Index of Eight Core Industries shows sectoral shifts: coal and electricity lead growth while crude oil and natural gas decline.
The Index of Eight Core Industries (base 2004-05=100; weight 37.90% in IIP) rose in November 2014 with cumulative April-November growth reported. Gains were concentrated in Coal, Electricity, Cement and Refinery Products while Crude Oil, Natural Gas and Fertilizers underperformed. The release provides monthly and yearly index values and growth rates for the eight sectors and flags provisional data and a methodological adjustment affecting Refinery Products comparability.

Foreign Direct Investment approvals and deferrals affect proposals; several approved, others deferred or escalated for higher review.
The Government approved eight FIPB recommended proposals for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), authorising additional foreign investment, revised shareholding structures, formation of an LLP, increases in foreign equity participation, and share allotments tied to corporate mergers or demergers across pharma, petroleum and gas, IT & ITES, services, information & broadcasting, software services and other sectors, with some approvals recording nil proposed foreign inflow.

Ease of Doing Business reforms streamline licensing, online services and self-certification to facilitate industrial investment.
Regulatory reforms under Ease of Doing Business established online, simplified processes for Industrial Licences and IEMs, adoption of NIC 2008, single electronic registers, self-certification for non-hazardous businesses, and extended licence validity; the Make in India programme created a four-pillar facilitation framework for 25 sectors with an Investor Facilitation Cell; the e-Biz G2B portal integrated central services and banking interfaces; and FDI liberalisation relaxed sectoral limits and procedural constraints while modernising IPR administration.

Saffron production agency established to centralize production, quality control, training and export promotion for saffron farmers.
Approval is announced for establishing a Specialized Agency under the Spices Board, named Saffron Production & Export Development Agency (SPEDA) headquartered in Srinagar; it will be set up by the Spices Board in consultation with the Government of Jammu & Kashmir to plan and implement programmes for saffron production and rejuvenation, processing, research, quality control, farmer training and export promotion to enhance productivity and market realisation for saffron farmers.

Ethics in public service: IRS customs trainees urged to maintain integrity while balancing tax assessment and embracing GST.
Trainees were instructed to maintain a high level of ethics, morality and credibility, be firm and fair in tax assessment by balancing what should and should not be charged, and prepare during the 18 month programme for the post GST indirect tax regime using modern technology. Emphasis was also placed on raising the tax to GDP ratio, removing structural bottlenecks rather than undertaking ad hoc fixes, and strengthening institutional capacity, noted alongside administrative updates about trainee oath taking and a new NACEN campus approval.

Ease of Doing Business reforms streamline online licensing and compliance to facilitate manufacturing investment and investment services.
Measures reorient industrial policy toward manufacturing by simplifying regulation and procedures through online filings, unified electronic registers, self-certification for low-risk businesses, extended and time-bound industrial licensing rules, adoption of NIC 2008, and integration of statutory registrations with the eBiz portal and banking payment gateways to provide a one-stop investor facilitation platform.

FDI in medical devices now permitted up to full automatic approval, exempting the sector from pharma non compete restrictions.
100% FDI under the automatic route is permitted for manufacturing of medical devices; conditions of the pharmaceutical sector FDI policy, including the non-compete clause, will not apply to greenfield or brownfield projects in this industry. The policy establishes a detailed definition of "medical device" (covering instruments, accessories and in vitro diagnostic systems) and links that definition to a forthcoming amendment in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act to reflect the carve-out and enable increased foreign investment to address import dependence and technology gaps.

Data sharing with regulators enhances access to corporate filings and subjects select filings to rule-based validation.
Regulatory access to corporate filings is enabled through an electronic corporate database that is publicly viewable and accessible to various financial and tax regulators. Certain filings undergo rule-based validation automatically, while other filings are examined by regulatory officials prior to approval, combining automated validation with manual review and facilitating inter-regulatory information sharing.

Duty-free import authorisations and duty drawback enable MSME exporters to obtain input relief and recover duties under online time-bound procedures.
Export facilitation for MSMEs comprises access to duty-free inputs under the Advance Authorisation Scheme or the Duty Free Import Authorisation, or recovery of duties through the Duty Drawback Scheme; administrative processes for these instruments are maintained online and operated on a time-bound basis.

Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme supports small pharma exporters through subsidised loans and targeted export promotion measures.
The government supports small and medium pharmaceutical exporters through the Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme for technology upgradation, while manufacturing for sale or export remains licensed by State Licensing Authorities and CDSCO reports no indication that most small manufacturers act mainly as contract producers; export-promotion measures include export council financial assistance, trade delegations and buyer-seller meets, exhibition participation, inbound business meets, an annual pharma expo, specialised IPR and AYUSH desks, and Foreign Trade Policy incentives such as focus market/product schemes and advance authorisations.

Foreign trade growth has widened the trade deficit and underscores monitoring of macroeconomic drivers and statistical reporting.
Foreign trade rose substantially between 1990-91 and 2013-14, with exports and imports both increasing and the resulting trade deficit widening; movements are ascribed to macroeconomic factors including demand and supply, exchange rates and partner-country economic conditions. The release lists countries with higher imports from India than exports to India for 2013-14 versus 1990-91, and notes that DGCI&S publishes detailed country-wise export and import statistics in 'Monthly Statistics of Foreign Trade of India' (Vols. I & II) on CD, which are sent to the Parliament Library.

SEZ fiscal exemptions promote export incentives; proposal underway to permit dual use of non processing areas by SEZ and DTA.
Fiscal concessions and duty benefits for Special Economic Zones are statutory incentives embedded in the SEZ framework to promote exports. The Government is conducting inter ministerial consultations to finalise a proposal to permit dual utilization of facilities in the Non Processing Area so that both SEZ and DTA entities may use those facilities.

Free trade agreement negotiations with Gulf states paused pending GCC review; tariff concessions subject to departmental consultations.
India's negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council are currently on hold at the GCC Secretariat's direction pending an internal review; the Secretariat will advise India when to resume. Any tariff concessions remain subject to interdepartmental consultation within the Indian government, with departmental views guiding decisions on concessions during the negotiation process.

Import allocation requirement ended, removing mandated export set-aside for gold and altering importer compliance obligations.
Reserve Bank policy required nominated banks and agencies to reserve a portion of each gold import lot exclusively for export while the balance served domestic uses; the allocation mandate was modified by subsequent circulars and was ultimately withdrawn by a later RBI circular, imposing and then removing bank-level obligations to segregate import lots for export availability.

Anti-dumping duty as a trade remedial measure to restore competitive conditions for domestic industry under WTO principles.
The document explains that anti-dumping duty is a WTO-permitted trade remedial measure imposed to level the domestic market against dumped imports, and notes that the legal framework has been amended to address mid-term and sunset reviews, determination of non-injurious price, definition of domestic industry, refund rules for excess duties, and circumvention determinations.

Indirect tax revenue growth shows year on year rise; service and customs improve while excise remains flat.
Provisional indirect tax collections for April-November rose year on year by 7.1%, with service tax up 11.5% (achieving 47.5% of BE), customs up 10.2% (achieving 61.1% of BE), and central excise marginally lower, with the press release reporting month and cumulative growth by tax head and BE achievement proportions.

Free Trade Agreement expansion underpins regional value chains and connectivity to deepen India CLMV trade ties and market access.
The document emphasises deepening India ASEAN and India CLMV trade by leveraging the existing Free Trade Agreement in goods, activating the FTA in Services and Investment, and widening the concentrated trade basket to include more agricultural, manufactured and service sectors. It stresses complementary measures-regional value chains and robust physical connectivity via road, rail and sea links-under the Act East Policy to facilitate market access, tourism, enterprise creation and sustained economic partnership.

Industrial corridor development proceeds with feasibility study and planned multi-modal logistics hub and SEZ conversion.
The Asian Development Bank completed a draft Conceptual Development Plan for the Vizag-Chennai industrial corridor and two Mega Leather Cluster proposals were received under the Indian Leather Development Programme. Separate from discontinued central Growth Centre grants, port infrastructure actions include conversion of an Export Processing Zone into a Special Economic Zone and a joint-venture multi-modal logistics hub at the Visakhapatnam EXIM Park intended to provide bonded warehouses, cold storage, cargo handling and related services with approved agreements and an implementation timetable.

Special Economic Zones approvals and export contribution noted; employment and investment growth reported under SEZ Act.
Approvals and notifications under the SEZ Act have enabled multiple SEZs to commence exports; employment growth since the Act's commencement is identified as the majority of SEZ employment, with additional developer generated construction employment. Key economic indicators reported include aggregate SEZ exports for the period, total cumulative investment in SEZs, and the share of SEZ exports in national exports, and taxes arising from SEZ activities are collected under the applicable tax statutes.

Import restriction on foreign-made fireworks: authorisation required and unauthorised consignments subject to detection and refusal.
Importation of foreign-made fireworks requires an import authorisation; none has been issued for crackers and unauthorised imports are restricted. Safety regulators advised customs formations and public notices were issued to prevent purchase and use of foreign-origin fireworks. Since 2010, applications to import fireworks from abroad were received and rejected following explosives safety advice, indicating import applications undergo safety review and may be denied.