Addition of Rough Marble Blocks/Slabs to Para 4.7 expands goods classified within the Handbook of Procedures.
Amendment adds Rough Marble Blocks/ Slabs as item vii to Para 4.7 of the Handbook of Procedures (Vol.1), 2009-14 by Public Notice issued under powers vested in the Foreign Trade Policy, thereby formally classifying those products within the paragraph's list of goods.

Applications Supported by Blocked Amount (ASBA) secures subscription funds in bank accounts until allotment, with defined SCSB and registrar procedures.
ASBA requires application money to be blocked in the investor's bank account until allotment finalisation or valid withdrawal/rejection. SCSBs must block funds on receipt of physical or electronic ASBAs, upload application data to the stock exchanges' electronic bidding systems, provide acknowledgements, and unblock or transfer funds only on reconciled instructions from the Registrar after allotment or on withdrawal/failure. Registrars reconcile exchange and SCSB data, validate DP ID/Client ID/PAN, finalise allotment, and instruct SCSBs to effect unblocking/transfers within specified timelines. Intermediary roles, liability for omissions, record keeping and certification requirements for SCSBs are prescribed.

Delegation of powers to authorised banks allows local processing of foreign branch and liaison office compliance and closures.
Designated Authorised Dealer Category-I banks are empowered to receive and scrutinise Form FNC applications and Annual Activity Certificates for foreign Branch and Liaison Offices (excluding banking and insurance entities), perform due diligence and KYC, extend LO validity where conditions are met (excluding specified sectors), and manage closure formalities and remittance of winding-up proceeds upon obtaining prescribed documents, while quoting the Unique Identification Number and reporting actions to the Reserve Bank; matters outside delegated scope remain to be referred to the Reserve Bank.

Branch and Liaison Office eligibility: prior Reserve Bank approval required with prescribed documentation and due diligence.
Prior Reserve Bank approval is required for establishment of a Branch Office or Liaison Office in India, considered under the Reserve Bank Route (sectors permitting 100% FDI under automatic route) or the Government Route (sectors not permitting 100% FDI automatically). Applications must be submitted in Form FNC through a designated AD Category I bank which must perform due diligence and forward recommendations. Additional criteria include prescribed track record and minimum net worth, with Letter of Comfort permitted from parent companies. A Unique Identification Number will be allotted and BOs/LOs must obtain PAN and comply with prescribed procedural, activity, extension and winding-up requirements.

Health warning requirement on tobacco packaging enforces import and sale compliance including duty free distribution.
Customs must enforce the Packaging and Labelling Rules for imported cigarettes and tobacco products: every consumer pack must display the specified health warning, including pictorial representation and health message, occupying at least 40% of the front principal display area, positioned parallel to the top edge and in the same direction as principal display information; import clearance and duty free sales are subject to these mandatory labeling requirements under the import policy.

Kimberley Process Certification Scheme: semi cut diamonds require KPCS certification and compliance for imports and exports.
Semi-cut diamonds remain subject to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme: minor polishing that produces only a few small facets does not remove a stone from KPCS coverage, and imports or exports of semi-cut diamonds must be accompanied by the required KPCS certificate. Trade/Public Notices should be issued to publicise this obligation and any implementation difficulties reported to the central export promotion authority.

EEFC Account eligibility clarified: SEZ developers can credit full foreign exchange earnings to EEFC accounts under FEMA directions.
Persons resident in India may open, hold and maintain an Exchange Earner's Foreign Currency (EEFC) Account with an Authorised Dealer, and all categories of foreign exchange earners, including Special Economic Zone developers, may credit the full extent of their foreign exchange earnings specified in the Schedule to their EEFC Account; Authorised Dealer Category I banks should allow such accounts and notify constituents, pursuant to FEMA directions and subject to other legal permissions.

EEFC Account eligibility confirmed for SEZ developers; banks may permit and credit full foreign exchange earnings.
Clarification that Exchange Earner's Foreign Currency (EEFC) Account eligibility extends to Special Economic Zone developers, permitting them to open, hold and maintain EEFC Accounts with Authorised Dealer Category I banks and to credit up to 100 percent of their foreign exchange earnings as specified in the Schedule to the relevant FEMA notification, with banks instructed to inform their constituents.

Advance remittance allowed for rough diamond imports from specified mining companies without bank guarantees or limits.
Authorised Dealer Category I banks may accept advance remittance without limit and without bank guarantee or standby letter of credit for import of rough diamonds from the named mining companies, now including Namibia Diamond Trading Company (PTY) Ltd, subject to the existing terms, conditions and reporting requirements set out in A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No.34 dated March 2, 2007.

Rummaging and search powers: customs may board and search arriving vessels with prior intimation and supervised procedures.
Constitution of a Rummaging & Intelligence (R&I) Cell creates a round the clock customs search unit; shipping stakeholders must give advance notice of vessel arrivals to enable formation of a Customs Search Party. Officers have legal access to all parts of a vessel and may break open obstructed spaces, but searches must minimize loss or annoyance, be supervised by a Superintendent, and avoid vital ship areas or private quarters except in specified circumstances and in presence of occupants.

Area based exemption applies where manufacture and peripheral activities occur in specified areas, including when job workers perform peripheral tasks.
The area based exemption applies where both manufacture of the main product and the peripheral activities identified by the notifications are undertaken within the specified areas in Uttarakhand or Himachal Pradesh. This includes cases where the peripheral activity is carried out solely by job workers situated in the specified areas, provided the main manufacture and the peripheral operation both occur within those areas.

Certification authority designated: Export Inspection Council authorised to issue origin and trade-preference certificates under specified trade agreements.
Amendment to Appendix 4D of the Handbook (Vol. I) designates the Export Inspection Council, through its field offices known as Export Inspection Agencies (57 offices), as the authority authorised to issue certifications for the Global System of Trade Preferences, India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement, certificates of origin under the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement, and the India-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, made under paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2009-2014.

Delivery period flexibility for interest rate futures enables exchanges to set delivery windows within the delivery month.
Permits Recognized Stock Exchanges to set any period during the delivery month as the delivery period for deliverable grade securities in exchange traded interest rate futures, issued under the regulator's statutory powers to protect investors and promote and regulate the securities market.

Certificate of lower deduction under Section 197 now requires prior administrative approval by CIT(TDS) before issuance.
Certificates for lower or nil deduction of tax at source must not be issued indiscriminately; issuance power is ordinarily exercised by TDS administration officers, and where the cumulative tax foregone for an assessee in a financial year exceeds prescribed thresholds, prior administrative approval of the Commissioner (TDS) is required and a copy of that approval must be endorsed to the jurisdictional Commissioner.

Tax deduction at source on travel agent commissions required; default triggers mandatory interest under the law.
Section 194H requires deduction of tax at source on commission or brokerage, encompassing commissions and supplementary commissions received by travel agents from airlines; the taxable amount includes the difference between the airfare fixed by airlines and the price at which agents sell tickets. Failure to deduct TDS on such commissions incurs statutory consequences for default, including mandatory interest for non-deduction or delayed deduction.

Pure agent exclusion clarified: reimbursable third party charges excluded from CHA taxable value when strict conditions are met.
Exclusion of reimbursable third party charges from the taxable value of CHA services is allowed only where specific conditions are satisfied: the charge is for activities additional to core CHA services; an authorising arrangement exists allowing the CHA to procure and pay for such services on the customer's behalf; the CHA does not benefit from those services; reimbursements are recovered without mark up (any mark up mandates inclusion of the entire charge); evidential nexus between the reimbursed amount and the third party service is produced; each activity is separately invoiced or separately itemised; and miscellaneous out of pocket expenses are includable.

Brand rate drawback: submit brand-rate letters promptly or pending claims risk processing at zero rate without prejudice.
Non receipt of brand rate letters has caused large pendency of drawback claims. Brand rate applications must be filed within 60 days of Let Export Order (extendable 30 days); verification by the Deputy Commissioner within 15 days; brand rates fixed within 10 days of verification and processed under prescribed approval limits. Supplementary claims must be filed within three months of brand rate communication (extendable nine months). Exporters are directed to obtain and submit brand rate letters and requisite documents or face processing of pending brand rate claims at zero rate, with the ability to file supplementary claims within the stipulated period.

Quality assessment monitoring under section 144A: mandatory case selection, supervisory directions, and annual benchmarking for assessment quality.
Scheme requires Range Heads, in consultation with Assessing Officers, to jointly identify specified pending scrutiny cases at the start of each year for monitoring; Range Heads must issue directions under section 144A, endorse copies to the CIT, monitor progress, and receive completed assessment orders. CCITs shall set and circulate parameters defining a quality assessment-focusing on issue identification, factual investigation, opportunity to the assessee, evidence analysis, legal interpretation, and substantial additions-and evaluate completed assessments annually using a prescribed proforma with performance rankings and recognition mechanisms.

Export permission for edible oil in branded consumer packs allowed subject to port restrictions and weekly reporting requirements.
Export of edible oils is permitted in branded consumer packs not exceeding 5 kg per pack, subject to an aggregate ceiling of 10,000 tons for the licence period and restricted to shipments from Customs EDI-enabled ports. Weekly reports stating quantities (in kilograms), values (in local currency) and ITC (HS) codes must be submitted by Customs and the government statistical agency to the central trade authority to monitor compliance with the ceiling.

Line of credit conditions govern export financing, sourcing requirements, L/C timelines, reporting and commission remittance rules.
Establishes terms for an Exim Bank Line of Credit to Djibouti financing eligible exports from India, requiring at least 85 percent Indian supply and permitting up to 15 percent foreign procurement (excluding consultancy). The Credit Agreement fixes timelines for opening Letters of Credit and disbursements for project and supply contracts, mandates GR/SDF declaration of shipments, and prescribes that no agency commission is payable under the LOC while allowing exporter-funded commission payments from own resources or EEFC balances subject to AD Category I bank compliance and FEMA directions.