Quashing of criminal proceedings sought against alleged passport and PAN offences in election-related affidavits; judgment reserved.
The High Court reserved judgment on petitions seeking quashing of criminal proceedings against Mohammad Abdullah Azam Khan: one alleging a passport obtained with an incorrect date of birth that conflicts with educational certificates, and the other alleging possession and use of two PAN cards with inconsistent numbers in an election affidavit and tax returns. The PAN-related FIR charges criminal conspiracy, use of forged documents, forgery for cheating, forgery of valuable security, and cheating; the petitions seek setting aside the ongoing trials in the Rampur MP/MLA court.

Taxpayer education and services platform launched to provide interactive tax literacy, grievance redressal, stakeholder engagement and facilitation.
A public Taxpayer Hub was established in Chandigarh to provide tax-related education, services and interactive engagement, featuring interactive kiosks, grievance redressal camps, stakeholder engagement, school outreach for tax literacy, and officers acting as facilitators rather than enforcers, using outreach tools such as street plays and short films to promote voluntary compliance and assist taxpayers with queries and complaints.

Reservation for persons with disabilities enables a woman with speech, hearing and visual impairments to secure government employment.
A woman with concurrent speech, hearing and visual impairments was appointed as a Class IV government employee in the Commercial Tax Department after selection on merit under a special recruitment drive for persons with disabilities; she communicates using Tactile Sign Language and is learning workplace duties while receiving recognition from advocacy groups for inclusion and reservation implementation.

GST collections growth reflects strengthened compliance and enforcement measures, increasing state revenue and tightening anti-evasion actions.
Punjab reported a pronounced increase in net Goods and Services Tax collections in June 2025 attributed to enhanced compliance through data-driven inspections and strengthened field enforcement. The State Intelligence and Preventive Unit uncovered schemes involving bogus billing and Input Tax Credit fraud and suspicious e-way bill generation, yielding substantial preliminary tax liabilities. Concurrently, the government outlined legacy debt repayment requirements, planned borrowings to meet redemption obligations, and investments in the Guarantee Redemption Fund and Consolidated Sinking Fund to bolster fiscal resilience.

Tenure extension of tax board chair grants short-term contract reappointment with recruitment rule relaxation and re-employment terms.
The executive order reappoints the tax board chair on a contractual basis for a defined period or until further orders, made in relaxation of the Recruitment Rule and on the usual terms and conditions applicable to re-employed Central Government officers, thereby enabling administrative continuity in tax governance.

Digital transformation of official statistics enhances data dissemination and cybersecurity to support timely, quality data for policymaking.
National statistical administration has advanced a digital transformation prioritising Data Dissemination and public-facing data collection through multiple portals, dashboards, and a forthcoming mobile application to expand access to official statistics. The programme identifies and pilots emerging-technology use cases with international collaboration to integrate proven tools into the statistical production system. Implementation follows a phased strategy that currently focuses on dissemination and collection, paired with strengthened Cybersecurity measures-including a Chief Information Security Officer and external expertise-to protect data integrity while planning subsequent enhancements to processing and timeliness of outputs.

Statistics Day celebration highlights National Sample Survey contributions and launches publications, coin, app, and awards recipients.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation will mark Statistics Day under the theme 75 Years of National Sample Survey by holding an inaugural session with senior officials, releasing statistical publications and commemorative items, launching the GoIStat mobile application, awarding the Prof. C.R. Rao National Award in Statistics, and conducting a technical session on frontier technologies and official statistics, including felicitation of data visualization hackathon winners.

Export facilitation expands market access as India flags off first rose scented litchi consignment to Gulf markets.
APEDA facilitated the inaugural refrigerated export of premium rose scented litchi from Pathankot to Gulf markets, coordinating with the Department of Horticulture, a retailer, and a local grower to expand market access for FPOs, FPCs and individual farmers through cold chain shipment and regional production linkages.

Due application of mind in tax scrutiny: queries must be specific and justified, with supervisors ensuring compliance.
Assessing officers must issue only relevant, specific and justified scrutiny queries grounded in the taxpayer's circumstances, exercising due application of mind; assessment unit heads bear direct responsibility for the legal quality of notices and orders. Regional heads must supervise through periodic interactions, monthly reviews against selection criteria for scrutiny, and submission of monthly quality updates to ensure compliance and avoid irrelevant queries.

Project monitoring via PMG urged to expedite intergovernmental resolution of mega infrastructure project issues and improve investment climate.
Project monitoring via the Project Monitoring Group (PMG) was directed to expedite resolution of issues across multiple mega infrastructure projects in Jharkhand, Sikkim, Nagaland, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh through enhanced central-state and inter-ministerial coordination; the Secretary, DPIIT, urged proactive use of PMG, institutional strengthening, and state measures to prioritize and support both public and private projects, with detailed reviews of Patratu Thermal Power Station Expansion, Dibang Hydropower Project, Kohima Bypass Road, and a private GeoEnpro Petroleum Limited project.

Production Linked Incentive Scheme strengthens domestic manufacturing and export competitiveness while emphasising quality skilling and infrastructure reform.
The review of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme stressed achieving self-reliance and export competitiveness by resolving infrastructure bottlenecks, prioritising quality skilling, and preparing a five-year roadmap for investments and disbursements. The scheme, implemented across multiple priority sectors, has mobilised significant investment, production and employment, and disbursed cumulative incentives to sectors including electronics, IT hardware, bulk drugs, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, telecom products, food processing, white goods, automobiles and components, specialty steel, textiles and drones. Sectoral outcomes noted include higher pharma exports and domestic value addition, strengthened bulk drugs capacity, boosted local procurement in food processing, MSME participation, and growth in textile exports.

Combination approval: acquisition of Aakash Educational Services by Manipal entities cleared under merger control; detailed order to follow.
The Combination Approval concerns the acquisition of equity shares in Aakash Educational Services Limited by Manipal Health Systems Private Limited and Manipal Education and Medical Group India Private Limited, both resident Indian acquirers, by purchase from an individual shareholder. The acquirers operate in healthcare services and management consultancy respectively. The Target provides coaching and preparatory educational services across multiple class levels and competitive tests through classroom, online, distance and hybrid delivery. The Competition Commission of India has approved the combination and a detailed order will follow.

Merger control: competition authority approves Bain Capital acquisition structure in Manappuram group, subject to detailed order.
The Competition Commission approved a proposed combination under which Bain Capital-controlled investment vehicles will acquire equity in MFL via private placement and convertible warrants, trigger and conduct a mandatory open offer under applicable takeover regulations for a portion of MFL's expanded voting capital, and implement a downstream acquisition of MAFL by MFL; a detailed order will follow.

Export facilitation strengthened through trade finance, MSME support and market access initiatives to boost export competitiveness.
The statement presents a coordinated export promotion strategy centring on Exim Bank's Trade Assistance Programme (TAP) to bridge trade finance gaps and link exporters with overseas banks, together with expanded trade finance platforms, MSME support measures (revised definitions, Udyam registration, credit guarantee revamp, TReDS, Ubharte Sitaare), investments in transport and logistics, Districts as Export Hubs, FTA negotiations, PLI driven export growth, new Exim Bank offices, and technical partnerships to enhance export competitiveness.

Building plan approval advances IT campus development in Bengal, enabling phased job creation and infrastructure expansion.
A sanctioned building plan authorizes phased development of an IT office campus at Bengal Silicon Valley on a 20 acre site, with Phase I permitting nine lakh square feet including an 11 storey office tower and a later phase adding further built-up space; the phased land use and infrastructure approvals form the regulatory basis for substantial direct employment and for private-sector expansion within the designated technology hub.

Lifelong learning: continuous self education drives professional growth while questioning norms, ethics and trust guide leadership.
The address prescribes four guiding professional principles: lifelong learning as ongoing self education and skill renewal; questioning the status quo to foster process improvements and innovation; pursuing virtuous karma by acting decisively and ethically without overemphasis on immediate outcomes; and cultivating trust through integrity, accountability and humility. These interlinked principles are presented as practical foundations for leadership, public service and organisational efficiency.

Polygamy disclosure: truthful voluntary disclosure of multiple spouses does not invalidate election nomination under election rules.
The High Court held that truthful voluntary disclosure of both spouses, including PAN and income tax return status, by a candidate from a tribal community where polygamy is not prohibited does not render the nomination form defective or violate the Election Rules, and therefore polygamy alone is not a ground to challenge the election; the court did not decide the substantive validity of the second marriage.

GST disputes: guide empowers chartered accountants on representation, evidence, procedures, investigations, appeals and litigation strategy.
The Guide lays out a practitioner focused framework for GST disputes: roles and limits of Chartered Accountants as authorized representatives; stages of proceedings (self assessment, provisional assessment, scrutiny, audit, investigation, summary and best judgement assessment); the distinction between ordinary demand and demands premised on alleged evasion; procedural safeguards for exceptional powers (inspection, search, provisional attachment, credit blocking); and practical rules for summons, evidence (including electronic records and expert opinion), burden and onus of proof. It also provides detailed litigation strategy, representation protocol, drafting and hearing checklists, and ethical obligations for CAs.

Trade facilitation and policy reforms drive export growth and regulatory modernization under the Foreign Trade Policy framework.
The Ministry links Vanijya Bhawan to policy measures prioritising trade facilitation under the Foreign Trade Policy 2023-shifting from incentive schemes toward tax remission and digital facilitation-and advancing FTAs to expand market access. It foregrounds operational reforms: digital trade portals, automation of export processes, a trade facilitation helpdesk, GeM-based procurement democratization, decriminalisation of certain IP laws, streamlined compliances, quality control reforms, and measures to attract foreign investment and manufacturing.

Unified Lending Interface as Digital Public Infrastructure expands data integration to enable inclusive credit access.
The Government is scaling the Unified Lending Interface (ULI) as a Digital Public Infrastructure to unify technology, data and policy for data-driven, inclusive lending. Operational measures include digital integration of high value Central and State government datasets with ULI, nomination of nodal officers for coordination, state-led digitisation of land and other records, and alignment of existing lending initiatives with ULI as the anchoring platform.