A May 8, 2026 office memorandum from India’s Department of Expenditure directs central ministries and agencies to link procurement with Labour Code protections. The move operationalises worker safeguards while raising the stakes for contractors. Firms that miss timely wage and social security contributions could face strict enforcement actions, including debarment and blacklisting, affecting future government contracts.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal reviewed measures to strengthen India’s exports, stressing better implementation, coordination, and monitoring. The plan prioritises MSMEs and agricultural exports while upgrading the Government e-Marketplace to enable transparent public procurement. The effort targets wider participation from MSMEs, startups, and women entrepreneurs to support broader growth and competitiveness.
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The White House is reportedly drafting guidance that could let U.S. federal agencies sidestep Anthropic’s supply-chain risk designation when onboarding new AI models. Axios says the move could affect upcoming systems, including Anthropic’s “Mythos,” potentially changing how the government evaluates and approves certain high-risk AI suppliers.
Across Europe, governments are accelerating plans to rely less on American software providers and more on “sovereign” alternatives. The push blends data sovereignty, supply-chain risk concerns, and demands for stricter security assurances. While the goal is independence, officials must navigate interoperability, cost, and time—making the transition as political as it is technical.
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