Parliament Passes 'Bills of Lading, 2025' to Modernise Maritime Law in India
The Parliament passed the Bills of Lading, 2025, replacing the 169-year-old colonial-era Indian Bills of Lading Act, 1856. The Rajya Sabha cleared the bill on the first day of the Monsoon Session, following its earlier passage in the Lok Sabha in March 2025. The bill now awaits Presidential assent before becoming law.
Tabled by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, the bill marks a significant step in India's efforts to overhaul outdated legal frameworks and align them with contemporary global standards. Once enacted, the legislation will simplify maritime shipping documentation in India, making it more transparent, efficient, and in tune with international trade practices.
Chhattisgarh Passes Jan Vishwas Bill
Chhattisgarh passed 'Jan Vishwas Bill' in the Assembly marking a significant step towards ease of living and doing business in the State.
With a focus to lessen non-essential legal burdens and encouraging voluntary compliance, Chhattisgarh became only the second State in the country to pass the Bill that replaces criminal penalties with fines for minor violations.
The new Act will aim to decriminalise minor technical violations by citizens and business owners -- many of which stemmed from outdated British-era laws.
Touted as a historic reform, the bill intended towards securing trust-based governance prioritising transparency with accountability between the government and its citizens and trade.
Jul 18, 2025
Khattar Launches Rs. 1,000 Crore ADEETIE Scheme for MSMEs
Union Minister of Power, Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar launched Assistance for Deployment of Energy Efficient Technologies in Industrial Establishments (ADEETIE), a national scheme aiming to promote industrial energy efficiency, at an event in Panipat.
The scheme is backed by the Ministry of Power and implemented through the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) with a budget of Rs. 1,000 crore.
Under this, 5% interest subvention will be provided for Micro and Small Enterprises and 3% for Medium Enterprises, making it more accessible and affordable for MSMEs to adopt energy efficient projects. The technologies proposed under the scheme can lead to 30-50% energy savings in MSMEs, which will improve the power-to-product ratio and promote the creation of green energy corridors.
The Union Cabinet approved a new scheme called the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana. The scheme is set to run for six years starting 2025-26, with an annual outlay of Rs. 24,000 crore. It aims to improve agriculture and allied sectors in 100 selected districts by increasing productivity, irrigation, storage, and credit support. This decision marks an important step toward addressing rural development and food security goals at the national level.
The new scheme builds on the success of the Aspirational Districts Programme, focusing on comprehensive development in regions lagging behind in key agricultural indicators. Despite India being a major agricultural country, several districts still face low productivity and poor access to financial and technological support. This initiative targets those gaps to ensure more balanced and inclusive growth in the agriculture sector.
Jul 16, 2025
TN CM Launches Outreach Scheme 'Ungaludan Stalin'
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin launched the outreach scheme 'Ungaludan Stalin,' (Stalin with you) to take government services to the people and redress grievances by organising special camps in their neighbourhoods.
Jul 13, 2025
India Rolls Out First-Ever e-Truck Incentive Scheme under PM Modi's Green Mobility Vision
Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of Union Minister for Heavy Industries & Steel, H. D. Kumaraswamy, the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI), Government of India, launched a groundbreaking scheme to provide financial incentives for electric trucks (e-trucks) under the PM E-DRIVE initiative. This marks the first time the Government of India has extended direct support for electric trucks, aiming to accelerate the country's transition to clean, efficient, and sustainable freight mobility.
Assam Approves 'Gajah Mitra' Scheme to Tackle Human-Elephant Conflict
The Assam Cabinet approved the 'Gajah Mitra' scheme to combat the human-elephant conflict in the state. The scheme will focus on sustainable habitats for elephants in 80 conflict-prone areas, including planting bamboo and Napier grass - key components of an elephant's diet.
In addition to maintaining food stocks for elephants, the cabinet announced that rapid response teams will be deployed in the contentious zones to help villagers use harmless means to divert elephant herds away from the human settlements.