Anti profiteering complaints process for GST: file APAF 1 with evidence; state screening, DG investigation, NAA remedies.
Suppliers must pass on GST rate reductions or ITC benefits by way of commensurate price reductions; local complaints in Telangana are to be filed on form APAF 1 with evidence. The State Level Screening Committee scrutinises and forwards meritorious local matters to the Standing Committee; DG, Safeguards investigates on referral and the NAA determines relief. Remedies include price reduction, refund with 18% interest, deposit to the Consumer Welfare Fund, penalties, and cancellation of registration, with specified investigation and decision timelines.

Cash carry restriction requires declaration of excess cash at Customs House; noncompliance risks confiscation and referral.
Private persons and customs broker staff entering the Customs House must declare any cash carried in excess of the prescribed limit to the Superintendent of Customs (Preventive) and Custom House Security; failure to declare may result in confiscation of excess undeclared cash and initiation of action including referral to appropriate authorities, while departmental officers continue to be governed by the CCS (Conduct) Rules, 1964.

RFID sealing for bonded-warehouse movements mandated, requiring certified RFID one-time-locks, readers, and data capture for customs compliance.
Use of RFID anti-tamper one-time-locks (RFID OTL) is mandated in place of conventional one-time-locks for transport of goods to and from Customs bonded warehouses where seals are required. RFID OTLs must be sourced from CBIC-listed vendors, conform to ISO 17712:2013 and ISO/IEC 18000-6 Class 1 Gen 2, and be supported by readers and a web-application capturing specified data elements (IEC, document numbers, RFID OTL number, seal date/time, vehicle/container and warehouse/customs codes). Licensees must procure readers, vendors must link seals to warehouse codes, tampered seals prompt examination, and RFID trip reports satisfy arrival acknowledgement obligations.

Tobacco packaging: two-image rotation and precise health-warning design rules apply, with customs required to ensure compliance.
The rules extend existing specified health warnings until 31 August 2018 if replacements are not notified, and introduce from 1 September 2018 a two-image rotation period with the second image effective after twelve months; they prescribe textual warning wording, exact colour values, four-colour printing and minimum 300 DPI resolution, and require customs compliance for import clearance and disposal of seized tobacco products.

DGFT office addresses and Regional Authority jurisdictions updated; private SEZs added to Appendix of the Foreign Trade Policy.
The Public Notice amends Appendix 1A of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2015-20 to update office addresses, contact details and territorial jurisdictions of the DGFT headquarters and its Regional Authorities, and to add specified private Special Economic Zones with their Development Commissioner contacts and territorial scope, making the amended Appendix 1A the authoritative administrative reference for office locations and jurisdictional allocation.

Extension of SEZ approvals: Board authorised time limited extensions and conditional co developer recognitions with lease limits.
The Board approved multiple extensions of formal approvals and Letters of Permission for SEZ developers and units, granted co developer statuses and area increases subject to co developer agreements and compliance with SEZ Act and Rules, and required that lease periods not exceed 30 years (renewable). Transfers, mergers, demergers and shareholding changes were approved conditional on continuity of SEZ obligations, fulfilment of eligibility and security clearances, compliance with revenue and company laws, furnishing full financial details to revenue authorities, and allowing assessing officers to examine taxability of gains.

Permanent Account Number requirement now mandatory for liberalised remittances; 'relative' aligned with Companies Act definition.
The Reserve Bank mandates furnishing of Permanent Account Number for all Liberalised Remittance Scheme transfers, standardising data and compliance; it also aligns the definition of relative for maintenance-related remittances with the Companies Act, 2013 and updates the Master Direction on LRS. The directions are issued under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 and are without prejudice to other statutory permissions.

E commerce exports through post permitted for IEC holders; follow prescribed procedures and personal import clarifications.
Permission is granted for IEC holders to undertake e commerce exports through foreign post offices subject to the procedures prescribed in the referenced Board circulars; the circulars also clarify the procedural treatment of personal imports received via post. The new procedures come into force on 21st June, 2018 and stakeholders are directed to follow the guidance and report implementation difficulties to the issuing office.

SEZ supplies treated as inter State, with zero rating refunds subject to authorised operations endorsement and conditions.
Services provided to a SEZ developer or unit (including accommodation, conferencing, banqueting) are treated as inter State supplies despite place of supply rules. Supplies to SEZs are zero rated, but refunds of unutilised input tax credit or integrated tax are allowed only if the SEZ receives the supplies for authorised operations and a specified officer of the Zone endorses such receipt. Independent fabric processors performing job work are eligible for inverted duty refunds because their output is a service, not the input goods.

Validity of Duty Credit scrips extended; applies irrespective of trade policy period and revalidation is restricted.
Duty Credit Scrips issued on or after 01.01.2016 under Chapter 3 shall be valid for a period of 2* months from the date of issue and must be valid on the date on which actual debit of duty is made. Revalidation of duty credit scrip shall not be permitted unless covered under paragraph 2.20(c) of the Handbook of Procedures. This rule applies to all Chapter 3 scrips irrespective of the Foreign Trade Policy period.

Inter State classification for supplies to SEZs confirmed, with zero rating and refund conditional on authorised operations endorsement.
Services such as short term accommodation and event services provided to SEZ developers or units are to be treated as inter State supplies; supplies to SEZs are zero rated and refunds of unutilized input tax credit are available only when received for authorised operations with endorsement by the specified officer of the Zone. Independent fabric processors performing job work services qualify for refund of unutilized ITC under the inverted duty structure because their output is a service, not goods.

GST refund clarification and bonded warehouse IGST applicability forwarded with directions for compliance and circulation.
Clarification was issued on refund-related issues under GST, certain other provisions of the GST Act, and the applicability of integrated tax on supplies of goods from customs bonded warehouses. The communication forwards three central GST circulars dealing respectively with refund clarification, clarification on specified GST provisions, and IGST applicability in bonded warehouse supply transactions. Field officers were directed to take note of the enclosed circulars, ensure compliance, and communicate the contents to subordinate officers and trade organisations.

RFID sealing for bonded warehouse movements mandated; importers and licencees must use approved RFID one time locks and readers.
The Board mandates RFID anti tamper one time locks (RFID OTL) for transport of goods to, from, and between customs bonded warehouses, replacing conventional one time locks. RFID OTLs must be procured from CBIC listed vendors, conform to ISO standards, have unique serial/TID linkage to warehouse codes, and be recorded via prescribed reader applications. Licencees must procure readers and ensure data capture; exporters must declare RFID serials at shipping. Tamper detection triggers examination or refusal to unload; Principal Commissioners may exempt movements by reason of cargo or transport characteristics.

Inter-State characterization of supplies to SEZs affirmed, with refund eligibility subject to authorised operations endorsement.
Services to SEZ developers/units are to be treated as inter-State supplies per the specific provision in section 7(5)(b). Supplies to SEZs are zero-rated, but refunds of unutilized input tax credit require that supplies be received for authorised operations with endorsement by the specified officer of the Zone. Fabric job workers are eligible for inverted duty structure refunds because their output is job-work services, not supply of the input goods.

Surrender of drawback: simplified procedure lets exporters deposit repayments with interest and obtain verification and closure.
Procedure allows exporters to suo-moto surrender Drawback amounts by calculating repayment with interest, depositing the sum via challan or demand draft specifying IEC/GSTIN and Shipping Bill numbers, and submitting a letter with supporting documents, self-certified calculation sheet and deposit challan to the Drawback section, which will assign a file number and acknowledge receipt.

Direct Port Delivery enables expedited importer-led withdrawal of full containers with system-based IGM amendments and round-the-clock OOC.
Direct Port Delivery (DPD) is authorised for importers under the Vijayawada Customs Commissionerate to permit expedited delivery of Full Cargo Load containers directly from terminals, subject to conditions: non-AEO importers only for facilitated Bills of Entry with no assessment or examination, AEO importers also for non-facilitated Bills of Entry; containers must be taken within a prescribed time or be moved to the designated CFS. Procedures require advance Bills of Entry, payment of duties, blank CFS code in IGM for DPD, system-based IGM amendment for non-facilitated consignments, and round-the-clock Out of Charge by docks examination.

Access to registered premises under Section 71 authorises GST officers to inspect records and computers to protect revenue.
Authorisation under Section 71 permits designated GST officers to access a registered person's place of business to inspect books, documents, computers and related items for audit, scrutiny, verification and revenue protection. Visits must be intimated to the Jurisdictional/Controlling Deputy/Assistant Commissioner; Superintendents and Inspectors require prior permission from that Deputy/Assistant Commissioner; and records of intimations, permissions and visits must be maintained by the Jurisdictional/Controlling Deputy/Assistant Commissioner.

Clarification on refund of unutilized ITC directs implementation of central guidance for SEZ and job worker transactions.
State tax officers are instructed, under section 168 of the Tripura GST Act, to follow the annexed Central clarifications on SEZ treatment and the refund of unutilized Input Tax Credit for job-workers, ensuring uniform implementation in Tripura's GST administration.

FPI debt investment rules revised, permitting shorter maturities and reshaping concentration and monitoring obligations.
SEBI removed the three year minimum residual maturity for G Secs and SDLs and transferred monitoring of those instruments to CCIL; for corporate debt FPIs may invest in instruments with residual maturity above one year while limiting short term holdings to 20% of corporate bond portfolios on an end of day basis. New concentration rules apply with caps on holdings per issue and per corporate, transitional relaxations for existing positions, custodians and depositories are responsible for monitoring and reporting breaches, pipeline investments may be exempt if certain conditions are met, and partly paid debt instruments are prohibited.

FPI debt investment limits restructured: maturity relaxations with capped short-term exposure and tighter monitoring by market infrastructure.
FPIs may invest in central government securities (including treasury bills) and State Development Loans without minimum residual maturity, and in corporate bonds with residual maturity above one year, subject to a 30% cap on an FPI's short-term investments in each category; exemptions apply for Exempted Securities. The aggregate cap on FPI holdings in any central government security is revised to 30% of outstanding stock. CCIL will monitor G-sec and SDL limits online, custodians and FPIs bear primary responsibility for compliance, and concentration and issue-level investor limits with specified transitional relaxations apply.