| Welcome to the January 2, 2015 bulletin of key policy decisions and high-impact news from India, presented by the Embassy of India, in Washington D.C. |
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Foreign Investment Inflows Exceed $42 Billion for 2014
Overseas investors have poured $2 billion into the Indian capital markets so far this month, taking total inflows to $42 billion in 2014. Foreign investors put $116 million into Indian equities and $1.94 billion into the debt market from December 1 to 26, per latest data.
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E-ticketing for the Taj Mahal
Tourism Minister Dr. Mahesh Sharma has launched e-ticketing at the Taj Mahal in Agra and Humayun's Tomb in New Delhi. He also launched a 24/7 Incredible India Tourist Helpline along with special welcome cards for foreign tourists arriving at nine international airports.
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Highways Authority to Sell $9.4 Billion in Bonds
Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said that the National Highways Authority of India plans to raise $9.4 via infrastructure bond sales. "We are also exploring opportunities to carry iron ore from Karnataka as well as a gas pipeline along national highways," he said.
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Microsoft CEO Meets Modi, Explores Play in Digital India Plan
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has offered to collaborate with the Government in providing last-mile internet connectivity, especially through Wi-Fi technology. He met Prime Minister Modi and Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to explore the company's participation in the "Digital India" program. "It can empower organizations in this country to be world-class with the access to great technology, which is all going to be available locally," Nadella said.
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NTPC Invites International Bids For Pudimadaka Project
 NTPC has invited bids for long-term procurement of imported coal for the proposed 4,000-MW Pudimadaka thermal power plant in Visakhaptnam. This procurement would be through international competitive bidding process. NTPC had earlier this month invited expression of interest from global consultants for Pudimadaka project.
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Initiatives of Ministry of Commerce & Industry During 2014
Listing its achievements and initiatives in 2014, the Commerce and Industry Ministry said that the Govt. intends to develop industrial corridors and smart cities for providing infrastructure based on modern technology with high-speed communication to boost manufacturing sector, adding that existing infrastructure would also be strengthened.
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Govt. Eyes $47 Billion Investment, Reforms For Power Sector
With an ambitious target to give 24/7 electricity to all, the Government is eyeing a $47 billion investment in the power transmission and distribution business, as it gears up to free the sector from a gridlock of fuel scarcity, regulatory clogs and other issues.
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Govt. Launches Key Projects for Telecom, IT and Postal Depts.
The Department of Electronics and Information Technology has launched time-stamping of digital signatures, an integrated Indian languages virtual keyboard for the Android platform and the .bharat domain in Gujarati and Bangla, among several other initiatives.
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Joint Task Force to Boost Mobile Manufacturing
 The Government has set up a joint task force, which will include industry representatives from Samsung, Microsoft Devices and Lava, to rejuvenate the nation's mobile phone manufacturing ecosystem with a view to achieve production of 500 million units of mobile handsets by 2019.
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Reserve Bank Eases Rules for Indian Firms Investing Abroad
Encouraged by comfortable forex reserves, the Reserve Bank of India has relaxed rules for Indian companies investing abroad by doing away with the ceiling for raising funds through pledge of shares, domestic and overseas assets.
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