raise the statutory deduction ceilings for both disability categories to address increased care and medical costs, while preserving the alternative of insurer-paid maintenance schemes as qualifying for deduction.

Basic customs duty on imported steel can be raised under WTO bound rates to address dumping concerns.
Imposition of higher basic customs duty on imported steel was sought to counter alleged dumping; WTO bound rates set the permissible ceiling for duties on iron and steel. The Government noted that the bound rate for the tariff chapter covering iron and steel comprises specified ceiling figures, and that a recent Budget increased the scheduled basic customs duty rate for iron and steel items while leaving the effective applied rates unchanged. This position was stated by the Ministry of Finance in response to a parliamentary question.

Investor protection framework: draft rules for fund authority and reporting regulator published, notification expected while tribunal-dependent sections await resolution.
The provisions establishing the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority and the National Financial Reporting Authority remain unnotified; draft rules have been published for comment and consultations undertaken on accounting and refund procedures, with notification expected. Other investor-protection measures such as independent directors, board committees, small-shareholder representation, and related-party transaction rules have been notified, while sections contingent on the National Company Law Tribunal remain unnotified pending litigation.

Tax free infrastructure bonds permitted for NHAI, providing income tax exemption under the applicable income tax provision for investors.
Authorization permits the issuer to issue Tax Free Infrastructure Bonds and Capital Gain Tax Exemption Bonds in the financial year, with in principle approval from the Ministry of Finance for the tax free infrastructure bonds and tax treatment identified under the relevant income tax provision.

Easy tax compliance through integrated e governance streamlines electronic filing, processing and refund delivery for taxpayers.
The Income Tax Department implemented an integrated e governance architecture-including the Tax Information Network, e filing portal, centralized processing for TDS and returns, and a refund banker-to deliver end to end electronic services that simplify compliance and promote uniform interpretation, accessibility, good governance and taxpayer empowerment under the USAGE principles.

Non-performing assets review convened to coordinate banks and ministries on retrieving stressed infrastructure projects and seek RBI support.
The Ministry of Finance will convene CMDs of Public Sector Banks for a case-by-case review of major road, power, steel and shipping projects to identify problems faced by promoters and banks in retrieval and to frame remedial measures; the meeting aims to crystallise actions required of banks, the Ministry and concerned Central Ministries and to determine support expected from RBI.

Legal tender status granted to commemorative coins marking Gandhi centenary; coins will enter general circulation.
Government-minted commemorative 10 denomination coins for the Gandhi centenary will be circulated by the Reserve Bank; design details are published in the Gazette of India and the coins are declared legal tender under the Coinage Act 2011, with existing coins of the same denomination remaining legal tender.