Electronic filing for re-export under Section 74 required; officers must record identification and use findings before LEO.
Re-exports under Section 74 must be filed electronically through the EDI system; manual shipping bill procedures are discontinued. Export examination officers must establish identification of goods and determination of use by physical and documentary verification, record findings in the "Departmental Comments" field before issuance of LEO, and perform examination even if RMS applies. Drawback claims will follow existing re export drawback rules and be filed under the interim scheme/designation until a separate scheme code is provided.

Courier authorisation and strict KYC determine eligibility for courier clearance, with misdeclared consignments subject to detention and reassessment.
Assessment and clearance under the CEDPR, 2010 is limited to goods/documents transported by air by a registered Authorised Courier engaged in international door to door delivery; customs agents/brokers do not qualify. Authorised Couriers must obtain consignor and consignee authorisations after prescribed due diligence and KYC and produce them at assessment; consignments failing regulatory definitions for documents, gifts or samples, or misdeclared consignments, must be detained, reassessed, and may be seized and adjudicated. Courier charges must be included in CIF/assessable value when determining exemption eligibility. Supervisory examinations, audits and reporting obligations are mandated to ensure compliance.

Committees at MIIs rationalised into seven statutory bodies with PID majority governance and mandatory compliance reporting.
SEBI mandates seven statutory committees for MIIs-three functional and four oversight-with specified core functions (member admission/discipline, grievance redressal, nomination/remuneration, technology, advisory, regulatory oversight, and risk management). Composition rules require Public Interest Directors to chair committees, hold a numerical and voting majority for quorum and valid resolutions, and be subject to meeting and reporting obligations; IGRC has distinct membership and panel sizing rules. MIIs must implement these structures, amend bylaws, report compliance, and note reduced commencement membership thresholds for new exchanges and clearing corporations.

Portfolio concentration limits require ETFs and index funds to cap single-stock and leading constituents' weights, with liquidity criteria enforced.
Equity ETFs and Index Funds must track indices with a minimum of 10 stocks, single-stock weight caps (35% for sectoral/thematic indices; 25% otherwise), and a top-three constituents cumulative cap of 65%. Each constituent must have trading frequency 80% and average impact cost 1% over the prior six months. Issuers must ensure compliance for all equity-tracking schemes, evaluate quarterly, publish updated constituents on their websites, bring existing schemes into compliance within three months, and submit compliance status for schemes pending launch.

Cyber security framework requirement: mutual funds and AMCs must implement governance, technical controls, testing and mandatory reporting.
SEBI mandates all mutual funds and AMCs to adopt a board approved Cyber Security and Cyber Resilience framework requiring designation of a CISO, Technology Committee oversight, and implementation of the identify protect detect respond recover lifecycle. Operational controls include least privilege access, two factor authentication, encryption of data in motion and data at rest, hardened systems, patch management, VAPT and annual penetration testing, continuous monitoring and logging, incident response and recovery planning, quarterly reporting of cyber incidents to SEBI, anonymised threat sharing, periodic training, annual independent audits, and vendor compliance obligations.

RMS Facilitation Centre establishment centralises handling of RMS facilitated Bills of Entry to enhance trade facilitation.
Creation of a RMS Facilitation Centre at NCH, Mumbai, Zone I with immediate effect to process RMS facilitated Bills of Entry for all Commissionerates. Five officers are posted to run the Centre alongside existing charges, with two appraisers allocated counter responsibilities by Customs Tariff Heading ranges (CTH 01-71 and CTH 72-99). The postings are approved by the Principal Chief Commissioner of Customs.

AEO programme digitization enables online filing and processing of authorisation applications and extends review intervals.
CBIC has launched an online portal for AEO programme digitization to permit electronic filing of AEO T1 applications and online processing and issuance of AEO certificates by Customs officials, with trade urged to adopt the platform and report difficulties to the AEO Cell; the circular also extends the interval for review and onsite PCA of AEO T1 certified entities to three years, changing the monitoring cycle.

Tobacco product seizure rules guide enforcement against non-conforming cigarettes and imported products under packaging and labelling requirements.
Direction issued to commercial tax to act in accordance with CBEC Circular No. 09/2017 in relation to seized or confiscated foreign-made cigarettes and other tobacco products. Tobacco products, whether manufactured in India, sold, or imported, are to be seized/confiscated where they do not conform to the Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution Act, 2003 and the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2014.

Amendment to Standard Input Output Norms updates input allowances for flexible intermediate bulk containers, including adjusted polypropylene entitlements.
The SION amendment revises input entitlements for Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers at S.No. H 97, specifying import allowances per kg of export product for polypropylene granules (as the primary input with adjusted ratios) and defined quantities for UV stabilizer options, LLDPE/LDPE granules, polypropylene for lamination/coating, PE liner, PP yarn/thread, filler cord/rope, narrow weaving fabric, and packing material; Attachment and Baffle Bags receive higher polypropylene allowances and printed or Food Grade exports may receive an additional wastage allowance on polypropylene granules.

GST Council raises composition limits, sets new registration options, creates service composition scheme and forms GoMs for real estate and lottery.
The Council ratified Central notifications issued after 22 December 2018, approved notifying most GST Amendment Acts from 1 February 2019 (with specified provisions deferred), and endorsed MSME-related measures: raising goods composition turnover to Rs.1.5 crore, quarterly payment with annual return for composition taxpayers, allowing States to choose Rs.20 lakh or Rs.40 lakh registration thresholds for goods suppliers with safeguards, and a residual service composition scheme at 6% for turnover up to Rs.50 lakh; additional GoMs and officer committees were constituted and IT/administrative measures approved.

Eligibility for budgetary support clarified with verification, documentation and disposal timelines to streamline industrial grant claims.
Clarifies operational aspects of the Scheme of Budgetary Support: units previously covered by residual excise exemptions are not eligible; kits comprising in house and third party sourced inputs qualify as manufactured products when supplied as finished kits; Chartered Accountant certification is recognised; assessees may obtain separate registrations to segregate eligible operations. The Central Tax officer at the principal place of business sanctions claims for multi location assessees; month wise details must accompany quarterly refund applications. Claims must be disposed within two weeks, not exceeding thirty days. Support is a grant subject to CAG audit and decisions of the sanctioning authority are final.

Redemption Certificate submission required for bond cancellation and clearance; scheme-specific documents and special submission drive announced.
Submission of original Redemption Certificate/EODC is required for cancellation of Bonds/Bank Guarantees and clearance of consignments for Advance, EPCG and DFIA licence holders; a special submission drive is organized and scheme-specific documentary checklists are prescribed, with presentation of evidence of export obligation fulfilment to avoid initiation of Customs Act penalty proceedings.

EODC monitoring: RAs must upload and maintain Advance and EPCG authorisation records online, ensuring data integrity and timely updates.
RAs must enter all pending Advance and EPCG authorisations lacking EODC into the DGFT EODC software, use the "no date" option where documents are not submitted, prioritise older cases, route counter submissions to designated data-entry personnel, update the module for every procedural action before dispatch, upload only duly signed EODC PDFs, resolve exporter queries by correcting online records, and expect DGFT HQs to monitor RA performance via the software.

SEZ approval extensions and shareholding changes approved subject to continuity, compliance, and tax reporting obligations.
The Board approved extensions of formal approvals and Letters of Permission for multiple SEZ developers and units, granted a proposal to set up a sector specific SEZ for Light Engineering Goods and Services, authorised miscellaneous matters including procurement arrangements, area reductions, additional built up area subject to lease agreements and standard SEZ conditions, cancellation of a co developer status, approval for dual use of non processing infrastructure conditioned on certificates and refund of tax benefits, and approved change of shareholding/implementing agency requests subject to continuity, eligibility, tax reporting and security clearance conditions.

Monthly disposal reporting requires members to submit bench-wise appeal statements, counting only orders personally dictated and files sent to registry.
Members must submit a Monthly Disposal Statement to the President by the fifth day of the succeeding month, recording only orders personally dictated in Division Benches and confined to files sent to the Registry as on the last working day after signature on the green sheet. The prescribed template requires bench-wise fields for orders dictated, orders reserved, reserved orders pronounced, member names (for DB), subtotals, and a grand total.

Manual processing of select MEIS claims now limited to listed ITC(HS) entries under the amended annexure.
Amendment restricts manual processing of MEIS claims to the enumerated MEIS serial numbers and corresponding ITC(HS) codes by revising the Annexure to Public Notice 62; only applications for those listed entries will be processed in manual mode following the manual-mode guidelines issued to Regional Authorities in Trade Notice 30.

GST migration window re-opening requires taxpayers to complete migration steps and coordinate with nodal officers by prescribed deadlines.
Re-opening of the GST migration window provides a procedural timeline: taxpayers must submit specified details to the jurisdictional nodal officer; jurisdictional Deputy/Assistant Commissioners will verify and forward submissions to the zonal nodal officer; zonal nodal officers will transmit details to GSTN; and taxpayers must take required actions after receiving communications from GSTN. Trade associations are requested to circulate the notice to members to ensure completion of migration formalities within the extended timeframe.

Language requirement: File appellate documents in English; non-English materials must be translated and certified before transmission.
All documents in appellate proceedings before the Tribunal must be filed in English because the Tribunal's language is English and records sent to the Supreme Court must be in English; where records are in another language, they must be translated and the translation certified by a departmental officer not lower than Superintendent. This requirement applies to appeals and related proceedings, including applications and cross-objections, to enable transmission of records to the Supreme Court on requisition.

GST liability on banking services clarifies banks are service providers and liable for GST on customer service charges.
Banks are the taxable service providers in BF/BC arrangements and must pay GST on the entire service charge or fee charged to customers even when collected via BF/BC. GST exemption for BF/BC services applies only if those services, rendered in their individual capacities, fall under Heading 9971 and pertain to accounts of a branch classified as rural; branch classification and permissible services are governed by RBI guidelines and the bank's classification should be accepted.

Exemption for educational institution food services clarified: institutional supplies exempt, outsourced catering taxable at the prescribed rate.
Supplies of food and beverages made by an educational institution itself to its students, faculty and staff are exempt under the exemption entry covering services provided by educational institutions, and this exemption prevails over any separate rate entry. Supply of food and beverages by a third party to an educational institution under contract is taxable under the applicable rate. The explanatory reference to "school, college" was removed from the rate notification and classification heading 9963 was added to the exemption entry to eliminate ambiguity.