Amendments to reward/incentive schemes expand eligible export items, adjust admissible rates and add focus markets under the policy.
Amendments revise the Reward/Incentive Schemes in Appendices 37A, 37C and 37D of the Handbook of Procedures by deleting specified castor oil items, adding multiple agricultural, food, chemical, pharmaceutical, textile, engineering and rubber products into VKGUY and Focus Product Scheme tables with specified admissible or bonus rates, and expanding Market Linked Focus Product and Focus Market listings to include additional product-country pairings and markets, effective for exports made from 01.01.2013.

Incremental Exports Incentivisation: procedural rules require ANF 3F filing, non transferability, realisation basis benefits, and proof of landing.
Procedure requires applications for the Incremental Export Incentive Scheme to be filed with the Regional Authority in ANF 3F; export performance is non-transferable; benefits are admissible on a realisation basis with filing permitted after realisation commencement; filing deadlines and late cut provisions follow existing Handbook rules; incremental growth must be in freely convertible currency to designated markets and proof of landing must meet the Handbook's applicable requirements.

Re-fixation of export obligation allowed after sectoral export decline; regional offices must consider policy circulars pre-demand notice.
Para 5.11.2 permits re-fixation of the Annual Average Export Obligation when a sector or product group records a qualifying decline in exports; DGFT has issued successive policy circulars applying this relief, and Regional Authorities must consider those circulars before issuing demand notices and include the requirement in the EODC check-sheet.

Re-fixation of Export Obligation permitted where sectoral exports decline, prompting EPCG authorisation amendments and administrative checks.
Regional Authorities must re-fix the annual average Export Obligation for EPCG authorisations for 2011-12 where product groups showed qualifying export declines; reductions must be endorsed in RA licence files and reflected in Amendment Sheets. Regional Offices shall consider prior policy circulars under Para 5.11.2 before issuing demand notices and must include this review as part of the EODC check-sheet. An enclosed list identifies the product groups with export declines.

Import item description amendment expands permitted terminology for Polyacetal Resin to enhance procurement flexibility in international trade.
The import description for Import Item No. 1 in SION No. H 471 is amended from 'Polyacetal Resin (Fluff)' to "Polyacetal Resin (Fluff)/Acetal Resin/Polyacetal Resin/Polyacetal" under Paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy; the export product description, other import items and permitted quantities remain unchanged, and the change is intended to provide exporters flexibility in procuring the input under varied international terminology.

Registration of sugar export contracts remains subject to existing conditions; mills must notify the authority by email after supply.
Exporters must obtain Registration Certificates under the existing policy framework; the conditions and modalities in Policy Circular No. 62, as modified by Policy Circular No. 63, remain operative. Sugar mills supplying sugar to registered contract holders must intimate the designated authority by email immediately after each supply to an RC holder, and this email-notification obligation is mandatory for compliance with export registration procedures.

CXL concession sugar allocation enables exports to EU subject to certificate of origin and EUR endorsement.
A national allocation of white sugar for export to the EU under CXL Concessions Sugar is made for October 2012-September 2013. Exports require a certificate of origin as a condition for release for free circulation in the EU; EUR and GSP documents must include prescribed wording. The Additional Director General of Foreign Trade, Mumbai will issue the GSP Certificate and Certificate of Origin, and Customs at the port of shipment must endorse the EUR Form.

Pre Shipment Inspection Agencies updated: six agencies added and five agencies' operational regions expanded.
Director General of Foreign Trade amends Appendix 5 of the Handbook of Procedures (Vol. I) to add six new Pre Shipment Inspection Agencies (Geo Chem Middle East; Salamax 1894 (Pty) Ltd.; National Marine Consultants Inc.; Marine Inspection and Logistics International Rotterdam BV; Valueguru Chartered Engineers and Valuers Pvt. Ltd.; New India Shipping Corporation) with specified areas of operation, and to amend the area/region of operation entries for five existing PSIAs (A/S Baltic Control Ltd., Nectar Inspection Services LLC, Geo Chem Far East Pte. Ltd., Worldwide Inspection Services Pvt. Ltd., Asia Globe Trade Ltd.), the amendments taking immediate effect.

Certificate of Origin - Non-Preferential: authorization added for two agencies to issue such certificates under Foreign Trade Policy.
Two trade bodies are authorized to issue Non Preferential Certificates of Origin under paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2009-2014; their names and contact details are added to the official list of agencies authorised to issue such certificates in the Handbook of Procedures Vol. I, updating the regional appendix and enabling them to perform certification for exporters in their regions.

Declaration of intent requirement for newly included products or markets allows a short grace period to update free shipping bills.
The amendment to Para 3.11.8(c) requires that when a decision during the year adds a new product or market, exporters have a grace period of one month from the date of decision/notification/public notice to declare intent on free shipping bills; after that period all exports of such products or to such markets must include the declaration, while exports made prior to the decision/notification/public notice need not include the declaration. The phrase 'subsequently/later' is replaced by 'during the year'.

SION addition for Lead Free Powder CuSn8Ni1 establishes permitted import inputs and quantities linked to specified export quantity.
Addition of SION C-2056 for Lead Free Powder CuSn8Ni1 prescribes an export quantity of 100 Kg and allowable import inputs per consignment: Copper (ingot or scrap) 92.82 Kg or 94.64 Kg; Tin (ingot or scrap) 8.13 Kg or 8.29 Kg; Nickel (ingot or scrap) 1.05 Kg or 1.07 Kg.

Input-output norms for sodium silicate revised to specify separate soda ash requirements for liquid and solid forms.
Amendment to SION A-1189 prescribes separate Input-Output Norms for sodium silicate by form: a specific soda ash input requirement for the liquid form and a separate soda ash input requirement for solid forms (lumps/crystals/soluble glass), thereby clarifying and making the SION specific by physical form.

Modification of SIONs clarifies input allowances and adds product-specific engineering tables for coated steel export compliance.
Modification of SION C-469 revises input composition and measurement for cold rolled galvanised colour coated non-alloy steel exports, specifying coating thickness ranges and tying input allowances to new Engineering Tables 1A-1C. Two new SIONs (C-2054 and C-2055) prescribe analogous substrate alternatives, conversion multipliers and ancillary input conditions. Engineering Table 1 is replaced by Engineering Tables 1A-1G which map product thickness and coating classes to precise input quantities for paints, guard film, substrate content and alloy/zinc requirements, and notes condition several import items on the form of imported substrate.

E-BRC filing: manual upload requirement enables Chapter three benefit claims when electronic shipping bills unavailable.
Applicants must manually enter shipping bill and export item details and attach or record BRC information in the DGFT SB Repository when electronic shipping bill data are unavailable, then select those repository entries in the Chapter Three application and populate scheme, appendix table, ITCHS code and item serial number to enable automatic entitlement calculation.

EPCG authorization compliance updated: ANF 5B now requires import completion details, CA declaration and original authorizations.
ANF 5B is amended to add an entry 10A for Bill of Entry details (BE number, BE date, duty paid, duty saved); replace the installation-certificate entry with "Date of Installation of capital goods"; revise notes to table 15 excluding certain exports; delete a parenthetical phrase in Sl.2; add a Chartered Accountant/Cost Accountant declaration certifying FIRCs checked and that payments are for export of services for EPCG EO fulfilment; require documents except those filed with ANF 5A and submission of original EPCG authorization(s).

TED refund claim by recipient permitted on supplier disclaimer, subject to prescribed declarations, ANF 8 application and annexure formats.
Amendment permits recipient of goods to claim TED refund on production of a supplier's disclaimer in Annexure IV of ANF 8; applications for drawback/TED must be made in ANF 8 by supplier offices with branch/manufacturing units furnishing self certified RCMC, recipients must furnish a non availment of CENVAT declaration in Annexure II, and either supplier or recipient may claim TED refund provided the prescribed disclaimer or declaration is produced.

Indo-Myanmar border trade: expansion of permitted commodities to include a consolidated list enabling cross-border local trade.
Permits import and export of a consolidated list of sixty-two commodities by persons living on both sides of the Indo-Myanmar border according to prevailing customary practice; supersedes earlier public notices and revises operational arrangements to add twenty-two specified new items to the existing tradable goods schedule.

Bank guarantee and LUT execution: BG to be executed by surety bank; LUT by exporter or importer.
The amendment requires that Bank Guarantees and Legal Agreements (LUT) be executed on non judicial stamp paper for amounts prescribed under the applicable State Stamp Act or the Indian Stamp Act. It clarifies that Bank Guarantees must be executed by the surety bank (guarantor) and LUTs by the exporter or importer, and deletes the "BG/" prefix in specified guidance notes so only "LUT" remains.

Pre-scrutiny of TED/DBK claims reinstated; applicants must submit at R&I Counter and collect within deadline.
Pre-scrutiny for TED/DBK claims is reinstated; applications must be submitted at the R & I Counter during prescribed timings, with the office completing pre-scrutiny within seven working days. Applicants must collect their applications and any deficient documents within fifteen days of submission or the office will send the application back by post, potentially causing postal delay.

Target date for authorizations established; specified disposal timelines enable predictable processing and escalation for delays.
The notice institutes a target date regime under the Handbook of Procedures requiring the office to record prescribed disposal timelines on receipts for various authorisations, amendments, revalidations, redemptions and related actions so trade can plan; distinct timeframes are specified by category and a refund timeline is set for deemed exports from receipt of a complete application.