Reporting of Code of Conduct violations to stock exchanges required; revised format and remittance to investor protection fund mandated.
Listed companies, intermediaries and fiduciaries must promptly inform the stock exchange(s) of any violations of the Code of Conduct under the PIT Regulations using the revised Annexure A reporting format, which collects details of the reporting entity, designated person or immediate relative, transaction particulars, dates of Regulation 7 intimations (where applicable), observed violations, actions taken, reasons recorded and prior instances. Any amounts collected for such violations must be remitted to SEBI for credit to the Investor Protection and Education Fund by online transfer or demand draft, with transfer particulars reported in the Annexure A.

Trading window exemptions extended to Offer for Sale and Rights Entitlements when conducted under board-specified framework.
SEBI clarified that trading window restrictions under the Prohibition of Insider Trading regime shall not apply to Offer for Sale (OFS) and Rights Entitlements (RE) transactions when conducted in accordance with the framework specified by the Board. The amendment supplements existing exemptions under Schedule B and Regulation 9. Stock exchanges must notify listed companies and publish the circular; the directive is issued under SEBI's regulatory powers and is effective immediately.

Deemed GST registration approval resumes after COVID suspension, requiring expedited disposal of pending applications and verification of irregular approvals.
GST registration applications are deemed approved if no action is taken within three working days. During the COVID lockdown, portal-based deemed approvals were withheld because offices were closed or functioning with skeletal staff. The deemed approval mechanism was restored for specified pending applications, and the three-working-day process resumed from 1 August 2020. Proper officers were required to clear pending applications before resumption, while approvals generated during lockdown through technical glitches could be subjected to physical verification of business premises.

Adoption of e-Office encourages PDF electronic communications with contact details for immediate acknowledgement and diary reference.
Launch of e-Office in the Audit Commissionerate, Kochi implements a transition to a paperless environment to improve efficiency, transparency, accountability and service delivery. Taxpayers are encouraged to use electronic communications in PDF, preferably searchable, and to provide mobile and email details to receive immediate acknowledgements and a Diary Number for future reference.

RFQ platform usage requirement increases exchange liquidity by mandating mutual funds to route a portion of corporate bond trades via RFQ.
Mutual funds must route a prescribed portion of secondary market corporate bond trades through the stock exchange RFQ platform in one to many mode (with a rolling three month average calculation); trades where a mutual fund is on both sides must use RFQ one to one mode, and inter mutual fund executions on RFQ one to many count toward the requirement. Debt scheme disclosures must be made fortnightly within five days of each fortnight and additionally include the yield of each instrument in the prescribed format.

Sovereign Wealth Fund tax exemption requires notification, application, audited return and quarterly investment reporting for compliance.
The Finance Act, 2020 provides an exemption under section 10(23FE) for dividend, interest and long term capital gains on investments by specified sovereign and pension funds in specified infrastructure businesses held for at least three years. Notified Sovereign Wealth Funds must apply using Form I (certifying government ownership, non commercial status and appropriation of earnings), file income tax returns with an audit report, and submit electronic quarterly investment intimations in Form II within one month of each quarter end, with verification and supporting documentation.

Mandatory e-payment of non-GST taxes shifts to the department portal as bank portal payment options are discontinued.
Mandatory e-payment of taxes other than GST must be made through the department's portal integrated with GRAS. Registered taxpayers are required to use the Assam taxation portal for electronic payment, with access through existing credentials, an online dealer profile, or the jurisdictional officer. The earlier facility of payment through the banks' portals of specified banks is discontinued from 1 October 2020, and taxpayers must shift to the department's portal. A helpdesk is available for guidance and payment-related issues.

Export of PPE medical coverall samples permitted under limited quantity with online licence procedure and three month validity.
Permission to export samples of PPE medical coveralls for COVID-19 is authorized up to 50 units per IEC per country through online DGFT ECOM applications for non SCOMET restricted items. Applications must specify "PPE medical coveralls for COVID-19 Samples," include a copy of the IEC, documentary proof of manufacturing of textile/medical textile products or medical devices, and be self attested by an authorised person. Licences are valid for three months; incomplete applications, hard copy submissions, or email applications will not be considered.

Margin recognition for early pay in positions permits treating margin exemption or early paid in goods value as supporting margins.
For calculating residual losses under the stress testing methodology, where clients or brokers have given early pay in and margin exemptions are granted, Clearing Corporations may consider the margin exemption granted or the value of the early paid in goods, whichever is lower, as the margins supporting those positions.

Customs duty exemption review: public crowdsourcing portal invites stakeholder suggestions to reform exemptions and customs procedures.
An administrative instruction establishes an online public consultation to solicit suggestions for review of Customs duty exemption notifications and related customs laws and procedures, directs field formations to promote the portal and encourage stakeholder participation, and asks that any difficulties in implementation be reported to the Board.

Information sharing through NATGRID: income tax authority authorised to furnish taxpayer data to law enforcement under MoU safeguards.
The Principal Director General of Income tax (Systems) is designated as the specified income tax authority to furnish and receive PAN, TAN, bank account details, return and TDS summary information and other mutually agreed data through the NATGRID platform to listed investigative and intelligence agencies. The authority must form an opinion that sharing is necessary for the recipient agencies' statutory functions and will execute a Memorandum of Understanding with NATGRID covering data transfer mode, confidentiality, secure preservation, weeding out, and timelines, with the MoU forwarded to the CBDT division for record.

Information sharing under section 138(1)(a): map income tax payees to PM KISAN beneficiaries using Aadhaar for verification.
The Principal Director General of Income tax (Systems), New Delhi is directed to furnish information to the PM KISAN Nodal Officer and the Joint Secretary (Farmers Welfare) by providing a mapping of income tax payees for the relevant assessment years from the list of otherwise eligible PM KISAN beneficiaries on the basis of Aadhaar numbers, under the Board's power to require information under section 138(1)(a) of the Income tax Act.

CXL concessions quota allocation for sugar establishes export entitlement with Certificate of Origin and APEDA reporting requirement.
A preferential CXL concession quota of ten thousand metric tonnes of raw and/or white sugar is allocated for export to the European Union for 2020-21; exports are free subject to notified restrictions and APEDA reporting. Certificate of Origin for EU release will be issued by the Additional Director General of Foreign Trade, Mumbai, and the EUR Form must be endorsed by Customs at the port of shipment, with consignments to EU countries permitted from the date of notification.

Export quota for PPE medical coveralls: revised application windows and documentation requirements govern monthly authorisations.
Revised procedure imposes a monthly export quota for PPE medical coveralls and allocates export authorisations from online applications filed within prescribed three-day windows, processed electronically via the DGFT ECOM system and examined under para 2.72 of the Handbook of Procedures. Export licences will be valid for three months and issuance is contingent on specified eligibility and documentary requirements: purchase order/invoice, Chartered Engineer's certificate confirming domestic manufacture of fabric, IEC (one application per IEC per month), and product standard certification (BIS IS 17423:2020 or ISO 16603/16604 from an NABCB-accredited or notified body), with all documents self-attested.

Upfront margin verification required - exchanges to monitor EOD and peak client margins with phased compliance and penalties
Clearing Corporations shall send multiple intra-day snapshots and client-wise margin files specifying EOD and peak margin obligations; members must report margins collected at EOD and peak during the day. Verification compares EOD obligation against EOD client margin available and peak obligation across snapshots against client peak margin available; the higher shortfall is used for penalty. Exchanges/Clearing Corporations will verify member books weekly. Adoption of peak-margin comparison is phased, and members must show any remaining peak obligation during the phase is funded from their own funds and not from other clients.

Eligibility criteria repeal for selection of underlying commodity futures removes turnover ranking requirement and requires exchanges to amend rules.
The circular repeals the eligibility requirement that underlying futures be among the top five contracts by trading turnover for listing options on commodity futures, while retaining all other prior product-design provisions. The repeal is effective immediately; stock exchanges must amend bye-laws, notify brokers, publish the change, and report implementation to the regulator. The directive is issued under Section 11(1) to protect investors and regulate the market.

Customs custodian renewal preserves CFS responsibility for imported and export cargo, subject to regulatory compliance and review.
Custodian and Customs Cargo Services Provider status for M/s. Central Warehousing Corporation, D' Node Container Freight Station is renewed for five years from 15 March 2020. The custodianship covers imported goods until clearance for home consumption, warehousing or transhipment, and export cargo until exportation after examination and stuffing. The provider must comply with the Customs Act and cargo-area regulations. Approval remains subject to review before expiry for regulatory non-compliance or Government directions.

First-time importer verification: documentary and address checks require submission of registration, bank certification, and payment proof.
First-time importer verification requires submission one week before consignment arrival of GST/VAT/Sales Tax registration, a bank certificate confirming account maintenance and remittance purpose, proof of payment through the importer's account, last year balance sheet, and last tax return; customs brokers must assist and SIIB/ICD/CFS authorities will conduct document and physical address verification, trigger alerts on adverse findings, and supervise examinations, with manufacturer-exporters exempt from SIIB NOC but traders subject to SIIB verification.

Import of livestock products: no customs sealed samples for No Testing lines; clearance on Veterinary Health Certificate via SWS.
Consignments of livestock products classified in the No Testing category will not require customs sealed samples for AQCS clearance; instead AQCS clearance will be granted on the Single Window System based on a Veterinary Health Certificate uploaded with the Bill of Entry, while Customs must ensure physical identification of those consignments under existing laws. This change takes immediate effect for the listed tariff lines mapped under the Risk Management System.

Deemed GST registration approval resumes after lockdown pendency clearance, with verification permitted for applications approved through technical glitches.
Deemed approval of GST registration applications was withheld during the COVID lockdown because the period was treated as having no working days and misuse was apprehended. Pending applications were to be cleared through a special drive before the three-working-day deemed-approval mechanism resumed. Applications remaining pending on the specified date were to receive deemed approval, while cases approved during lockdown because of technical glitches could be subjected to physical verification of business premises where required.