Investor engagement promotes policy reforms to improve investor experience and facilitate entry and expansion in the domestic market.
DPIIT held an Investor's Roundtable to boost investor confidence, obtain industry policy recommendations, and promote continuous government-industry dialogue to enhance the investor experience. The meeting highlighted reforms including a reduction in Basic Customs Duty, extension of corporate tax eligibility timelines for new companies, Production Linked Incentive schemes, and PM Gati Shakti to improve logistics. It also stressed MSME opportunities for global supply chain integration and involved central and state agencies to respond to investor suggestions.

International financial cooperation: IMF engagement and coordinated support for vulnerable economies following geopolitical and economic shocks.
Bilateral discussions emphasized international financial cooperation and IMF engagement, highlighting India's rapid growth, targeted policy mix, vaccination efforts, and contributions to IMF capacity development. Both leaders discussed IMF financial assistance and continued engagement with Sri Lanka amid its crisis, concerns about geopolitical-driven energy price shocks, and the complementary roles of India's accommodative fiscal and monetary stance alongside structural reforms and targeted support for MSMEs and vulnerable groups to bolster resilience and address global supply chain issues.

Ease of Doing Business: SPICe+ single window integration and regulatory reforms streamline company formation and compliance.
The ministry consolidated multiple statutory registrations into the SPICe+ single window process-covering name reservation, incorporation, DIN issuance, labour and tax registrations, selected state registrations, optional GST capture and bank account facilitation-to expedite and centralize pre and immediate post incorporation formalities, alongside regulatory measures revising the Small Companies definition, waiving government incorporation fees up to a prescribed authorised capital, incentivising One Person Companies and de criminalising technical corporate violations.

Project Readiness Financing to design climate resilient urban infrastructure and strengthen municipal resource mobilization.
The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank provided Project Readiness Financing to prepare climate resilient water supply, sanitation, solid waste management and urban road subprojects in 16 district headquarters towns in Nagaland, including urban sector strategy development, feasibility studies and detailed engineering designs. The facility also supports strengthening state agencies and urban local bodies through capacity building to augment municipal resource mobilization, improve implementation readiness and initiate sector and institutional reforms to expand access for poor and vulnerable populations.

Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grants: first monthly instalment released to recommended states under constitutional fiscal transfer framework.
The Department of Expenditure released the first monthly instalment of the Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant to 14 States pursuant to the Fifteenth Finance Commission's recommendations, implementing a twelve month equal instalment disbursement of the Commission's total allocation for 2022-23. The grant, provided under the constitutional fiscal transfer framework, is designed to cover assessed gaps between state revenue and expenditure post devolution; eligibility and quantum for 2020-21 to 2025-26 were fixed by the Commission and state wise amounts and first instalments are indicated in the release.

Additional borrowing linked to power sector reforms grants states extra fiscal space upon meeting prescribed performance benchmarks.
States are eligible for additional borrowing conditional on undertaking mandated power sector reforms and meeting prescribed performance benchmarks. The scheme-providing extra fiscal space up to 0.5% of GSDP over a four year period-targets improved operational efficiency and increased paid consumption. Mandatory reforms include state assumption of DISCOM losses, transparent financial reporting, timely accounts and audits, and regulatory compliance. Performance metrics for eligibility include metered consumption share, subsidy delivery by DBT, payment of government electricity bills, prepaid meters in government offices, use of innovations, and bonus marks for DISCOM privatization, with the Ministry of Power assessing state performance.

Extension of filing deadline for Form No.10AB: additional short-term time granted for electronic registration applications under charitable tax exemptions.
The tax authority has extended the last date for electronic filing of Form No.10AB for applications seeking registration or approval under the charitable exemption regimes, citing difficulties in electronic submission under the Income-tax Rules and providing a short additional filing date for affected applications.

Tax evasion through bogus expenses and undeclared cash uncovered, exposing laundering, paper-company layering and inadmissible claims.
Investigations found fabricated or unsupported business expenditures routed through a single event management entity and paper companies, involving extensive layering to siphon funds and render claims inadmissible expenditure under the Income tax Act. Searches also exposed land acquisitions through paper companies with large unaccounted cash payments, on money real estate transactions, bogus expense bookings and non recognition of income by a chartered flight operator, rotation of funds via a dubious NBFC, and provisional seizure of undisclosed cash and jewellery.

TCS exemption for non-resident visitors removes collection requirement on domestic tour operators selling overseas tour packages.
The Central Government specified that the TCS provision for sale of overseas tour programme packages shall not apply to a buyer who is an individual not resident in India and who is visiting India, thereby removing the requirement for domestic tour operators to collect tax from such non-resident individual visitors; this change addresses difficulties arising from absence of PAN and refund complications.

Aadhaar-PAN linking requirement: failure to intimate Aadhaar within the compliance window will render PAN inoperative thereafter.
A transitional compliance window until 31 March 2023 permits assessees eligible for Aadhaar who have not intimated it to keep PAN functional for tax procedures while allowing Aadhaar-PAN linking on payment of a prescribed fee; after the window, failure to intimate Aadhaar will render PAN inoperative and attendant statutory consequences for non furnishing or non quoting of PAN will apply.

Asset monetization framework established via NLMC to monetize surplus government land and building assets professionally.
A wholly government owned National Land Monetization Corporation (NLMC) is established to own, manage and professionally monetize surplus land and building assets of CPSEs and other government agencies, to advise and assist government entities on monetisation of under utilized non core assets, to identify and inventory surplus assets for monetization, to act as a repository of best practices and provide technical advice, and to build organisational capacity; governance will be by a mixed Board of senior officials and industry professionals with an eminent professional Chair.

Public debt management: increased dated securities issuance and longer maturity influenced yields and market ownership patterns.
Public Debt Management reported that in October-December 2021 the Central Government issued dated securities with a higher weighted average yield and slightly longer weighted average maturity; no Cash Management Bills were raised and the Reserve Bank did not conduct open market operations. Liquidity remained absorbed under LAF. Secondary market trading concentrated in the 7-10 year bucket around the 10-year benchmark, with private sector banks dominant and mixed net buying/selling across institutional segments. Public debt formed the substantial majority of total government liabilities with a notable share of dated securities having residual maturity under five years.

Anti-dumping duty imposed on select Chinese products, and DGTR recommended duties on numerous additional imported products.
The Central Government, on DGTR recommendations, imposed anti-dumping duty on five Chinese-origin products and the trade remedies authority recommended anti-dumping measures for a broad additional list of products from China, covering chemicals, metals, polymers, textiles, pharmaceuticals, machinery and finished goods, reflecting a product-specific remedial and investigative approach to regulate imports.

Siphoning of Trust funds alleged via bogus expenses and benami property acquisitions, prompting ongoing tax investigations.
Searches of an educational group uncovered evidence of siphoning of Trust funds via bogus expenses routed through dummy companies and LLPs owned by promoters and associates, with funds diverted for personal investments and benami property acquisitions; related immovable properties were provisionally attached and records including promissory notes and unaccounted cash and jewellery were seized.

Land border country investment restricted to government route; transfers causing such beneficial ownership require prior approval.
Foreign investment from entities of countries sharing a land border with India, or where the beneficial owner is situated in or is a citizen of such countries, is allowed only via the Government route; transfers that result in beneficial ownership falling within this restriction likewise require prior Government approval. The investee company is primarily responsible for FDI policy compliance, and violations are treated as capital account contraventions under FEMA subject to penal provisions and regulatory enforcement. Related sovereign security measures under the Information Technology Act are noted.

Search and seizure operations uncovered unaccounted payments and records, triggering an expanded tax probe nationwide.
Search and seizure action recovered documentary and digital evidence showing acceptance of unaccounted "on money" cash receipts and cash loans not recorded in regular books; key employees admitted the modus operandi. Seized items include unaccounted cash, jewellery and restrained lockers, and investigations are continuing to determine the extent of unrecorded receipts and related assets.

Insurance coverage under PMJJBY and PMSBY reported with enrolment and statewise claims data, and pension scheme contribution framework outlined.
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana are mass insurance schemes providing life and accidental death/disability cover respectively; the release reports cumulative enrolments and statewise claims paid, with an annexure tabulating claims totals sourced to claims portals and insurers. It also summarizes the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan pension scheme as a voluntary contributory central sector pension for eligible unorganised workers, requiring beneficiary contributions and equal central government matching contributions.

Tax search uncovers bogus purchases, accommodation entries and foreign funding irregularities leading to admissions and further probes.
Coordinated search and seizure operations on a large start-up group produced documentary and digital evidence of bogus purchases, unaccounted cash expenditure and accommodation entries; directors admitted the modus operandi and disclosed additional income. Investigators also uncovered foreign funding routed via Mauritius through high-premium share issuances and a hawala network of shell companies created to provide accommodation entries. Physical seizures included cash and jewellery, and further investigations are ongoing.

Democratization of e commerce through ONDC to expand market access and protect small businesses while boosting startups.
Open Network Digital Commerce (ONDC) is presented as a policy initiative to democratise e-commerce by creating open, non-discriminatory digital marketplace infrastructure that grants small businesses equal opportunity to participate in online commerce. The release situates ONDC within a broader governmental strategy to scale the startup ecosystem through Digital Public Infrastructure and supporting measures such as incubation, funding, tax incentives and streamlined registrations to foster entrepreneurship and geographic diversity among innovators.

Tax filing compliance: new e filing portal registered heavy ITR submissions with substantial verification, processing and refund activity.
Reports portal activity to 15 March 2022: aggregate volumes of Income Tax Returns filed with typewise breakdowns; verification and processing status of returns with most verifications using Aadhaar OTP; refunds issued following processing; volumes of statutory forms filed including specified extended due filings; and taxpayer assistance provided via helpdesk calls, chats, email grievance channels with near complete email resolution and ongoing outreach. Concludes with a reminder of the final compliance date for belated/revised returns, Aadhaar PAN linking, and e proceedings.