FII investment liberalisation: expansion of Qualified Foreign Investor access and raised caps to boost foreign portfolio inflows.
The Government expanded the Qualified Foreign Investor scheme to allow investments in mutual funds, direct equity and corporate bonds, and progressively raised FII caps for long term corporate bonds and Government securities to broaden market access and attract foreign portfolio inflows.

Small savings rate alignment with government securities restores attractiveness of retail savings through targeted rate and liquidity changes.
The Government aligned small savings interest rates with comparable government securities, maintaining a spread with higher specified spreads for the new ten year NSC and the Senior Citizens Savings Scheme; increased Post Office Savings Account interest and removed its balance ceilings; shortened MIS and NSC maturities and introduced a new ten year NSC; raised the Public Provident Fund annual investment ceiling; liberalised premature withdrawal rules for Post Office Time Deposits; and the Reserve Bank deregulated savings bank deposit rates subject to a uniform rate up to a specified threshold and optional differential rates above it.

Indirect tax clarity and administration: conference to promote a stable, non-adversarial tax regime and fair dispute resolution.
Clarity in indirect tax laws, a stable tax regime and a non-adversarial tax administration are primary objectives, with emphasis on a fair mechanism for dispute resolution and the role of an independent judiciary. The conference requires review of revenue performance and projections, explanations for shortfalls, departmental measures to support manufacturing and exports, efforts to project a trade-friendly image, performance in key operational areas, and identification of administrative constraints.

Zero loss claim clarified: loss arises only when mined coal is extracted and sold at an unacceptable price.
The Finance Minister clarified that neither he nor colleagues used the phrase zero loss, explaining that no loss arises while coal remains unmined in the earth; loss or gain can occur only when coal is actually mined and sold at an unacceptable price, and he corrected press misreporting that suggested a categorical claim of 'zero loss'.

Appointment of Governor on Board of Governors of African Development Bank and Fund: new primary and alternate representatives appointed.
The Finance Minister was appointed as India's Governor on the Board of Governors of the African Development Bank and African Development Fund, effective from the beginning of August 2012, replacing the prior incumbent. A senior departmental secretary in the economic affairs portfolio was appointed as India's Alternate Governor on the same Boards, effective from the beginning of August 2012, replacing the prior alternate representative.

Foreign investment approval permits Sanlam to acquire a minority stake in Shriram Capital via Shriram Financial Ventures.
Approval authorizes Shriram Financial Ventures (Chennai) Pvt. Ltd. to allot shares to Sanlam Emerging Markets (Mauritius) Limited and permits Sanlam, through Shriram Financial Ventures, to hold a minority equity stake in Shriram Capital Limited, following FIPB recommendation and Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs clearance under the Foreign Direct Investment framework.

Conversion of government-held optionally convertible debentures restores majority shareholding and avoids open offer via SEBI exemption.
Immediate conversion of government-held optionally convertible debentures into equity at par will restore Government majority holding and, combined with public sector banks and financial institutions, render IFCI a Government company; the Committee of Secretaries recommended the conversion and that the Government seek exemption from making an open offer under the takeover regulations.

Foreign direct investment approvals expand foreign equity across multiple sectors after regulatory review and recommend deferment or rejection for proposals
The Foreign Investment Promotion Board recommended approval of ten FDI proposals permitting foreign equity inductions or acquisitions across multiple sectors, specifying modalities such as acquisitions, induction into investing/operating companies, and Offer For Sale mechanisms, while deferring sixteen proposals for further consideration, rejecting four for non compliance with policy, advising that one proposal required no specific approval, and recording one withdrawal.

External and domestic debt trends reported, showing year end increases and source attribution for fiscal statistics.
The press release reports central government external and domestic debt levels and year end series over five fiscal years ending March 2012, presenting tabulated figures that show rising indebtedness. It identifies the sources for domestic debt as the receipts/budget documentation and for external debt as the official monetary authority's statistics, and states the information was provided in reply to a parliamentary question by the Minister of State for Finance.

Service tax on film artists imposed; providers must collect from receivers and low value suppliers exempt.
Service tax has been applied to taxable services provided by film artists under the comprehensive service taxation regime introduced from 1 July 2012. Taxable services are defined by statute and exclude the negative and exempt lists; the tax is activity based and, as a consumption tax, its incidence is on the service receiver. The service provider is required to collect the tax from the receiver and remit it to the Government, subject to a general exemption for low value service providers below the prescribed annual aggregate threshold.

Bank recruitment policy relies on individual banks using IBPS common exam results, no revival of central board.
No proposal exists to revive the Banking Service Recruitments Board; individual nationalised banks recruit staff on an ongoing basis using results of the IBPS common examination, with manpower needs determined by business volume, growth, existing staff strength and retirements. The press release supplies the vacancy position in nationalised banks as on 31.03.2012 across officers, clerks and subordinate staff.

Field trial of polymer notes announced; pilot issuance in diverse locations to assess operational viability under guidelines.
A controlled field trial of polymer notes for the ten-unit denomination will be conducted in five geographically and climatically diverse locations to assess operational suitability; the Reserve Bank will conduct the pilot and related expenditure will be finalized in accordance with existing expenditure guidelines, as announced by the Minister of State for Finance.

Expeditious Disposal Requirement: DRT applications must be dealt with and disposed of within the prescribed statutory timeframe.
Significant pendency in Debts Recovery Tribunals is ascribed to increased filings, debtor adjournments and appeals under the Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act; the Government has implemented administrative measures-meetings with Registrars and Recovery Officers, trainings, and a conference of tribunal leadership-to remove bottlenecks and reinforce the statutory expeditious disposal obligation for final disposal within one hundred eighty days.

Non-performing asset recovery measures urged including SARFAESI, DRT, Lok Adalats, nodal officers, ECS and early warnings.
Public sector banks must monitor and reduce Non-Performing Assets through regulatory oversight and recovery channels including the SARFAESI Act, Debt Recovery Tribunals and Lok Adalats. The Government advised appointing nodal recovery officers, conducting special recovery drives, implementing early warning systems, replacing post-dated cheques with ECS, and coordinating with state governments to accelerate recoveries.

Offer for Sale of Shares: proposal to divest part of SAIL equity via stock exchange mechanism, complying with securities rules.
Proposal to divest part of the Government of India's equity in Steel Authority of India Ltd. by selling a 10.82 percent stake from its 85.82 percent holding through an Offer for Sale of Shares through Stock Exchange Mechanism in accordance with SEBI rules and regulations.

Rural area insurance targets: state insurers exceeded IRDA-mandated rural business thresholds, confirming regulatory monitoring.
IRDA prescribes regulatory obligations requiring State-owned insurers to meet specified rural area business targets under the Obligations of Insurers to Rural or Social Sectors Regulations, 2002, and enforces compliance. The rules mandate a prescribed share of total policies for State life insurers and a prescribed share of gross direct premium for State non-life insurers in rural areas; no mandated targets apply to semi-urban areas. For 2010-11 State-owned insurers reported performance exceeding those rural targets and the Ministry of Finance disclosed these figures in a parliamentary reply.

Inflation containment combines monetary tightening with supply-side agricultural investments to moderate food prices and expectations.
The Government and monetary authorities adopted coordinated measures to contain inflation, combining Reserve Bank of India policy-rate increases to anchor expectations with fiscal and administrative supply-side interventions in agriculture and food sectors, including a National Mission for Protein Supplement, expanded aquaculture and livestock allocations, increased storage capacity and higher budgetary support and targeted agricultural credit, supported by WPI and CPI data showing persistent headline and food inflation and a concurrent GDP growth slowdown.

Priority sector lending targets increase to boost agricultural credit, with interest subvention and loan margin waivers continued.
Priority sector lending requires 40% of ANBC (or credit equivalent) to priority sectors with an agriculture sub target of 18% of ANBC; these norms now also cover foreign banks with twenty or more branches. The Government sets an annual agriculture credit target for institutional lending. Support measures comprise the Interest Subvention Scheme for short term crop loans at concessional rates with additional prompt payee incentives, RBI advice to waive margins/security for small agricultural loans, and the Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme to clear farmer indebtedness and restore fresh loan eligibility.

Capital infusion to NABARD approved to strengthen capital base; interest subvention keeps short-term crop loans at concessional rate.
Approval of a government capital infusion into NABARD to strengthen its capital base and enhance borrowing capacity. The Interest Subvention Scheme provides short-term crop loans at a concessional interest rate of 7% per annum, with NABARD providing refinance to Cooperative Banks and Regional Rural Banks; the refinance rate to these banks was 4.5% in 2011-12.

Agriculture Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme provided relief to millions of farmers through bank-mediated disbursals and closures.
The Agriculture Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme, 2008 implemented through public, private, cooperative, local area and regional rural banks comprised a debt waiver (closed 30 June 2008) and debt relief (closed 30 June 2010) mechanism, with government releases routed through the Reserve Bank of India and NABARD to fund disbursements to eligible farmer beneficiaries, including a distinct allocation channeled to State Cooperative Banks to reach cooperative-credit borrowers.