Misuse of unaccompanied baggage facility curtailed; bonafide baggage requirement enforced and non bonafide imports face adjudication.
Only a passenger's bonafide baggage may be cleared as unaccompanied baggage; all provisions of the Customs Act and Baggage Rules apply except free allowance, and facilitation exceptions for personal effects cannot be used to circumvent import controls. Imports not demonstrably bonafide must be adjudicated for Foreign Trade Policy violations and may attract fines and penalties; field formations must verify the bonafide nature of unaccompanied baggage at clearance.

Central Statutory Forms issuance centralized; dealers must submit registration documents and a no dues certificate before forms issued.
Centralized issuance of Central Statutory Forms is effected via a Centralized Form Cell; Assessing Authorities must forward dealers' form folders containing latest form issue sheets, authority letters, and, for new registrations, copies of local and central registration certificates and part D of Form DVAT 04. The CFC accepts applications at its counter within set hours, processes applications on the same day after verification against system records, and will require first time applicants to submit a No Dues certificate and proof of security under the CST framework with their application.

Export Obligation condition removed under EPCG scheme, deleting specified Handbook provisions and altering compliance requirements.
The Director General of Foreign Trade, under Paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2004-2009, deletes Paragraphs 5.7.8 and 5.8.6 of the Handbook of Procedures (Vol. I), which related to the condition for fulfillment of Export Obligation under the EPCG scheme, thereby removing those specified procedural conditions governing export obligation compliance.

Textile input import limits clarified: imports capped at 10% plus actual utilization or the SION quantity, whichever is lower.
SIONs permitting fabric import in square meters include an incorporated 10% wastage allowance; permitted imports are limited to the lower of (10% plus actual utilization in square meters) or the SION quantity. Actual utilization is calculated by Square Meter = Net Weight * 1000 / GSM. These rules apply to DFIA benefits.

Extension of filing time permits delayed charge filings to be accepted on payment of additional fee through e filing.
Central Government authority is authorised to accept registration, modification and satisfaction of charges in non disputed cases beyond prescribed filing periods by permitting filings through the MCA 21 e filing system up to a specified outer limit, subject to levy of additional fee under the statutory additional fee provision on a slab basis. Exceptions where Company Law Board jurisdiction continues include delays beyond the outer limit, rectification of the register of charges, and filings by lenders. Pending Board applications and pre effective date electronic filings remain subject to regional bench condonation.

Centralized Forms Issuance directs CFC to issue statutory VAT forms with same day verification and processing for eligible dealers.
Creation of a Centralized Forms Cell (CFC) to issue Central Statutory Forms for Key Customer Services and Special Zone dealers from Vyapar Bhawan; Forms to be issued on working days between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm, applications accepted until 1:00 pm at the counter, and processed same day after verification of departmental system information and records.

Overseas investment limits set obligations for mutual funds including permitted instruments, governance, disclosure and reporting requirements.
SEBI permits mutual funds to make overseas investments within an overall aggregate ceiling and a per-fund cap, and a separate ceiling for overseas ETFs, enumerating permitted instruments (ADRs/GDRs, overseas listed equity, IPOs, rated foreign debt and money market instruments, repos, government securities, exchange-traded derivatives for hedging, short-term bank deposits, and overseas mutual fund units with limits). Funds must appoint a Dedicated Fund Manager, Boards of AMCs and Trustees must undertake documented due diligence, mandatory disclosures in offer documents and half-yearly reports are required, AMCs must report performance and breaches to Trustees, Trustees must comment in half-yearly filings to SEBI, and specified prudential norms and expense disclosure rules apply; prior circulars on these matters are withdrawn and an application procedure to SEBI is prescribed.

Appraisal report standards require post-search action plans and detailed issue-based evidence to support assessment and prosecution potential.
Appraisal Reports must be supported by a Post-Search Action Plan identifying enquiries, core documents and timelines; each main issue must be framed and discussed in a self-contained narrative with corroborative evidence (including digital evidence), seized records and statements. Admissions of undisclosed income require documentary corroboration and continued inquiry. Reports must assess prosecution potential, indicate offences and applicable provisions, recommend actions where other parties or other-law contraventions are implicated, set timeframes for collateral enquiries and require timely supervisory approval and submission of supplementary findings.

Warehouse location eligibility: inclusion of Kancheepuram district expands approved places for establishment and registration under excise framework.
Corrigendum corrects earlier circulars by including the district of Kancheepuram (Tamilnadu) in the list of places where warehouses may be established and registered under paragraph 2(2), and restates the full operative list of approved cities, districts and talukas for warehouse registration; trade and field formations are to be notified and acknowledgment obtained.

Overseas investment liberalisation: mutual funds permitted expanded instrument classes and higher aggregate ceiling, subject to reporting requirements.
Mutual funds registered in India may increase aggregate overseas allocations and invest in an expanded range of foreign instruments, including ADRs/GDRs, overseas listed equity, public offerings for overseas listings, investment grade foreign debt and money market instruments, repos (without borrowing), investment grade government securities, exchange traded derivatives for hedging, short term deposits with rated banks, and units of overseas mutual funds or unit trusts; monthly reporting by AD Category I banks to the Reserve Bank remains mandatory.

Overseas direct investment liberalisation expands permissible overseas investment limits and eases portfolio rules for listed Indian companies.
AD Category I banks may allow overseas investments under the Automatic Route up to an enhanced ceiling calculated on the investing party's net worth as per the last audited balance sheet. Listed Indian companies are permitted to invest a larger proportion of their net worth in shares and in rated bonds or fixed income securities of listed overseas companies rated not below investment grade, and the reciprocal shareholding requirement has been removed; other conditions of the existing regulation remain unchanged.

Prepayment of External Commercial Borrowings permitted without prior approval, subject to minimum average maturity and review.
Authorised Dealer Category I banks may permit prepayment of External Commercial Borrowings without prior approval of the Reserve Bank, provided the minimum average maturity period applicable to the loan is complied with; the enhanced operational ceiling takes effect immediately and is subject to review, and banks must notify their constituents. The direction is issued under FEMA and does not affect other legal permissions that may be required.

Liberalised Remittance Scheme expanded to permit higher annual remittances for resident individuals across permitted current and capital transactions.
The Liberalised Remittance Scheme limit for resident individuals is enhanced with immediate effect, allowing Authorised Dealer Category I banks to permit remittances up to the revised annual ceiling per financial year for any permitted current or capital account transaction or a combination thereof; all other terms and conditions in prior A. P. (DIR Series) circulars remain unchanged and amendments to the FEMA Permissible Capital Account Transactions regulations will be notified separately.

Standard Input Output Norms deletion: export SION entry for Processed Filtered Honey removed immediately under foreign trade policy authority.
Under powers of the Foreign Trade Policy and the Handbook of Procedures, the Director General of Foreign Trade amends the Handbook (Vol.2) to delete the SION entry E-113 Processed Filtered Honey; the SION entry is deleted with immediate effect and issued in the public interest.

Addition to Export Promotion Councils list: DGFT recognition of IOPEA for oilseeds and oils export coverage.
DGFT Public Notice adds Indian Oilseeds & Produce Exporters Association EPC (IOPEA) to Appendix 2 of the Hand Book of Procedure (Vol. I) under Paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy, specifying IOPEA's contact details and product coverage as oilseeds and oils while excluding de oiled cake, rice bran oil, soya oil, soya de oiled cake and products handled by the Shellac & Forest Product EPC.

RCMC access expanded: multi-product exporters in north-eastern states may obtain RCMC from FIEO Shillong or Shellac and Forest Products EPC.
The amendment permits multi-product exporters with head/registered offices in the North Eastern States to obtain Registration cum Membership Certificate (RCMC) from the FIEO office in Shillong or the Shellac & Forest Products Export Promotion Council, except for products under APEDA, the Spices Board or the Tea Board; it also adds the FIEO North East Chapter to the Handbook of Procedures' list of Regional Offices.

Foreign Trade Policy amendment updates Appendix Six to designate a new certification body address in trade procedure.
Amendment to Appendix-6 modifies Sl. No.2 to read as the designated certification body and its office address, made under the authority of Paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy, and issued in public interest to update the Handbook of Procedure (Volume I).

Centralized refund procedure centralizes customs refund claims, mandates acknowledgements, document verification, pre-audit and speaking orders.
Centralized Refund Section Group VII will receive and register all customs duty refund claims (subject to listed exceptions), issue immediate receipts, conduct initial scrutiny to issue acknowledgements or deficiency memos within ten working days, process complete claims on a first-come-first-served basis, requisition original Bills of Entry and departmental records for verification, obtain No Payment Certificates from Accounts, compute and adjust refunds against confirmed demands, route high-value cases for pre-audit, record sanctioned refunds for post-audit, effect payment by crossed cheque in the claimant's name, and issue speaking orders addressing unjust enrichment and reasons for allowance or rejection.

Line of Credit enables financing for eligible exports to a foreign government under FEMA directions and export policy.
A public export finance institution made available a Line of Credit to a foreign government to finance exports of eligible goods and services, requiring at least eighty-five percent of supplies to be from India or of Indian origin. The Credit Agreement is effective from the stated date and prescribes outer time limits for opening Letters of Credit for project and supply contracts. Shipments must be declared on prescribed foreign exchange forms. No agency commission is payable under the credit, though exporters may pay commission from their own resources or EEFC balances subject to remittance rules. Directions are issued under the foreign exchange statute without prejudice to other required permissions.

Amendment to Appendix-4-C updates authorised exporter association contact details under foreign trade policy as public notice.
Amendment of Appendix-4-C replaces the Maharashtra region entry at serial 28 with the Cotton Association of India's address, telephone, fax, email and website, as the operative directory information. The amendment is issued under Paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2004-09 as a public notice to update the Handbook of Procedure (Volume I).