India's Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has formally notified the Rs 10,000 crore Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0, a government-backed vehicle structured to channel capital into deep-tech startups, early growth-stage companies, and tech-driven manufacturing ventures. The fund operates as a fund-of-funds, deploying into SEBI-registered Alternative Investment Funds rather than directly into companies, which preserves market allocation while giving government capital a catalytic role. FoF 2.0 is divided into four segments: deep-tech, micro VCs targeting early growth-stage startups, tech-driven manufacturing, and sector-agnostic funds. Its predecessor, FFS 1.0, launched under SIDBI in 2016, has backed over 1,370 startups through the same AIF-routing mechanism. The new fund will invest exclusively in equity and equity-linked instruments of government-recognised startups. DPIIT will issue detailed operational guidelines covering eligibility, fund selection, disbursal mechanics, and reporting standards; a committee chaired by the DPIIT Secretary will oversee performance. Watch for the operational guidelines, which will determine which AIF managers qualify and ultimately set the pace of capital deployment into priority sectors.
India's government plans to amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act to restore UPI merchant discount rates, ending the zero-MDR regime in place since January 2020.
India's government has introduced the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, proposing changes to payments regulation, income tax, and the Finance Act to attract FDI and support Make in India. The Bill's final shape will depend on parliamentary debate and committee review.
The government's Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, proposes to replace the blanket UPI MDR ban with a system allowing the Centre to notify which payment modes stay fee-free.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Rs 5,000 crore Bhogapuram greenfield airport in Andhra Pradesh, built under a public-private partnership model. He also laid foundation stones for infrastructure projects worth nearly Rs 18,000 crore in the state, signalling a broad investment push for the region.
