Unreserved passenger service expansion through Antyodaya and Deen Dayalu coaches to increase capacity and onboard amenities.
Antyodaya Express is proposed as a long-distance, fully unreserved superfast service for dense routes and two to four Deen Dayalu coaches will be added to select long-distance trains with potable water and additional mobile charging points. Reserved offerings include Humsafar-a fully air conditioned third-AC service with optional meals-and Tejas-a higher-speed reserved service with onboard entertainment, local cuisine and Wi Fi provided through a single service provider to ensure cost recovery and accountability. An overnight UDAY double-decker AC service is proposed to raise capacity on busiest routes.

Cost audit compliance strengthened by mandatory auditor consent, board approval of cost statements, restricted removal and mandatory electronic filing.
The draft amends the Companies (Cost Records and Audit) Rules, 2014 by replacing industry tables to define regulated and non-regulated sectors; requiring written consent and a certificate from the cost auditor confirming eligibility, non-disqualification, compliance with section 141 criteria and disclosure of pending professional proceedings; restricting removal of cost auditors to board resolutions recording reasons and requiring CRA-2 filings to enclose such resolutions; mandating board approval of cost statements before submission to the cost auditor; requiring the cost auditor to forward a signed report to the board within one hundred and eighty days of financial year end; and requiring companies to file CRA-4 in XBRL with explanations on qualifications or reservations within thirty days, with prescribed fees.

Poverty eradication: government advances financial inclusion, social security and targeted subsidies to reach the poorest.
Poverty eradication is the Government's central objective, pursued through financial inclusion, targeted subsidies, expanded social security schemes and housing and food security programmes to extend services to marginalized populations. Delivery reforms emphasize Direct Benefit Transfer and subsidy rationalisation to ensure timely, accurate reach of benefits. Complementary agricultural, rural and employment measures-insurance, soil health cards, assured irrigation, market integration, MSME credit and skilling-are geared to raise incomes and create jobs, while infrastructure, governance and environmental policies provide enabling platforms for sustained inclusive growth.

Presidential awards: Investiture confers appreciation certificates on customs and central excise officers at a formal ceremony.
An investiture ceremony and Annual Central Excise Day will be held on 24 February 2016 at Manekshaw Centre, Delhi Cantonment to present the Presidential Award of Appreciation Certificate for Specially Distinguished Record of Service to forty officers of Customs, Central Excise and Service Tax and to present Commendation Certificates to twenty-five officers; the Minister of Finance will be Chief Guest and the Minister of State for Finance will be Guest of Honour.

Trade Facilitation Agreement commitments approved for notification and ratification, with a national committee established for implementation.
Cabinet approved notification of commitments under the Trade Facilitation Agreement, acceptance of the Instrument of Acceptance to the WTO, and ratification measures; the Agreement emphasizes expediting movement, release and clearance of goods and cooperation between customs and other authorities. A National Committee on Trade Facilitation, jointly chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Revenue and the Secretary of the Department of Commerce, will be constituted to coordinate domestic implementation and notification actions.

Trade Based Money Laundering: DRI asked to verify illicit outflow calculations; SIT to decide further action after report.
SIT identifies Trade Based Money Laundering as a principal channel for illicit outflows and recommends a dedicated institutional mechanism to examine export-import data mismatches and cross check commodity prices. The SIT obtained country wise calculations from an independent report estimating illicit financial flows for 2004-2013 and sent those details to the revenue intelligence agency on 8 February 2016 for verification; further action by the SIT will follow receipt of that verification report.

Tax policy coordination establishes a joint research unit and advisory council to align direct and indirect tax policymaking.
Establishes a coordinated framework comprising a Tax Policy Research Unit (TPRU) and a Tax Policy Council to unify direct and indirect tax policymaking. TPRU will conduct independent studies, prepare policy and background papers, liaise with states and research bodies, and for each proposal analyse legislative intent, expected revenue effects and wider economic impact. The unit combines tax board officers with economists and technical experts and is led by a senior officer reporting to a revenue secretary-level official. The Tax Policy Council, chaired by the finance minister, will review TPRU research and advise on broad tax policy measures.

Monetary policy: key policy rates and liquidity operations held unchanged to support stable inflation and growth.
The Reserve Bank kept the policy repo rate at 6.75 per cent, reverse repo at 5.75 per cent, MSF and Bank Rate at 7.75 per cent, and CRR at 4.0 per cent, while continuing liquidity provision through overnight and term repos (including auctions up to 0.75 per cent of NDTL), daily variable rate operations and open market purchases; inflation was projected to be around 5 per cent by end 2016 17 and GVA growth was maintained at 7.4 per cent for 2015 16 with a 7.6 per cent projection for 2016 17, subject to evolving risks.

Index of Eight Core Industries shows mixed sectoral performance with modest overall growth and provisional data revisions.
The Index of Eight Core Industries recorded a modest year on year increase in December 2015 and positive cumulative growth for April-December 2015 16. Sectoral outcomes were mixed: coal, refinery products, fertilizers, cement and electricity increased in December with positive cumulative gains for most, while crude oil, natural gas and steel declined year over year and showed weaker cumulative performance. Data are provisional with revisions applied to the prior year's corresponding month; detailed monthly and yearly indices and growth rates by sector are provided in the annexure.