MEIS scheme amendment: numerous HS lines assigned new market designations; landing certificate removed and separate applications required.
Amendments to MEIS Table 2 add market designations against numerous ITC(HS) code lines and adjust reward rates by country group; exporters must file separate applications for exports before and after the notice, and Landing Certificate submission is no longer required for lines that previously required proof of landing.

EDI Helpdesk contact update: revised helpdesk number and designated EDI and departmental contact points are provided.
Amendment revises the EDI Helpdesk Number and E-mail ID, provides the toll free helpdesk number and EDI helpdesk email, and lists designated EDI Section officers with board numbers, extensions, and email addresses. It further identifies senior departmental contacts with direct and board numbers, extensions, and email addresses to be contacted if EDI Section queries remain unresolved.

Export house recognition requirements expanded: amended ANF 3C mandates online filing, multi year export data and specified declarations.
Amendment updates ANF 3C for online filing of the Grant of Status Certificate to require applicant details, selection of export house category, and detailed multi year schedules of exports, deemed exports and foreign exchange earned by services with prescribed currency conversion, single counting for double weightage shipments, supporting document upload, applicant declarations regarding penal history and realization of proceeds, and an independent CA/ICWA/CS certificate with Formats A-D to verify and compute eligible export values.

Deemed foreign exchange receipts: specified rupee paid maritime services now count toward EPCG export obligation discharge.
Payments received in Indian Rupees for specified maritime and port services rendered in customs notified areas to foreign liners or their agents, or payments that would otherwise have been received in foreign exchange but paid in rupees out of amounts remittable to overseas principals or buyers, are deemed to be received in foreign exchange and shall be counted towards discharge of export obligation under the EPCG scheme from 1 April 2015; coastal/inland vessel charges and coastal cargo related charges are excluded.

IEC online filing requirement: applications must be submitted with digital signature to central DGFT server; regional offices cannot intervene.
Applications for issuance or modification of Importer Exporter Code (IEC) must be filed exclusively through the centralized online portal with a digital signature to the DGFT New Delhi server; Pune JDGFT cannot access or intervene until the application is successfully submitted. Technical issues during filing-such as token generation, digital key submission, record updates, or attachment uploads-must be raised with the DGFT EDI Helpdesk in New Delhi, which the notice identifies by toll free number and EDI contact details for escalation.

Track and Trace: exporters may follow importing country mandates and seek barcode exemption via Pharmexcil, subject to tertiary packaging barcode rule.
Exporters may follow an importing country's mandated packaging or identification requirements instead of certain Indian bar coding stipulations, and may apply to Pharmexcil for exemption from the Government of India's bar coding requirement; Pharmexcil will decide applications case by case with prior Government approval. Notwithstanding any exemption, tertiary level packaging must include additional barcode printing as required by Para 2(i)(c). All other terms of the earlier Public Notice remain unchanged.

ILC registration deadline extension allows late registration for pre-notification letters of credit with prescribed ANF-2D and fee.
Under the FTP hardship mechanism, the Directorate relaxed the registration of ILCs within 15 days requirement for importers who finalised ILCs before the notification date and allowed these importers to register with their jurisdictional Regional Authorities by 30 April 2016 upon submission of ANF-2D with the prescribed fee.

MEIS eligibility: Tamarind Kernel Powder is classified under 13023290 and not eligible for MEIS benefits.
Clarification that Tamarind Kernel Powder is classifiable under ITC(HS) Code 13023290 and is not eligible for MEIS benefits; Regional Authorities and Customs are directed not to grant MEIS on this product and to review and recover any wrongly allowed benefits.

Pre-shipment inspection recognition: new agencies added to FTP appendix granted limited-term certification under HBP provisions.
Nine Pre Shipment Inspection Agencies have been added to the Foreign Trade Policy list of recognised PSIAs and authorised to issue Pre Shipment Inspection Certificates under the Policy framework. Recognition is granted for a three year period from the date of the Public Notice pursuant to the Handbook of Procedures provision. An annexure specifies approved models of spectrometers and survey meters, with make, model, serial numbers and calibration/purchase dates, linked to the recognised agencies for technical compliance in issuing inspection certificates.

Liquid glucose classification as sugar renders it ineligible for Focus Market Scheme duty credit benefits.
Liquid glucose is classified within the Harmonized System sugar heading and is therefore treated as "Sugar"; consequently, exports of liquid glucose are not eligible for Duty Credit Scrip benefits under the Focus Market Scheme of the Foreign Trade Policy. This clarification excludes all items falling under that HS sugar heading from FMS benefits.

Open House meetings: weekly stakeholder forum for office-level procedural issues with advance proforma submission required.
Open House Meetings will be held weekly on Wednesdays (except public holidays) at the CLA office to address procedural issues within the office's jurisdiction. Participation is restricted to one representative per applicant; issues must be submitted in advance by email in the prescribed proforma. Submissions received by Monday 5:00 pm will be considered at the following Wednesday meeting. Delay-in-disposal complaints will be taken up only after the time limit set out in paragraph 9.10 of the Handbook of Procedures (2015-20) has expired.

Textile specification tolerance allows limited flexibility in fabric GSM and blended fabric count, avoiding norm amendments for authorisations.
The amendment authorises tolerances in textile imports/exports by allowing flexibility in fabric GSM and in blended fabric Count, and it provides that where blended fabric Count variation is within the authorised tolerance, existing norms (SION/Ad-hoc) against Advance Authorisation/Duty Free Import Authorisation will not require amendment.

Open house for applicants provides weekly in-person access to officers to address pending trade-related concerns promptly.
An open house session will be held weekly on Wednesdays between 3.00 PM and 4.00 PM in the RA office Conference Room where officers will be physically available to receive and address applicants' concerns; this facility supplements the existing open interview process and is invited for use by trade and industry members.

Weekly Open House to address pending DGFT applications; submit issues by Tuesday via designated email for review.
Establishment of a Weekly Open House provides a recurring forum for applicants to raise pending DGFT issues; sessions are held Wednesdays 2.30-3.30 p.m. at the conference hall, and applicants must submit complete details and participant names/designations by Tuesday evening to [email protected] with CC to [email protected] for coordination.

IEC and EDI contact procedure updated: designated official email channels established for pending applications and technical transmission issues.
Two designated official email channels have been established: one for queries on pending IEC applications and modifications filed with the regional office, and another for technical faults, online module problems and transmission issues affecting EDI submissions; applicants should use their official organizational email addresses and may use the general contact channel for other matters.

Trade facilitation measures: encourages paperless communication while preserving applicants' right to personal meetings and weekly open houses.
Trade facilitation measures encourage IT-enabled, paperless communication to improve efficiency, integrity and transparency while retaining reception-based documentary submissions and the right to personal meetings. Applicants shall not be denied meetings; senior-most available officers should meet them if senior officers are absent. The measures do not limit procedural rights in foreign trade adjudicatory proceedings. Regional Authorities must institute a weekly open house for applicants on Wednesdays, ensure designated officers address concerns, and implement the arrangements in the spirit of upright, fair and transparent office conduct.

Authorization to issue Certificate of Origin expanded to Textile Committee, enabling preferential origin certification for textiles under several trade agreements.
The Director General of Foreign Trade authorises the Textile Committee to be included in Appendix 2 B as an agency competent to issue Certificate of Origin (Preferential) for textiles and made ups under eleven specified FTAs/PTAs, alongside existing agencies such as the Export Inspection Council and MPEDA.

Net content certification required: exported goods must bear Customs/Excise certified input content and matching technical specifications.
Advance authorizations with accountability conditions require export documents to declare the net content of inputs present in the exported product, certified by Customs or Central Excise at the time of export; nexus requires matching type and technical specifications between import and export documents. Where inputs or exported products are of lesser strength than the SION default, that must be declared so Customs can accept or test; supplier test reports are not acceptable, while limited self-tested lab report acceptance for certain ISO export units is confined to exports and governed by the stated CBEC circular.

Reconstitution of Board of Trade establishes an advisory body to guide trade policy and review export measures.
Reconstitution of the Board of Trade creates an advisory body under the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-2020 to advise the Government on measures to increase exports, review sectoral performance and constraints, examine and streamline institutional frameworks and policy instruments for imports and exports, and address issues affecting international competitiveness. The Board is chaired by the Minister of Commerce & Industry and comprises named non official members, a broad roster of ex officio industry representatives, senior official members from relevant ministries and institutions, with the Director General of Foreign Trade as Member Secretary.

Tariff Rate Quota allocation: additional raw cane sugar quantity made available for export to USA under free TRQ conditions.
An additional quantity of raw cane sugar is allocated for export to the United States under the Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) from the non-levy (Free Sale) quota and remains subject to the TRQ's 'Free' status and the notified "Nature of Restrictions." Required Certificates of Origin shall be issued by the Additional Director General of Foreign Trade, Mumbai, and applicable reporting and certification requirements under the governing notification continue to apply.