The 4th Joint Working Group (JWG) Meeting on Tourism Cooperation between India and Japan was held on April 8, 2025, in New Delhi. The meeting was co-chaired by Ms. Mugdha Sinha, Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and Mr. HARAIKAWA Naoya, Commissioner, Japan Tourism Agency (JTA).
Key organizations included Japan National Tourism Organization, Japan Association of Travel Agents, JTTRI, Japan Airlines and ANA from the Japanese side. The Indian delegation comprised of Ministry of External Affairs, Civil Aviation, Education, NCHMCT, ICCR and private stakeholders like Indian Association of Tour Operators, Outbound Tour Operators Associations of India.
The Co- Chairs of the two countries exchanged notes on the profile of the visitors and delved into the data insights of the tourists travelling between the two countries, including to Buddhist destinations, in order to undertake suitable policy interventions to make the destinations more attractive for the millennial tourists.
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal launched a dedicated digital portal developed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to invite private investment in infrastructure development on National Waterways.
The launch follows the introduction of the National Waterways (Construction of Jetties/Terminals) Regulations, 2025, which lays out a framework for private players to invest in the construction and operation of jetties and terminals across India’s national waterways network. The regulations apply to both existing and new terminals, whether permanent or temporary.
As per the newly notified National Waterways (Construction of Jetties/Terminals) Regulations, 2025, any entity — including private players — can now develop or operate an inland waterway terminal on a National Waterway by securing a ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NoC) from the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI).
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, in collaboration with the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), has announced the shortlist for Make the World Wear Khadi - one of the 32 Creative in India Challenges being held as part of the WAVES Summit 2025, scheduled from May 1 to 4 in Mumbai.
The first World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), a milestone event for the Media & Entertainment (M&E) sector, will be hosted by the Government of India in Mumbai, Maharashtra, from May 1 to 4, 2025. WAVES is set to magnify India’s creative strength, amplifying its position as a hub for content creation, intellectual property, and technological innovation.
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), in its 54th meeting and the first of the financial year 2025–26, unanimously decided to reduce the policy repo rate by 25 basis points, bringing it down to 6 per cent with immediate effect. The Reserve Bank of India has projected real GDP growth at 6.5 per cent for 2025–26, maintaining the same rate as estimated for 2024–25.
The repo rate is the rate at which the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) lends money to commercial banks, and a cut in this rate is aimed at boosting lending and investment. This year also marks a milestone for the RBI as it completes 90 years since its establishment on 1st April 1935.
The 13th Ministerial meeting of the India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue (13th EFD) was held on 9th April 2025 at London. The Indian delegation, led by Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, held high-level discussions with the UK delegation led by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt. Hon. Rachel Reeves.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continue collaboration in financial services sector, FinTech and Digital economy and between the respective regulatory bodies; collaboration at bilateral and multilateral fora to address mutual and global economic issues including mobilising affordable finance and investment for low carbon economic growth.
The 8th Session of the India-Russia Working Group on Priority Investment Projects (IRWG-PIP) under the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation was held in New Delhi.
Working Group also reviewed the outcomes of the 7thsession,and both sides agreed to include six new strategic projects aimed at deepening bilateral investment cooperation.The India-Russia Investment Forum saw enthusiastic participation from over 80 Indian and Russian businesses, including entrepreneurs, financial institutions, cargo companies, business chambers, researchers
World Homoeopthay Day is observed on April 10 every year. Homoeopathy is the world’s second-largest medical system. In 2025, India is hosting its largest Homoeopathic symposium on the occasion of World Homoeopathy Day in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Since 2016, the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) has been celebrating World Homoeopathy Day with a series of impactful events that highlight the role of research in the global growth of homoeopathy.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday came out with comprehensive draft guidelines to harmonise and regulate gold loans across all financial entities, including putting a cap of 75 per cent on loan-to-value (LTV) ratio.
The draft guidelines also aim to address concerns related to certain lending practices, provide clarity on specific aspects, and strengthen the conduct-related standards in the sector. In the draft circular, the RBI stated that norms for lending against gold collateral must be incorporated into the credit/risk management policy of lenders.
BharatPe, a prominent Indian fintech company, has achieved a significant milestone by receiving final approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an online payment aggregator. This authorisation, granted to its subsidiary Resilient Payments Private Limited, paves the way for BharatPe to expand its digital payment services under the brand name “BharatPe X.”
The company aims to broaden its merchant base and deepen its presence in high-potential markets, particularly in tier 2 and 3 cities. BharatPe is investing in advanced technology infrastructure to ensure seamless and reliable digital payment solutions.
BharatPe processes over 450 million UPI transactions monthly, with an annual transaction value exceeding ₹1.7 lakh crore. Through BharatPe Money, it has disbursed loans worth ₹18,000 crore in partnership with NBFCs, offering products like loans against mutual funds and home loans.
ounded in 2018, BharatPe now operates in over 450 cities with a merchant network exceeding 1.3 crore, cementing its role as a leader in India’s fintech landscape. The company has raised over $580 million from investors such as Peak XV Partners and Tiger Global, which supports its expansion and innovation goals.
The Reserve Bank of India has given flexibility to the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to update transaction limits for person-to-merchant (P2M) payments done through the Unified Payments Interface. UPI transactions are currently capped at Rs. 1 lakh for both P2P and P2M payments, though certain P2M applications have higher caps of Rs. 2 lakh or Rs. 5 lakh.
The new regulation allows NPCI to increase such limits based on real-time feedback and upcoming trends so that the payments environment can evolve rapidly to respond to new needs without having to seek additional RBI approvals.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) announced the formation of a high-level committee (HLC) chaired by Pratyush Sinha, a retired IAS officer and former Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC). Injeti Srinivas, former secretary of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and ex-chairman of the IFSCA (Gift City regulator), has been appointed as the committee’s vice chairman
The six-member panel also includes prominent figures such as Uday Kotak, founder and director of Kotak Mahindra Bank; G Mahalingam, former Sebi whole-time member and RBI executive director; Sarit Jafa, former deputy comptroller and auditor general; and R Narayanaswamy, former professor at IIM Bangalore.
The committee is expected to submit its recommendations to the Sebi board within three months. Its mandate includes proposing frameworks for recusal policies, public disclosures, investment regulations, and digitisation and monitoring of records.
The Reserve Bank of India has, from time to time, issued a number of guidelines/instructions to banks on SHG-Bank Linkage Programme. The enclosed Master Circular consolidates the circulars issued by Reserve Bank on the subject up to March 31, 2025.
The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India launched the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) by restructuring Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY) with effect from 01st April 2013. NRLM was renamed as DAY-NRLM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission) w.e.f. March 29, 2016.
The genesis of the Lead Bank Scheme (LBS) can be traced to the Study Group headed by Prof. D. R. Gadgil (Gadgil Study Group) on the Organizational Framework for Implementation of the Social Objectives, which submitted its report in October 1969.
A Committee of Bankers on Branch Expansion Programme of PSBs appointed by the Reserve Bank of India under the Chairmanship of Shri F. K. F. Nariman endorsed the idea of an ‘Area Approach’ in its report, recommending that in order to enable the PSBs to discharge their social responsibilities, each bank should concentrate on certain district where it should act as a Lead Bank
Pursuant to the above recommendations, the LBS was introduced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in December 1969. RBI constituted a “Committee of Executive Directors” of the Bank to study the efficacy of the scheme and suggest measures for its improvement.
The District Level Consultative Committees formed under the Lead Bank Scheme should continue to be the principal mechanism of co-ordination between banks and development agencies in this regard. The district credit plans formulated by the Lead Banks should clearly indicate the linkage of credit with employment and development schemes.
