Banking performance review to assess credit growth, NPA management, financial inclusion and remedial action for stalled projects.
The Finance Minister will review Public Sector Banks' and Financial Institutions' performance focusing on overall credit growth-including agriculture, MSE, housing, education and minority lending-management of Non Performing Assets, compliance with consortium lending guidelines, Interest Subvention Scheme implementation and green lending commitments, and will assess follow up on bankers' retreat recommendations, financial inclusion initiatives such as PMJDY, financing for women self help groups, stalled projects and remedial measures.

Exchange rate determination for foreign currencies set under Customs Act for valuation of imported and exported goods, effective immediately.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs determines the rate of exchange for specified foreign currencies for valuation of imported and exported goods, superseding the earlier notification and specifying separate import and export rates in two schedules; the rates are applicable from the notified effective date, with a saving clause for prior actions.

Gross direct tax collection rises, driven by corporate and personal income tax growth and stronger advance and self-assessment receipts.
Gross direct tax collection increased year-on-year, driven by higher corporate and personal income tax receipts and stronger Securities Transaction Tax. Net direct tax receipts rose, and payment mechanisms showed varied performance: advance tax and self-assessment tax registered stronger growth, TDS growth moderated, and regular tax growth slowed relative to the prior period.

Tariff value amendment for specified imports updates customs valuation rules for several agricultural and metal commodities.
The revenue authority amends the cited customs notification by substituting TABLE-1, TABLE-2 and TABLE-3 to prescribe revised tariff values in US dollars for listed imported commodities-including palm oil varieties, crude soybean oil, brass scrap, poppy seeds and areca nuts-stated per metric tonne except where alternate units apply, and separately sets unit tariff values for gold and silver when specified notification benefits are availed.

Investment pattern reform expands eligible instruments and adjusts allocation limits, enhancing trustee discretion and due diligence obligations.
Revised investment pattern for non government provident, superannuation and gratuity funds (effective 1 April 2015) adjusts allocation bands-government securities to 45-50%, debt to 35-45%, money market up to 5%, and equity 5-15%-and formally permits new instruments including index funds, exchange traded funds, debt mutual funds, asset backed securities, infrastructure debt funds, REITs/InvITs, Basel III tier I bonds and hedging derivatives; it raises credit thresholds for some instruments to AA and emphasises trustees' fiduciary duty, due diligence, transparency, cost control and concentration risk limits.

Fixed pension guarantee for unorganised sector workers under a new government administered pension scheme enabling NPS enrolment.
The Atal Pension Yojana establishes a government backed retirement scheme for unorganised sector workers joining NPS, providing a fixed pension guarantee for defined pension slabs with a minimum contribution period of twenty years for entrants aged eighteen to forty. The Government will provide a limited period co contribution to eligible non taxpaying subscribers who join within the initial window, reimburse promotional costs, and use NPS architecture, Points of Presence, and auto debit collection to enrol subscribers and administer benefits.

Political contributions by companies permitted within prescribed limits, routed through electoral trusts, with mandated disclosure and accounting.
Corporate political contributions are permitted for eligible non-government companies that have existed for the prior three financial years, within the statutory ceiling calculated on average net profits for that period. Contributions may be made directly to registered political parties or to Electoral Trusts and must be reflected in the company's books; Electoral Trusts must disclose amounts received and amounts passed on to parties in the manner required by Section 182 of the Companies Act, 2013.

Prevention of Money Laundering Act: enforcement relies on registered predicate offences, enabling asset attachment and prosecution in Special Courts.
Enforcement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act is contingent on registration of a predicate offence by another agency; investigations, including overseas inquiries, lead to attachment of implicated assets and filing of prosecution complaints in designated Special Courts, within a scheme that also involves the Adjudicating Authority, Appellate Tribunal, Special Courts and High Courts.

Taxation of large farmers proposed to broaden the taxpayer base and mobilize additional revenue; proposal currently under review.
Recommendation to extend taxation to large farmers is proposed to broaden the taxpayer base and mobilize additional revenue; it is one element of TARC's mix of immediate procedural reforms and longer-term structural measures, and is under government consideration.

Health insurance coverage under RSBY extends to unorganized sector workers and ensures inclusion of single women, widows, and seniors.
Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana provides annual smart card based cashless health insurance cover to eligible BPL households and has been extended to specified unorganized worker categories. Occupation-based eligibility includes construction workers, licensed railway porters, street vendors, qualifying MGNREGA workers, beedi workers, domestic workers, sanitation and mine workers, rickshaw pullers, rag pickers and auto/taxi drivers. Single women, widows and senior citizens within these categories are covered under the scheme irrespective of access to private health insurance.

Monetary policy rate cut prompts partial downward movement in bank base lending rates and varied transmission across banks.
A reduction in the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility prompted a decline in the median base lending rate and selective base rate cuts by individual banks. Under the Base Rate System banks operate in a deregulated environment where they determine lending spreads, risk premia, term premia and customer specific charges with board approval, so transmission of policy rate changes varies across institutions.

Dividend policy for public sector enterprises mandates minimum payouts, higher sectoral rates, and special dividends for surplus cash.
Instructions require profit-making public sector enterprises to declare a minimum dividend on equity equivalent to a specified minimum payout of post-tax profits, subject to availability of disposable profits; higher minimum rates apply to certain sectors and companies with large cash surpluses without firm reinvestment plans are to declare special dividends.

Indian Railways launches a five year transformation to expand capacity, improve safety and services, and mobilise Rs.8.56 lakh crore.
Introduces a five year Railway transformation with four core goals: improve customer experience, enhance safety, expand and modernise capacity, and achieve financial self sustainability. Execution uses a medium term action plan, partnerships with States, PSUs and private/institutional financiers, management and HR reforms, and governance/transparency measures. Operational priorities cover cleanliness and passenger services, station redevelopment via concession bidding, accelerated doubling/gauge conversion/electrification, freight terminals and logistics parks, a safety programme including ROB/RUB elimination and train protection systems, technology and predictive maintenance, and diversified resource mobilisation including a proposed Plan Outlay of Rs. 1,00,011 crore and a five year investment envelope of Rs. 8,56,020 crore.

Extra Budgetary Resource financing expands institutional investment to accelerate completion of remunerative railway capacity projects.
The Budget increases the Railway Plan outlay and combines Gross Budgetary Support, diesel cess transfers, higher market borrowing under Extra-Budgetary Resources (EBR), internal resources and PPP contributions; it also proposes an EBR (Institutional Finance) vehicle to attract institutional and multilateral investments through Railway entities and PSUs to accelerate completion of remunerative capacity augmentation projects, with over a hundred projects identified for extra budgetary financing subject to due process.

Tax base expansion urged to improve tax to GDP ratio, using innovation and GST readiness to boost compliance.
Urgent enhancement of the tax to GDP ratio through tax base expansion and improved compliance, making tax participation more attractive; administrative innovation-such as mobile applications-to facilitate starting businesses; balance between trade facilitation and enforcement via firmness, fairness and friendliness; taxpayer service orientation and preparedness for the Goods and Services Tax implementation; and cooperative federalism supported by increased States' share of central taxes.

Advance Rulings facility expanded to reduce pendency and enable residents to obtain binding tax clarity for planning transactions.
Creation of two additional benches of the Authority for Advance Rulings (Income Tax) with specified senior appointments and funding is intended to reduce pendency, handle increased caseloads, and extend the operational facility of binding advance rulings to resident taxpayers above a defined threshold for advance ascertainment and planning of income-tax liability.

Chit fund regulation: state registration and central SFIO investigations under company law to address fraudulent schemes.
Chit funds are registered and implemented by State Governments under the Chit Funds Act, 1982, while fraudulent schemes fall under the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act, 1978 with investigation and prosecution powers resting with the States. The Companies (Incorporation) Rules, 2014 require company names to indicate financial activities for firms whose principal business is financing, leasing, chit fund, investment or securities. The Ministry has ordered SFIO investigations under company law in addition to State actions, and an annexure lists investigated companies.

Government borrowing strategy: issuance and reissues used to manage financing, extend maturities and maintain low rollover risk.
Gross market borrowings for April-December 2014 reached 4.97 lakh crore with dated securities issuance of 1.45 lakh crore in October-December 2014; auctions in Q3 FY15 followed the pre announced calendar with emphasis on re issues to build benchmark volumes and improve secondary market liquidity. Two new 12 year and 30 year securities were issued; weighted average maturity rose slightly and weighted average yields moderated, while liquidity tightened at quarter end requiring temporary use of Ways and Means Advances and a cash management bill.

Infrastructure loan agreement secures funding for district road upgrades using PPP toll-and-annuity models and performance-based maintenance.
Loan agreement provides financing to upgrade about 1,600 kilometers of major district roads through reconstruction, widening, surface improvements and strengthening of culverts and bridges, and integrates an accident response system. The project introduces a State Highways Fund on a PPP model and hybrid toll-plus-annuity BOT concessions, includes five-year performance-based maintenance contracts linked to construction, and is co financed by the state government with a defined completion timeframe.

Loan agreement funds Assam power distribution upgrades to modernize substations, improve efficiency and reduce system losses.
A loan agreement under the fourth tranche of a multi tranche financing facility provides $50.2 million to strengthen sub transmission and distribution systems in Assam, modernize metering and 33/11 kV substations, add substation capacity, undertake feeder separation for dedicated supply to tea estates, and reduce technical and commercial losses, with a specified counterpart contribution from the state government.