Govt ends monopoly in coal mining, ups FDI limit in defence manufacturing

The government will put up six more airports for auction and "ease" restrictions on Indian air space, says Nirmala Sitharaman.

The government will end its monopoly in coal mining by allowing private companies and raise the limit for foreign investment in defence manufacturing without regulatory approval from 49 per cent to 74 per cent, said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday.

"India won’t look inwards and won’t be self-isolationist as it tries to be self-reliant," she said as she listed "structural reforms" for eight sectors, namely coal, minerals, defence production, civil aviation, power distribution in Union Territories, space research and atomic energy.

Mining and defence manufacturing reforms

Sitharaman said the government would end its monopoly in coal mining by allowing