Highlights of this Issue
GDP contracted by 7.5% in the second quarter of 2020-21
GDP (at constant prices) contracted by 7.5% in the July-September quarter of 2020-21. While agriculture, manufacturing, and electricity recorded growth, trade & hospitality, public services, and mining contracted.
National lockdown extended till December 31 with focus on containment
The new orders specify guidelines for inducing COVID appropriate behaviours, prescribing a containment and surveillance strategy, and ensuring strict compliance with lockdown-related guidelines, to reduce COVID-19 cases.
Government announces stimulus under Aatma Nirbhar Bharat 3.0
Measures were announced to incentivise creation of new employment, provide stimulus to certain sectors such as infrastructure and real estate, and expand coverage of the credit line guarantee scheme to more borrowers.
Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Ordinance issued
The Ordinance allows an arbitration award to be stayed (even if an application to set it aside has been filed) in case the agreement or the award was induced by fraud. Further, it removes the qualification criteria listed for arbitrators.
Draft Rules under Codes on Social Security, and Occupational Safety released
Draft social security rules set out detailed procedures for enrolment of workers and registration of establishments. Occupational safety rules provide that no worker shall work more than eight hours a day, over a 12-hour period.
Supreme Court passes judgement on the 2020 tribunal rules
Key highlights of the judgement include: (i) constitution of an independent National Tribunals Commission, and (ii) changes to the composition of selection panels to give dominance to decisions made by judicial members.
Amendment to Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Rules notified
For obtaining registration for receiving foreign contribution, the applicant should have spent Rs 15 lakh or more during last three years. The application fee for seeking registration or prior permission has been increased.
Guidelines for taxi aggregators released
Taxi aggregators will be required to ensure compliance of drivers and vehicles with various provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The guidelines also provide details of the minimum and maximum fare to be charged.
Standing Committee submits its report on the COVID-19 pandemic
To improve management of COVID-19, the Committee recommended: (i) increasing public health funding, (ii) increasing the number of beds in government hospitals, and (iii) using reliable testing methods, among others.
Working Group reviewing ownership of private banks submitted its report
Recommendations include: (i) increase in long-term promoter shareholding in private banks from 15% to 26%, and (ii) permitting ownership of banks by large business houses, with safeguards to manage conflicts of interest.
Guidelines for reopening of universities and colleges issued by the UGC
The guidelines permit institutions outside of containment zones to re-open based on feasibility of restarting physical classes. Institutions will be reopened in a phased manner after adopting adequate safety measures.
43 mobile apps banned on the grounds of national security and public order
Use of these apps has disallowed under the Information Technology Act, 2000 for engaging in stealing and unauthorised transmission of users’ data to servers outside India which may threaten national security.
COVID-19
As of December 1, 2020, there were 94,62,809 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in India.[1] Of these, 88,89,585 had been cured/discharged and 1,37,621 persons had died.1 For details on the number of daily cases in the country and across states, please see here.
The central government has announced several policy decisions to contain the spread of the disease, and financial measures to support citizens and businesses who would get affected. For details on the major notifications released by the centre and the states, please see here. Key announcements made in this regard in October 2020 are as follows.
Lockdown extended till December 31 with additional relaxations
Roshni Sinha (roshni@prsindia.org)
To contain the spread of COVID-19, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had imposed a 21-day national lockdown in March.[2] Since then, the lockdown has been extended ten times, with the latest extension till December 31, 2020.[3] The revised lockdown guidelines stress on containing further COVID cases by focusing on a prescribed containment strategy, surveillance, and strict observance of lockdown-related guidelines. Key features of these guidelines include:
States cannot impose local lockdown outside the containment zones without consultation with the central government.3 In cities where the weekly positive rate exceeds 10%, states may implement staggered office timings or take other measures to reduce the number of employees attending office at the same time. Further, no restriction may be imposed on intra-state and inter-state movement of persons and goods including those for land-border trade with neighbouring countries (based on treaties).
The guidelines continue to mandate directives for COVID-19 management in workplaces and public spaces. These measures include: (i) compulsory wearing of face cover in public spaces and workplaces, and (ii) staggering of work hours in all workplaces.
Government announces stimulus under Aatma Nirbhar Bharat 3.0
Madhunika Iyer (madhunika@prsindia.org)
The Finance Minister announced measures to increase employment, and provide stimulus to certain sectors such as infrastructure and real estate.[4] These measures include:
UGC issues guidelines for reopening of universities and colleges
Anurag Vaishnav (anurag@prsindia.org)
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued guidelines for re-opening of universities and colleges, which provide safety and other institutional measures to be taken.[9] Universities and other educational institutions have been closed since March 16, 2020 on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The universities and colleges shall be allowed to open only if they are outside the containment zones. Further, students and staff living in containment zones will not be allowed to attend the colleges. For centrally funded higher education institutions outside containment zones, the head of the institution will decide the feasibility of restarting physical classes. For other institutes, the decision will be made by the respective state government. Other aspects of the guidelines include:
Standing Committee on Health submits report on the COVID-19 pandemic
Anya Bharat Ram (anya@prsindia.org)
The Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare submitted its report on the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its management.[10] COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation on March 11, 2020. The Committee noted that a downward trend in COVID-19 cases has begun, however the threat of a second wave is high. In this regard, it recommended the following:
For a PRS summary of the report, see here.
Order issued to allow states to reopen anganwadis outside containment zones
Prachi Kaur (prachi@prsindia.org)
The Ministry of Women and Child Development issued an order allowing states to reopen anganwadis outside containment zones.[11] States have been allowed to formulate their own Standard Operating Procedures, while adhering to COVID-19 directions given by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The Ministry of Women and Child Development has provided some operational guidelines for the continuation of anganwadi services. These include:
Aarogya Setu Data Access and Knowledge Sharing Protocol, 2020 extended up to May 2021
Saket Surya (saket@prsindia.org)
In May 2020, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had released the Aarogya Setu Data Access and Knowledge Sharing Protocol, 2020 in reference to the Aarogya Setu mobile application (app).[12] The protocol was originally applicable up to November 10, 2020 (six months from the date of notification). It has now been extended for another six months, i.e., up to May 10, 2021.[13] The Aarogya Setu app was launched by the central government in April 2020 to enable contact tracing (identification and monitoring of persons who are at a higher risk of being infected by COVID-19) and for users to assess their own risk of getting infected. The protocol aims to ensure secure and efficient collection and sharing of data by the application to protect the personal data of individuals.
For more details on the protocol, please see here.
The Ministry has released the backend code of the Aarogya Setu app.[14] In May 2020, the decision to make Aarogya Setu app open source was announced.[15] Source code of an open source software is freely available for possible modification and redistribution. The source code of the android and iOS applications were released earlier.15
Macroeconomic Development
Madhunika Iyer (madhunika@prsindia.org)
GDP contracted by 7.5% in the second quarter of 2020-21
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (at constant 2011-12 prices) contracted by 7.5% in the second quarter (July-September) of 2020-21 over the corresponding period in 2019-20.[16] This is the second consecutive quarter of contraction in GDP after the contraction of 23.9% in the first quarter of 2020-21. In comparison, GDP growth was 4.4% in the second quarter of 2019-20 and 5.2% in the first quarter of 2019-20.
Cumulatively, GDP contracted by 15.7% in the first half of 2020-21 (April- September) over the corresponding period in 2019-20.
Sources: Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation; PRS.
GDP across economic sectors is measured in terms of Gross Value Added (GVA). The four sectors with the largest contraction in the first quarter of 2020-21 (construction, trade, manufacturing, and mining) improved their performance in the second quarter. While construction, trade, and mining continued to contract, manufacturing grew by 0.6%. The other sectors recording a growth in the second quarter of 2020-21 were agriculture and electricity. Table 1 provides details on sectoral growth in GVA.
Table 1: Growth in Gross Value Added across sectors in Q2 of 2020-21 (%, year-on-year)
Sector |
Q2 2019-20 |
Q1 2020-21 |
Q2 2020-21 |
Agriculture |
3.5% |
3.4% |
3.4% |
Mining |
-1.1% |
-23.3% |
-9.1% |
Manufacturing |
-0.6% |
-39.3% |
0.6% |
Electricity |
3.9% |
-7.0% |
4.4% |
Construction |
2.6% |
-50.3% |
-8.6% |
Trade |
4.1% |
-47.0% |
-15.6% |
Financial services |
6.0% |
-5.3% |
-8.1% |
Public services |
10.9% |
-10.3% |
-12.2% |
GVA |
4.3% |
-22.8% |
-7.0% |
GDP |
4.4% |
-23.9% |
-7.5% |
Sources: Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation; PRS.
Finance
Working Group reviewing ownership and corporate structure in private banks submits report
Madhunika Iyer (madhunika@prsindia.org)
The Internal Working Group to Review Extant Ownership Guidelines and Corporate Structure for Indian Private Sector Banks submitted its report to the Reserve Bank of India.[17] The Terms of Reference of the Group included review of: (i) regulations regarding ownership and control in private banks, (ii) eligibility criteria for entities to apply for banking license, and (iii) norms for promoter shareholding. Key recommendations of the Group include:
Cabinet approves revised Viability Gap Funding norms for social infrastructure
Suyash Tiwari (suyash@prsindia.org)
The Union Cabinet approved a revised Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme for providing financial support to Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) for infrastructure projects.[18] The scheme was started in 2006 to support infrastructure projects that are economically justified, but commercially unviable due to: (i) high capital investment requirements, (ii) long gestation period, and (iii) the inability to increase user charges to commercial levels. Under the existing scheme, the central government provides VGF to cover up to 20% of the project cost. The public partner in the PPP project (e.g. the concerned Ministry, state government, or statutory authority) may additionally cover up to 20% of the project cost. Under the revised scheme, a higher VGF has been approved for the following kinds of social infrastructure projects:
An outlay of Rs 8,100 crore has been approved for the revised scheme for the period 2020-21 to 2024-25. An estimated Rs 2,100 crore will be provided as support to social infrastructure projects, with the remaining Rs 6,000 crore earmarked for economic infrastructure projects.
Committee on retail business development in the IFSC submits report
Madhunika Iyer (madhunika@prsindia.org)
The International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) International Retail Business Development Committee (Chairman: Mr. Injeti Srinivas) submitted its report to the International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA).[19] The Committee made recommendations to develop retail participation in the banking, insurance, and capital markets segments in the IFSC. Key recommendations include:[20]
Law and Justice
Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Ordinance issued
Roshni Sinha (roshni@prsindia.org)
The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 was promulgated.[26] It amends the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The Act contains provisions to deal with domestic and international arbitration and defines the law for conducting conciliation proceedings. Key features of the Ordinance include the following:
For a PRS Summary of the Ordinance, see here.
Supreme Court passes judgement on the 2020 tribunal rules
Aditya Kumar (aditya@prsindia.org)
The Supreme Court passed a judgement on several aspects of the Tribunal, Appellate Tribunal and other Authorities (Qualifications, Experience and other Conditions of Service of Members) Rules, 2020.[27] These Rules set out the qualification, conditions of service and term of members of 19 tribunals.[28]
In 2019, the Supreme Court had struck down an earlier version of the Rules notified in 2017.[29] The Court had then held that these Rules conflicted with various principles of the Constitution which stressed on the need to preserve the independence of the judiciary. The government was asked to re-formulate the rules to align them with the previous judgements of the Court, following which the 2020 Rules were notified.
Key highlights of the recent judgement include:
Home
Anurag Vaishnav (anurag@prsindia.org)
MHA notifies amendment to Foreign Contribution Regulation Rules
The Ministry of Home Affairs notified amendments to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Rules, 2011.[30] These amendments have been notified under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010.[31] Key changes made by the 2020 Rules include:
Labour and Employment
Draft Rules under the Occupational Safety and Health Code released for public comments
Madhunika Iyer (madhunika@prsindia.org)
The Ministry of Labour and Employment released the draft central rules under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.[32],[33] The draft Rules will apply to establishments which are under the control of the central government and will replace 13 previous central rules on these matters. Key features of the draft Rules include:
Comments on the draft Rules are invited until January 3, 2021.
Draft Rules under Code on Social Security released for comments
Roshni Sinha (roshni@prsindia.org)
The Ministry of Labour and Employment released the draft central rules under the Code on Social Security, 2020.[34],[35] The Draft Rules will apply to establishments which are under the control of the central government and will replace previous central rules on these matters. Key features of the Draft Rules include:
Comments are invited within 45 days of notification (from November 13, 2020).
AYUSH
Anya Bharat Ram (anya@prsindia.org)
Regulations on post graduate Ayurveda education notified
The Central Council of Indian Medicine notified the Indian Medicine Central Council (Post Graduate Ayurveda Education) Amendment Regulations, 2020.[36] It amends the 2016 Regulations issued to regulate post graduate education in Ayurveda.
The 2020 Regulations specify that a post graduate student of Shalya (general surgeries), and Shalakya (diseases of the eye, nose, throat, head, and oro-dentistry) must be practically trained to independently perform certain surgeries. For Shalya students, these surgeries include: (i) drainage of abscesses, (ii) skin grafting, and (iii) amputation of gangrene. For Shalakya students, these surgeries include: (i) tonsillectomy, (ii) deviated septum, (iii) cataract, and (iv) root canal treatment.
Information and Broadcasting
43 mobile apps banned on the grounds of national security and public order
Saket Surya (saket@prsindia.org)
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology banned 43 apps on the grounds that these pose a threat to the sovereignty, integrity, defence and security of the state, and public order.[37] These apps include AliExpress, Lalamove, and Snack Video. Use of these apps has been disallowed in both mobile and non-mobile internet-enabled devices. The Ministry had banned 59 mobile apps in June 2020 and 118 mobile apps in September 2020 on similar grounds. The earlier banned apps include TikTok, Shareit, UC Browser, and PUBG Mobile Lite.[38],[39]
Committee constituted to review guidelines on television rating agencies
Anurag Vaishnav (anurag@prsindia.org)
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has constituted a Committee to review the existing guidelines on television rating agencies.[40] The guidelines specify the eligibility criteria and registration process for television rating agencies. It also specifies the methodology for audience measurement.
For measurement of television ratings, the existing guidelines (2014) prescribed a panel selection from a pool of households where the audience measurement device is placed (sample size for measurement of ratings).[41] It prescribed a sample size of 20,000 households, which was to be increased by 10,000 every year till it reaches 50,000 households.
The Ministry stated that there is a need to review the guidelines keeping in view the technological advancements, and certain recommendations made by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in this regard. For this purpose, it has constituted a Committee (Chairperson: Shashi S. Vempati, CEO, Prasar Bharti) to recommend changes in the existing guidelines. The terms and reference of the Committee include: (i) studying past recommendations made on the subject, (ii) making recommendations for a transparent and accountable rating system, and (iii) suggesting steps to enhance competition in the sector.
Note that in April 2020, the TRAI released recommendations on the television rating system in India.[42] It observed that currently, there is only one company registered with the Ministry for providing television rating agencies in the country (Broadcast Audience Research Council, or BARC, an industry-led body). It had recommended changes in the composition of BARC to mitigate the potential risk of conflict of interest. Further, it had recommended that the panel size should be increased from the existing 44,000 to 60,000 by the end of 2020, and to one lakh by the end of 2022. TRAI observed that a larger sample size improves the robustness of measurement rating.
Content provided by digital media and online platforms brought under the Ministry of I&B
Anurag Vaishnav (anurag@prsindia.org)
The government has amended the Allocation of Business Rules, 1961 to bring certain content provided by online platforms under the ambit of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.[43] The Ministry’s business will now include: (i) films and audio-visual programmes made available by online content providers, and (ii) news and current affairs content on online platforms.
The Allocation of Business Rules are made by the President of India under Article 77 of the Constitution which provides for the conduct of business by the different ministries of the government.[44] Note that, under the Rules, policy matters related to internet, cyber-laws and other IT laws are under the purview of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Comments invited on the Draft Data Centre Policy
Saket Surya (saket@prsindia.org)
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) invited comments on the Draft Data Centre Policy 2020.[45] The Policy seeks to promote the data centre sector in the country. Data Centres are centralised locations where computing and networking equipment is concentrated for the purpose of collecting, storing, processing, distributing, or allowing access to large amounts of data. The Ministry observed that the advent of the digital economy around the world presents an opportunity for India to become a global data centre hub. It also noted that the need for data centre infrastructure within the boundaries of the country is further necessitated due to the data localisation provisions under various data protection regulations. Key features of the Draft Policy include the following:
Communications
Saket Surya (saket@prsindia.org)
New guidelines for other service providers released
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) released new guidelines for Other Service Providers (OSPs).[46] The new guidelines seek to reduce the compliance burden for the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and IT-enabled services industry.[47] It replaces the guidelines issued in August 2008.[48] Key features of the new guidelines are:
Road Transport
Prachee Mishra (prachee@prsindia.org)
Guidelines for taxi aggregators released
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways released the Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2020 as per the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019.[50],[51] The Act defines aggregators as digital intermediaries or market places which can be used by passengers to connect with a driver for transportation purposes (taxi services). Aggregators must obtain licenses from the state government to operate. State governments may regulate aggregators based on the guidelines issued by the central government.
The guidelines seek to regulate shared mobility, reduce traffic congestion and pollution, and provide ease of doing business, customer safety, and driver welfare. Key features of the guidelines include:
FASTags made mandatory for vehicles sold before 2017
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways notified that from January 1, 2021, FASTag will be mandatory for vehicles that were sold before 2017.[52] Further, a valid FASTag will be mandatory when getting a new third-party insurance. FASTag is an electronic toll collection system operated by the National Highway Authority of India. It was made mandatory for registration of new four-wheeler vehicles in 2017.
Ministry of Road Transport releases several draft rules
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways released several draft rules amending the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. Key features of these draft rules include:
Vintage motor vehicles: Currently there are no rules to regulate the registration process of vehicles of heritage value. The draft Rules define vintage motor vehicles as all those vehicles (two-wheelers and four-wheelers used for non-commercial/personal use), and are more than 50 years old from the date of their first registration (including imported vehicles). The vehicle should not have undergone any substantial overhaul.[53]
The state government will appoint a Vintage Motor Vehicles State/ Union Territory Committee which will finalise all decisions regarding approval or rejection of vintage motor vehicles. The state will appoint a nodal officer to process all applications for registration of such vehicles. Sale and purchase of such registered vehicles will be permitted if the buyer and seller inform respective State Transport Authority and registration under the new owner’s name would be recorded. A vintage motor vehicle will be allowed to run on Indian roads only for certain things such as display, technical research, taking part in a vintage car rally, and refueling and maintenance.
Registering nominees of motor vehicle owners: The draft Rules provide for the motor vehicle owner to nominate a person when registering a vehicle. This seeks to help the motor vehicle to be registered or transferred in the name of the nominee, in case of the death of the owner of the vehicle.[54]
Housing and Urban Affairs
Prachee Mishra (prachee@prsindia.org)
Report of revenue neutral approach to lower Stamp Duty and Registration Charges for affordable housing released
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs released a report on the impact of changes in stamp duty and registration charges on registration property.[55] This report seeks to provide a rationale for states to lower their stamp duty and registration charges especially for low value housing without compromising their overall revenues from these taxes. Key findings in the report include:
Civil Aviation
Aditya Kumar (aditya@prsindia.org)
Operation of air transport services from certain defence aerodromes re-authorised
The Ministry of Civil Aviation re-authorised the operation of air transport services from certain defence aerodromes till June 30, 2021.[56] These aerodromes are defence aerodromes which have not been approved by Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) as a regular place of landing and departure for any passenger or cargo aircraft. Earlier, air transport services from such aerodromes were allowed till June 30, 2020.[57]
Comments invited on draft national unmanned aircraft system traffic management policy
The Ministry of Civil Aviation released the draft national unmanned aircraft system traffic management (UTM) policy.[58] The policy is aimed at creating a separate safe ecosystem for unmanned aircraft operations in low-level airspace (within 1,000 feet above ground level). The policy identifies 11 UTM operational scenarios. These scenarios include: (i) testing or recreational purposes, (ii) flying within and beyond visual line of sight, (iii) flying in no-fly zones, and (iv) night operations. The policy also provides for a framework to subsequently integrate UTM with existing aircraft traffic.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) will be the nodal agency for regulating the operations on behalf of Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). AAI will be responsible to ensure compliance of operations to various standards acceptable by DGCA.
Data security and privacy of unmanned aircraft systems will be governed by the proposed Personal Data Protection Act. The policy recommends all software and hardware systems to be hosted in India.
Further, the policy provides for details on several aspects of the ecosystem including: (i) safety risk management, (ii) hazard risk management, (iii) operational risk management, and (iv) real-time identification and tracking.
Power
Aditya Kumar (aditya@prsindia.org)
Guidelines for a competitive bidding process for procurement of round the clock power from mixed sources amended
The Ministry of Power amended the guidelines for the tariff-based competitive bidding process for procurement of round-the-clock (RTC) power from renewable energy (RE) sources, complemented with power from coal-based thermal power sources.[59] The guidelines were released in July 2020 to facilitate bundling of renewable energy with thermal sources of energy to address the intermittent nature of renewable energy.[60] The amendments enable bundling of renewable energy with any source of energy. This will facilitate availability of cheap energy for RTC procurement. The key amendments include the following:
Equity lock-in period for selection of transmission service provider for interstate transmission system amended
The Ministry of Power amended the equity lock in period specified in the standard bidding documents for selecting transmission service provider through tariff-based competitive bidding process to establish inter-state transmission system.[61]
As per earlier provision, the selected bidder was required to hold at least 51% paid up equity share capital for two years after the commercial operation date and 26% for a period of three years thereafter. The amendments specify that the selected bidder is required to hold at least 51% paid up equity share capital only for one year after the commercial operation date.
In case of a consortium of bidders for Request for Proposals, the consortium was required to hold an aggregate equity share capital of 51% for two years after commercial operating date with lead member having 26% of shareholding for five years after commercial operation date. The amendments now require the consortium to hold aggregate equity share capital of 51% for one year after commercial operating date with the lead member having 26% of shareholding for one year after the commercial operation date of the project.
PM-KUSUM scheme targets revised
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy revised the targets of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahaabhiyaan (PM-KUSUM) scheme.[62] The scheme was launched in March 2019 for solarisation of agriculture pumps. The scheme planned to add solar and other renewable capacity of 25.8 GW by 2022 with total financial support of Rs 34,422 crore.[63] The scheme is being expanded to achieve 30.8 GW of enhanced solar capacity by 2022 with revised financial support of Rs 34,035 crore from the central government.
The scheme is divided into three components – A, B, and C. As per earlier target, component A was aimed at achieving 10,000 MW of decentralised ground mounted grid-connected solar power plants of individual plant size of 2 MW. Component B was aimed at installation of 17.5 lakh standalone solar powered agricultural pumps of individual capacity up to 7.5 HP. Component C was aimed at solarisation of 10 lakh grid-connected agricultural pumps of individual pump capacity up to 7.5 HP.63 While there is no change in the target under Component A, under the revised scheme,: (i) the installation target under Component B has been increased from 17.5 lakh pumps to 20 lakh pumps, and (ii) solarisation target under Component C has been increased from 10 lakh pumps to 15 lakh pumps.
[1]Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website, last accessed on November 1, 2020, https://www.mohfw.gov.in/index.html.
[2] Order No. 40-3/2020-DM-I(A), Ministry of Home Affairs, March 24, 2020, https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/MHAorder%20copy.pdf
[3] Order No. 40-3/2020-DM-I(A), Ministry of Home Affairs, November 25, 2020, https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/MHAOrder25112020.pdf.
[4] Atmanirbhar Package 3.0, Ministry of Finance, November 12, 2020, https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/MOF.pdf.
[5] Presentation made by Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman under Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan to support Indian economy in fight against COVID-19, Ministry of Finance, May 13, 2020,
[6] “Government extends Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme by one month”, Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Finance, November 2, 2020.
[7] “Extension of Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme through ECLGS 2.0 for the 26 sectors identified by the Kamath Committee and the healthcare sector”, Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Finance, November 26, 2020.
[8] Report of the Expert Committee on Resolution Framework for COVID-related Stress, Reserve Bank of India, September 4, 2020,
[9] “UGC Guidelines for reopening the universities and colleges post lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic”, University Grants Commission, November 5, 2020, https://www.ugc.ac.in/pdfnews/4423963_UGC-Guidelines-for-Re-Opening-Universities-Colleges.pdf.
[10] Report no. 123, “The outbreak of the pandemic COVID-19 and its management”, Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, November 21, 2020.
[11] “F. No. PA/85/2020-CPMU C No 85941, Ministry of Women and Child Development, November 11, 2020, https://wcd.nic.in/sites/default/files/AWC%20services%20continuation_0.pdf.
[12] No.2 (10)/2020-CLeS, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, May 11, 2020, https://www.meity.gov.in/writereaddata/files/Aarogya_Setu_data_access_knowledge_Protocol.pdf.
[13] No.2 (10)/2020-CLeS, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, November 10, 2020, https://www.meity.gov.in/writereaddata/files/Order_Aarogya_Setu10112020.pdf.
[14] “Backend Code of Aarogya Setu released in Open Domain”, Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, November 20, 2020.
[15] “AarogyaSetu is now open source”, Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, May 26, 2020.
[16] “Estimates of Gross Domestic Product for the Second Quarter (July-September) 2020-2021”, Press Release, Central Statistics Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, November 27, 2020, https://www.mospi.gov.in/documents/213904/416359//PRESS_NOTE-Q2_2020-211606480008567.pdf/f2b98a11-a06d-8b6f-6f37-621f33ca8f25.
[17] Report of the Internal Working Group to Review Extant Ownership Guidelines and Corporate Structure for Indian Private Sector Banks, November 2020, https://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs//PublicationReport/Pdfs/IWG988615AAEB4A42729542102111DCA5FC.PDF.
[18]“Cabinet approves Continuation and Revamping of the Scheme for Financial Support to Public Private Partnerships in Infrastructure Viability Gap Funding VGF Scheme”, Press Information Bureau, Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, November 11, 2020.
[19]“IFSC International Retail Business Development Committee presented the final report to IFSCA”, Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Finance, November 11, 2020, https://pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1672000.
[20] International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) International Retail Business Development Committee, November 2020, https://ifsca.gov.in/Viewer/ReportandPublication/1.
[21]“Setting up of IFSC Banking Units (IBUs), Reserve Bank of India, April 1, 2015, https://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/notification/PDFs/FNIBU010415CIRN.PDF.
[22]Liberalised Remittance Scheme, FAQs, Reserve Bank of India, https://m.rbi.org.in/Scripts/FAQView.aspx?Id=115.
[23]The International Financial Services Centres Authority (Banking) Regulations, 2020, http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/2020/223204.pdf.
[24] Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India {Registration and Operations of International Financial Service Centre Insurance Offices(IIO)} Guidelines, 2017, https://ifsca.gov.in/Viewer/Index/91.
[25] SEBI (International Financial Services Centres) Guidelines, 2015, https://www.sebi.gov.in/legal/guidelines/mar-2015/sebi-international-financial-services-centres-guidelines-2015_29457.html.
[26]Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, https://www.prsindia.org/sites/default/files/bill_files/Arbitration%20and%20Conciliation%20%28Amendment%29%20Ordinance%2C%202020.pdf.
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