GIFT IFSC emerges as a strong and vibrant international banking hub, mobilises over $52.8 billion under RBI’s FCNR(B) Swap Facility, $11.62 bn in EC...
GST rationalisation for amusement park admissions could lower ticket prices, stimulate consumer demand, and support investment without input tax credit. GST rationalisation for amusement park, water park and indoor entertainment admission tickets is sought through a flat 5% GST rate without Input Tax Credit. The proposed rate is intended to reduce ticket prices, improve affordability and increase customer demand in a capital-intensive tourism and entertainment sector. Many smaller and mid-sized operators report limited ability to offset GST liability through ITC. Lower taxation is projected to support facility expansion, revenue growth, new investment, employment and reinvestment in recreational services.
Money laundering linked to hybrid ganja smuggling involves alleged illicit cross-border transfers and foreign-exchange violations. Enforcement Directorate searches form part of a money-laundering investigation into alleged hybrid ganja smuggling from Thailand. A case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act concerns suspected laundering of drug-trafficking proceeds and transfer of funds to Thailand through illegal channels. The inquiry also examines possible foreign-exchange violations and an alleged arrangement involving carriers, visas and funds for transporting narcotic substances.
Foreign-currency deposit mobilisation supports currency appreciation while creating surplus-liquidity sterilisation pressures through deposit swaps in domestic banking markets. Foreign-currency deposit mobilisation strengthened foreign-exchange liquidity and supported rupee appreciation. FCNR(B) deposits, together with overseas foreign-currency borrowings and external commercial borrowings, increased aggregate foreign-currency resources. Bank swaps of such deposits with the central bank may create surplus banking-system liquidity and a sterilisation challenge, while oil prices, global yields, dollar movements and foreign equity inflows remain relevant currency-market factors.
Money laundering investigation examines alleged diversion of bank loans from a power project to group entities and personal use. Money laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act concerns alleged diversion of bank loans obtained by Kohinoor Power for a power plant in Jharkhand. The loan proceeds were allegedly transferred to other group entities and used personally. Searches were conducted at eleven premises associated with the group's promoters, directors and auditors. The company entered liquidation proceedings before the National Company Law Tribunal, with limited recovery for creditors.
Globalisation of auto component manufacturing is linked to trade access, resilient supply chains, technology adoption, safety, and vehicle scrappage. The auto component industry is encouraged to expand globally through reciprocal market access, overseas manufacturing, international investment and trade partnerships. Supply-chain resilience is to be strengthened through indigenisation of vulnerable products, access to critical minerals, and domestic capacity in auto components, speciality steel, technical textiles and semiconductors. Priority is also given to high-value integrated solutions, artificial intelligence-enabled quality control, vehicle safety and industrial parks offering manufacturing infrastructure. Vehicle scrappage requires coordinated government incentives and fair industry valuation to support replacement demand for new-age vehicles.
Updated IP cooperation guidelines strengthen cross-border innovation, patent examination coordination, traditional knowledge protection, and geographical indication commercialisation. IP BRICS Heads adopted Updated Operational Guidelines to direct result-oriented intellectual property cooperation, promote cross-border innovation, and reinforce joint engagement in global IP standards. Priority areas include protection of traditional knowledge and traditional systems of medicine, reinforced patent examination cooperation, exchange of search results, patent analytics, and geographical indication protection and commercialisation. Coordination mechanisms and periodic progress reviews are emphasised for effective implementation and continuity of cooperation.
Sovereign credit rating upgrade reflects resilient growth, improved fiscal expenditure quality, stronger financial systems, and a robust external position. India's long-term foreign-currency and local-currency issuer ratings were upgraded from 'BBB+' to 'A-', with a Stable Outlook, reflecting resilient economic growth, improved fiscal expenditure quality, strengthened financial-sector soundness, and a robust external position. Fiscal improvement is linked to greater capital expenditure and lower fiscal deficit. Financial resilience is supported by improved banking and non-banking sector asset quality and capital adequacy. External strength arises from a contained current account deficit, services surplus, and foreign-exchange reserves exceeding short-term external debt.
Public sector general insurance performance requires profitable underwriting, lower claim ratios, digitalisation, standardised monitoring, and quality grievance redressal. Public Sector General Insurance Companies were advised to focus on profitable business lines, reduce the Incurred Claim Ratio, and accelerate technology use and digitalisation while optimising related expenditure. They are to improve insurance penetration, density, outreach and customer awareness, particularly in underserved segments, while reducing protection gaps. A robust, standardised KPI framework should enable comparable financial and non-financial performance assessment and be reviewed quarterly. Customer grievances require expeditious and quality redressal.
Cross-border financing through GIFT-IFSC expands foreign currency mobilisation, external commercial borrowing disbursements, and international bond market access. GIFT-IFSC's IBUs mobilised foreign-currency liquidity under the RBI's FCNR(B) deposit swap facility, with 20 IBUs sanctioning USD 54.02 billion and disbursing approximately USD 52.82 billion as at 31 August 2026. Between April and August 2026, IBUs disbursed USD 11.62 billion in External Commercial Borrowings, while Indian banks raised USD 11.12 billion through bond listings on IFSC exchanges. These activities support cross-border financing, international capital-market access and foreign-exchange inflows.
Bilateral business council leadership appointment strengthens operational capacity to advance Canada-India economic and investment partnerships. Operational leadership for bilateral economic engagement is strengthened through the appointment of Shuchita Sonalika as the first Chief Operating Officer of the Canada-India Business Council. The appointment is directed toward enhancing the council's capacity to support expanding investment and economic relations between Canada and India, in coordination with its board, members and partners. Sonalika brings international affairs experience in advancing India's economic partnerships across global markets.
Regulatory certainty and compliance reforms support investment facilitation, infrastructure development, MSME credit access, and reduction of bank non-performing assets. Regulatory certainty, ease of compliance and investment facilitation are identified as central elements of India's economic reform orientation. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code is included among reforms supporting regulatory certainty, reduced paperwork and easier compliance. Policy priorities include infrastructure development, artificial intelligence and data centres, credit access for MSMEs, reduction of banks' non-performing assets, fiscal discipline, and investment facilitation by central and state governments.
Sovereign credit rating upgrade reflects resilient economic growth, fiscal quality, financial-system soundness, and external-sector resilience. Japan Credit Rating Agency upgraded India's foreign-currency and local-currency long-term issuer ratings to A-, citing solid economic growth, strengthened growth-oriented policies and improved financial-system soundness. Improved banking asset quality, insolvency mechanisms, government capital infusion and stronger central-bank supervision support financial resilience. Fiscal quality has improved through greater infrastructure-focused capital expenditure and restraint in current spending, while a contained current-account deficit, services surplus and substantial foreign-exchange reserves support resilience to external shocks.
Currency-market intervention and foreign capital inflows supported rupee resilience amid higher crude prices and dollar strength. Foreign capital inflows and modest foreign institutional equity purchases supported rupee appreciation against the US dollar despite weak domestic equities, elevated crude oil prices and a stronger dollar. RBI monitoring and apparent currency-market intervention supported the rupee amid risk aversion, higher US Treasury yields and concerns over crude supply disruptions. Forthcoming US employment data remained relevant to dollar and rupee direction.
Foreign-currency non-resident deposits bolster external liquidity through hedging support and lending flexibility during global market uncertainty. Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank) [FCNR(B)] deposits are fixed-term foreign-currency deposits for non-resident Indians, with principal and interest repayable in the deposit currency and without direct rupee exchange-rate risk. A special central-bank programme mobilised substantial FCNR(B) deposits, alongside overseas foreign-currency borrowings and external commercial borrowings, to strengthen foreign-exchange liquidity. Banks received hedging-cost support and permission to lend against the deposits. The facility was closed earlier than scheduled after its mobilisation objective was met.
Foreign currency swap facility accelerated FCNR(B) deposit window closure after substantial diaspora inflows, while borrowing windows remain open. Special USD-INR foreign-exchange swap facility for FCNR(B) deposits, Overseas Foreign Currency Borrowings and External Commercial Borrowings was introduced to strengthen the external sector and support foreign-exchange liquidity. FCNR(B) deposits, under which principal and interest are repayable in the same foreign currency, generated the principal share of inflows. Strong diaspora participation led to advancement of the FCNR(B) window closure. The swap facility for Overseas Foreign Currency Borrowings and External Commercial Borrowings remains open until December 31, 2026.
GST bribery allegations led to a trap operation against officials and an intermediary in a quarrying matter. Criminal investigation concerns alleged solicitation and acceptance of an undue advantage by CGST officials in connection with settling a GST/royalty matter involving a stone-quarrying firm. The officials allegedly arranged for a private person to collect the payment. A trap operation resulted in the private person being caught while accepting the alleged undue advantage. Searches at the accused persons' premises led to recovery of cash and jewellery, while further investigation continues.
State GST collection growth outpaced national expansion during the first five months, alongside increased VAT and CST receipts. Haryana's SGST collections increased by 29 per cent during April-August of financial year 2026-27, exceeding the national growth rate of 16 per cent. August 2026 post-settlement SGST revenue rose by 21 per cent, compared with national average growth of 13 per cent. Haryana accounted for less than 4 per cent of national GST taxpayers but contributed approximately 7.7 per cent of aggregate national SGST, CGST and IGST collections. VAT/CST collections rose by 13.8 per cent during the same period.
NBFC loan servicing governance retains lender control through deterministic decision rules, maker-checker controls, reconciled migration and optional AI assistance. Lokta Next 100 offers RBI-registered NBFCs with loan books up to Rs 100 crore post-approval loan servicing, accounting, reporting, analytics, collections, recovery and partner-management functions, excluding pure-play microfinance NBFCs. Credit, approval and money decisions remain with the lender. Maker-checker approval applies to every change, and migration requires line-by-line reconciliation before cutover. Records remain lender-owned, hosted in India and exportable. AI may propose changes but cannot post to the ledger; deterministic lender-policy rules decide changes. Platform fees are deferred for up to 24 months, subject to stated loan-book thresholds.
RTI access to maintained records does not require creation of Aadhaar date-of-birth update data on demand. UIDAI did not maintain separate Aadhaar data on date-of-birth updates in Bihar following the announced social security pension enhancement, including month-wise or district-wise compilations. No internal review or flagging of unusual update patterns was available or applicable in its records. The Central Information Commission clarified that the RTI framework does not require a public authority to create, compile or generate information that it does not maintain in the form requested. The initial CPIO response treating the information as outside the RTI Act was considered inappropriate.
Transgender arrest and detention safeguards prompt calls for a standard operating procedure and clearer procedural protections. Legal and regulatory issues include safeguards for arrest and detention of transgender persons, consultation requirements in Bar Council policy-making, and procedural accountability in electoral administration and policing. Personal insolvency proceedings raise questions about tribunal powers to constitute an expanded bench. Hospitality operators are expected to comply strictly with food-safety and hygiene norms. Proposed restrictions on minors' social-media accounts address cyberbullying, online exploitation, and harmful screen exposure.
Union Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee released the first Budget Manual of the Union Government, here today. Releasing the Manual, the Finance Minister said that the Union Budget has evolved over the past six decades to reflect the strength of India's democratic processes in shaping its economy, and has emerged as a crucial tool for Public Finance Management. He said that this Manual is an attempt to bring together the entire Budget related activities and procedures etc. which were hitherto available in a dispersed manner in the form of executive instructions and guidelines . The Manual has been prepared by the Budget Division of the Department of Economic Affairs. Finance Minister Shri Mukherjee congratulated the Division for taking this initiative.
The Finance Minister said Budget Manual is a comprehensive document explaining in detail the procedures and activities connected with the preparation of Budget. Mr Mukherjee said that Budget Manual will serve as a guidance document to the officials involved in Budget making in the Finance Ministry as well as in other Ministries/Departments. He said that it is also expected to act as a good reference document for interested readers and stakeholders. He said that this document is an effort in the direction of fostering greater transparency and better understanding about procedures and systems relating to making of Union Budget.
At the outset, the Manual brings out the Constitutional provisions related to the Budget. It describes the contents of various Budget documents. The Finance Minister said that the Manual also deals with the Organizational aspects, roles and responsibilities of the Parliament, Parliamentary Committees and the responsibilities of various wings of the Executive in the Budget making process. The Union Government's accounting and classification systems have also been explained apart from the working of the Consolidated Fund of India, the Contingency Fund of India and the Public Account of India, the Finance Minister added.
Minister of State for Finance, Shri Namo Narain Meena alongwith the Secretaries of different departments of the Ministry of finance including Finance Secretary, Shri Ashok Chawla, Revenue Secretary, Shri Sunil Mitra, Expenditure Secretary, Smt. Sushma Nath, Secretary, Financial Services, Shri R. Gopalan, Secretary, Disinvestment, Shri Sumit Bose and Chief Economic Advisor, Dr. Kaushik Basu were also present on this occasion among others.
The core sections of the Manual explain the entire chain of activities related to Budget preparation right from the issue of Budget Circular in September to the Budget Day in February, including the processes of estimation of receipts and expenditure, their firming-up and finalization through the Pre-Budget Meetings and their compilation. The comprehensive calendar of Budget related activities, their timelines, details of the related duties and responsibilities of the officers and staff together with the Security and 'Lock-in' procedures have also been brought out. Finally the Manual deals with the Implementation and Reporting of various Budget announcements. There are also a series of Annexes which provide a holistic perspective on the related subjects. An attempt has been made to incorporate all the Budget related issues in the Manual so as to make it a self contained and one stop guidance document.
Text of the Finance Minister's address on the occasion is given below:
"I am pleased to participate in this function to release the Budget Manual for the Union Government. The Budget process of our country predates the Independence and has evolved over the past six decades to reflect the strength of our democratic processes in shaping our economy. It has emerged as a crucial tool for public finance management.
Budget was first introduced on 7th April, 1860, two years after the transfer of Indian administration from East-India Company to British Crown. The first Finance Member, who presented the Budget, was James Wilson. Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan, Member of the Interim Government presented the Budget of 1947-48. After Independence, India's first Finance Minister, Shri Shanmukham Chetty, presented the first budget of independent India on 26th November, 1947.
Toni Morrison, the famous author and winner of the Pulitzer and Nobel Prize for literature, had once stated, I quote-
"If there's a book you really want to read but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it".
~Toni Morrison
The Union Government Budget Manual is one such book, the need for which has been felt for long. I am happy to note that the Budget Division has brought out this Manual. Large areas of the Budget making procedures and processes have not been in public domain, leading at times to some misinterpretations and conjectures. The Budget Manual will shed such misconceptions. I am sure this Manual will bring about greater transparency and better understanding about the Union Government Budget making procedures and systems.
The Manual attempts to outline the entire chain of events leading to the Union Budget. The purpose of this Budget Manual is to provide guidance and a training tool for the officers and staff engaged in the Budget preparation, not only in the Finance Ministry but in other Ministries/Departments as well.
Finally, I would also like to express my appreciation to the officials of the Finance Ministry for taking this initiative and completing the task of preparing the Union Government Budget Manual.
With these words I would now like to release the Budget Manual for the Union Government."
DSM/GN (Release ID :66030)
Budget Manual consolidates Union Budget procedures and roles, standardising accounting, timelines and transparency for public finance management.
The Budget Manual consolidates dispersed executive instructions into a single guidance document describing Constitutional provisions, contents of budget documents, accounting and classification systems, and the operations of the Consolidated Fund of India, the Contingency Fund of India and the Public Account of India. It delineates roles of Parliament, parliamentary committees and executive wings, and outlines the full sequence of budget formulation from the Budget Circular to Budget Day, including timelines, officer duties, security and lock-in procedures, implementation and reporting, with annexes for related subjects.
Note: It is a system-generated summary and is for quick reference only.
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