Prescribed visiting hours for trade meetings set between 3 P.M. and 5 P.M.; prior appointments and agenda requested.
Prescribed visiting hours between 3 P.M. - 5 P.M. each working day are designated for meetings of non-officials and Members of Trade with officers at DGFT Headquarters; visitors may seek meetings with authorised officers during these hours but are encouraged to fix prior appointments and specify issues in advance to enable officer preparation and avoid unnecessary waiting. The arrangement applies only to DGFT Headquarters and regional authorities are advised to issue similar notices as per local convenience.

Mode of Deposit of Application Fees restored: demand drafts accepted; prescribed bank receipts and submission of two copies required.
The facility to accept Demand Drafts for application fees, penalties and other fees is restored by amending Appendix 2K. Fees may be deposited by Demand Draft in favour of the Head of the concerned DGFT Regional Office, or by cash/cheque for a Treasury Receipt Challan in an authorised Central Bank of India branch with the prescribed head of accounts and Bank Receipt showing the Department and Pay & Accounts Officer station. Deposit with Indian Missions abroad is permitted and applicants must submit two copies of the Bank Receipt as proof.

Abeyance of new export provisions preserves prior Pre Shipment Inspection Certificate issuance process under transitional authority.
The Director General of Foreign Trade keeps para 2.55 and para 2.56 of the Handbook of Procedures, 2015-20 in abeyance under paragraph 2.04 of the Foreign Trade Policy to facilitate transitional arrangements; meanwhile, issuance of the Pre Shipment Inspection Certificate (PSIC) shall continue to follow the procedure in para 2.32.2A and 2.32.2B of the Handbook of Procedure Vol. I, 2009-14 until further orders.

Track and Trace system mandates standardized barcodes and central data upload for exported pharmaceutical packaging to ensure traceability.
Manufacturers exporting pharmaceutical formulations must apply standardized barcodes at secondary and tertiary packaging and maintain parent-child packaging data, uploading prescribed data to a central government portal prior to release. Primary packs require human-readable GTIN, batch, expiry and serial information with barcode labelling initially exempted. Manufacturers or designated agencies are responsible for accuracy, completeness and timely upload. Transitional exemptions apply for consignments manufactured before the implementation date, and importing-country barcode mandates are permissible with licensing permission but do not negate domestic tertiary barcode requirements.

Services exports eligibility under SEIS links specified CPC-coded services to prescribed reward rates and policy conditions.
Notification under paragraph 2.04 of the Foreign Trade Policy establishes the Schedule (Appendix 3D) for the Services Exports from India Scheme (SEIS), specifying eligible services, Central Product Classification codes and admissible reward rates as percentages of net foreign exchange earnings for services rendered from April 1, 2015; the list and rates apply through 30 September 2015 subject to review. Rewards are subject to conditions in the Foreign Trade Policy and Handbook of Procedures; educational services exclude capitation fees and certain maritime rewards are limited to operations from India by Indian-flag carriers.

Merchandise Exports from India Scheme: Appendix 3B notifies country groups and HS code wise MEIS reward rates effective April 1, 2015.
Notification under paragraph 2.04 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-2020 notifies Appendix 3B to implement the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS), effective April 1, 2015. Appendix 3B contains Table 1 (Country Groups A, B, C, with a residual rule treating unlisted countries as Group C) and Table 2 (ITC(HS) code wise product descriptions with MEIS reward rates for each country group), establishing the operative destination classifications and HS code reward percentages for exporter entitlement.

Notification of Handbook of Procedures: FTP Handbook, Appendices and Aayat Niryat Forms notified, effective from 1 April 2015.
The Handbook of Procedures (Volume 1), its Appendices and the Aayat Niryat Forms are formally notified under paragraph 1.03 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2015-2020 and are brought into legal effect from 1 April 2015 as the procedural framework governing export-import operations under that Policy.

Pre-shipment inspection agency delisting removes recognition and prohibits issuance of pre-shipment inspection certificates by the agency.
A Pre-Shipment Inspection Agency's recognition was cancelled following allegations of mis-declaration and concealment in its application; consequently the Directorate exercised powers under the Foreign Trade Policy to amend Appendix 5 by deleting the agency's entry and rendering it ineligible to issue Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificates.

Agri-Infrastructure Incentive Scrip: defective applications must be rectified by the specified deadline or face summary rejection.
Submission and rectification requirements for Agri-Infrastructure Incentive Scrip applications filed for the half year October 2013-March 2014: applicants with notified deficiencies must cure them within the prescribed timeframe or their applications will be summarily rejected and no further correspondence will be entertained.

Single PAN single IEC requirement: additional IECs will be deactivated unless holders surrender extra IECs to authorities.
Only one IEC shall be issued against a single PAN. Where multiple IECs exist for one PAN, excess IECs will be deactivated suo moto after the compliance date, and holders may retain one IEC while surrendering others to the concerned Regional Authorities for cancellation within the prescribed timeframe to regularise records and maintain data integrity.

VKGUY benefit eligibility clarified: product descriptions determine entitlement, irrespective of HS codes, for the specified export period.
Amendment to Appendix 37A revises ITC HS codes for specified VKGUY items and reassigns Tamarind Kernel Powder to a new entry. Affected items retain previously notified incentive rates. For exports between 25 February 2014 and the date of this Public Notice, VKGUY benefits shall be admissible based on product description per Public Notice No. 52 irrespective of the ITC (HS) code in shipping bills; that intervening period will not be counted for late cut calculation and the date of this Public Notice will be deemed the date of export.

Application fee correction for online IEC: regulatory corrigendum reduces the stated online IEC application fee under trade policy.
The Director General of Foreign Trade, under paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy (2009-2014), issues a corrigendum to Public Notice No.79/(RE-2013)/2009-2014 clarifying that the application fee for online IEC applications should be read as Rs. 250 instead of Rs. 500, and directs that the corrected fee figure be applied to online IEC processing.

Electronic Importer-Exporter Code: new electronic format issued on online application with system-generated SMS and email notification.
A new electronic format for the Importer-Exporter Code (e-IEC) is introduced as Appendix 18B-1 for IECs issued on the basis of complete online applications, while the existing format remains for physically issued IECs. Regional Authorities will process online applications and notify grant or refusal by system-generated SMS and by sending the e-IEC certificate or rejection letter to the applicant's registered email. The e-IEC is a computer-generated certificate with specified fields and an online verification facility; holders must update changes in name, address or constitution within the prescribed period to retain import/export eligibility.

Online IEC applications are to be processed via notified net banking banks; manual filing remains available for others.
Operationalisation of mandatory online applications for Importer Exporter Code (IEC) is notified; applicants with net banking access through ten specified banks must apply online in the prescribed format, while applicants without such access may continue submitting manual IEC applications in physical form using the existing ANF 2A format and procedure until further notice.

IEC application verification requires documentary and online PAN/DIN checks; all positive checks generate e-IEC, negatives prompt rejection.
Regional Authorities must verify applicant signatory and entity details against uploaded identity and PAN documents and cross-check PAN and corporate data with Income Tax and Ministry of Corporate Affairs online services; address and bank particulars must be validated by recent utility/registration documents and cancelled cheque/bank certificate. Applications with all checklist items affirmed result in e-IEC generation and notification; any negative checklist item results in rejection with an emailed reasoned rejection, and rejected applicants may reapply upon payment of fees.

EPCG authorizations: annual export obligations to be re-fixed where sector exports fell over 5%, per DGFT circular.
Regional Authorities must re fix Annual Average Export Obligations for EPCG authorisations for 2013 14 where sector/product exports declined over 5% (2013 14 v. 2012 13) as per Para 5.11.2 HBP v1; reductions must be endorsed in licence files and reflected in amendment sheets, and prior Para 5.11.2 circulars must be considered before issuing demand notices, with the requirement included in the EODC check sheet.

Focus Product Scheme product description corrected: cornmint and dementholised peppermint oil spellings revised in Appendix 37 D.
The Director General of Foreign Trade, under powers conferred by the Foreign Trade Policy, corrects typographical errors in Appendix 37 D Table I of the Focus Product Scheme by revising the product description for the FPS entry at serial number 777 (HS code 33012590), substituting the corrected terms "Cornmint Oil" and "Dementholised Peppermint Oil"; the amendment is issued as a corrigendum to Public Notice No. 52 and applies to the notified Appendix 37 D entry.

Export obligation period reduced for natural rubber under Advance Authorization/DFIA, imposing a shortened compliance timeframe.
The amendment to Appendix 30A adds Natural Rubber as a specified input for Advance Authorization and DFIA schemes and fixes the Export Obligation Period measured from the date of clearance of each import consignment by the customs authority. Where Natural Rubber is allowed as an input under these schemes, the export obligation period is reduced to six months from the date of customs clearance, and the change takes immediate effect.

Import allocation restrictions for rough marble require authorised importers to report monthly and face penalties for misrepresentation.
Allocation of import quantities of Rough Marble and Travertine Blocks for FY 2014-15 distributes eight lakh metric tonnes among 472 applicants; Regional Authorities will issue import authorisations from 9th to 15th January 2015. Applicants making false declarations face forfeiture of allocation, debarment from future allocations, and statutory penal liability. Authorisation holders must file monthly import returns with the relevant Regional Authority by the 15th day of the succeeding month, as a mandatory compliance requirement under the governing notification.

Operational postponement of online IEC applications; applicants must continue submitting paper IEC applications with required documents and fees to RAs.
Postponement of operationalisation of Public Notice No. 76 defers the mandated online IEC submission; until a new date is notified, applicants must submit IEC Application Forms, supporting documents and the prescribed fee to the concerned jurisdictional Regional Authorities following the procedure that existed prior to the intended online rollout.