Mandatory Standard UQC declaration required in electronic Bills of Entry, failure to declare blocks submission until compliance.
Declaration of the Standard UQC (SQC) in the Single Window Table is mandatory: Info Type CHR with Info QFR SQC must carry the quantity in Info MSR and the unit code in Info UQC, which will be validated against the ICES Tariff Code directory; submission of Bills of Entry will be blocked unless these details are correctly declared.

Enforcement appeal procedure continues, with DRC-08 limited to updating demand set aside by appellate authority.
The procedure for filing and disposal of enforcement appeals against orders passed by enforcement officers continues to apply until further orders because the online enforcement appeal module on the GSTN portal is not yet fully developed. The earlier headquarters circular prescribing that procedure remains operative, along with the related office order issued on 4 February 2019. For revision of demand created against a registered dealer, the GSTN (BO-WEB) portal provides an online facility to generate DRC-08, which enforcement officers are directed to use only for updating demand set aside by the appellate authority.

Physical settlement of stock derivatives: stocks with sustained volatility will shift to physical settlement from the next expiry.
SEBI requires that derivatives on stocks meeting specified intra-day movement or margin-estimated volatility criteria be moved to physical settlement from the new expiry cycle while existing contracts continue with their original settlement mode; exchanges must review triggers monthly and implement systems, amend rules, notify market participants and report implementation status to SEBI.

IGST refund on exports: ensure correct EGM filing and rectify SB001/SB002/SB003/SB005 errors to enable refund payment.
IGST refunds require Shipping Bills to migrate from the IGST Temporary Scroll to the final Scroll; EGM errors (SB002/SB006), invalid invoice numbers (SB005), GSTIN mismatches (SB003) and Shipping Bill detail errors (SB001) prevent migration. Exporters and airlines must correct EGMs before departure, submit self certified GSTR 1/GSTR 3B and a Concordance Table to the IGST Refund Cell, and file a Revised Refund Request where differential refunds are claimed so approved amounts can be re scrolled for payment.

Coastal carriage exemption for vessels carrying only coastal goods streamlines customs formalities and manifest filing requirements.
Coastal vessels carrying exclusively coastal goods are exempted from certain Customs Act provisions; where coastal goods are handled at EXIM berths, sections 30 and 41 apply and prescribed coastal arrival and departure manifests must be filed in duplicate before arrival and departure. Containers and non-containerised consignments for coastal carriage must be marked "For coastal Carriage Only", sealed with a tamper-proof one-time bottle seal, and random preventive checks may be conducted with prior approval to prevent inadvertent loading of import or export goods.

Deduction for senior citizens' interest income from bank and post office deposits, with eligibility and exclusion rules clarified.
Section 80TTB, effective from 01.04.2019, allows a deduction for senior citizens for interest on deposits with specified banks, co-operative banking societies and Post Office accounts, subject to a prescribed cap and subject to exclusion where interest is derived from deposits held by or on behalf of firms, associations or bodies of individuals; partners or members of such entities are not eligible, and claiming this deduction excludes claiming the alternative interest-deduction provision.

Publication of Adjudication and Appellate Orders required on central DGFT website to ensure consolidated public access.
All Regional Authorities and SEZ Adjudicating/Appellate Authorities must upload every Adjudication and Appellate Order under the FT(DR) Act, 1992 to the DGFT website link in PDF format immediately on issue; past Orders w.e.f. 1st April, 2018 must be uploaded within IS days; uploads must be complete, readable and correctly sequenced; copy to CEIB continues; heads must confirm no missing orders to headquarters by the specified email; user IDs and passwords will be allotted for access.

Secretarial Audit required for listed entities and material subsidiaries; annual compliance report by a practicing company secretary must be filed with exchanges.
Secretarial audit and an annual secretarial compliance report are mandated for listed entities and their material unlisted subsidiaries from the financial year ended March 31, 2019; the secretarial audit may use Form No. MR-3 to avoid duplication, and a Practicing Company Secretary must produce the prescribed compliance report examining company records, exchange filings and website, reporting deviations, record maintenance, regulatory actions and actions taken on prior observations, with the listed entity required to submit the compliance report to stock exchanges within the specified post-year-end period.

LUT acceptance for exports in INR where RBI permits - exporters and SEZ supplies permitted subject to RBI conditions.
Consequential to GST Amendment Acts effective 01.02.2019, acceptance of LUT for supplies of goods or services to countries outside India or SEZ developers/units is permitted where RBI allows realization in INR; principals retain responsibility for job-work accounts and must treat non-return/ non-supply within the period under section 143 as deemed supply, issue invoice and pay tax and interest; job workers require registration when turnover exceeds the threshold or on inter-state service supplies; detention payment period extended to fourteen days; liabilities may be discharged via FORM GST DRC-03 or DRC-07; registration suspension during cancellation proceedings relieves routine compliance except filing of final return.

Risk Management System in exports changes selection of shipping bills for customs verification and facilitation.
The RMS will electronically process Shipping Bills in ICES at submission and after amendments to direct whether a bill receives a "Let Export Order" based on self assessment or is selected for verification of self assessment and/or physical examination; officers must follow RMS instructions. The system incorporates Compulsory Compliance Requirements from allied enactments, requires exporters/CHAs to submit prescribed documents at goods registration and before LEO, and will later select bills for Post Clearance Audit to detect short levies or improper export incentive claims.

Risk Management System in imports enables automated self-assessment clearance with targeted assessment or post-clearance audit.
The RMS establishes an automated risk-based clearance regime in ICES/ICEGATE where electronically filed Bills of Entry and IGMs are screened to permit out-of-charge of compliant self-assessed consignments without officer assessment or examination, while selecting others for appraisal, physical examination, or Post-Clearance Audit. AEO importers receive enhanced facilitation subject to Compulsory Compliance Requirements. System-driven bond debits, annexure requirements for SVB and certificates, integration with SWIFT compliance lists, retention of amendment procedures, and a shift from concurrent audit to PCA are operative features; accurate B/E data and document submission are mandated for facilitation.

Concessional import duty for EOUs updated to align with current trade policy and GST, affecting exemptions and bond requirements.
Notifications amend customs and central excise provisions governing EOUs/STPIs/EHTPs and DTA units to align with the present Foreign Trade Policy and GST regime. Imported goods may be temporarily cleared without payment of customs duties, IGST and compensation cess (with GST liability governed separately); duty on later DTA clearance is the duty exempted at import; depreciation for capital goods is preserved; redundant references and superseded provisions are removed; job worker GST registration and a revised B 17 bond with GSTIN references are mandated while existing bonds remain valid.

E-way bill verification compliance must be intensified; officers must report weekly status or face appraisal consequences.
The circular directs that officers assigned to e-way bill verification must increase frequency and coverage of checks of consignments and accompanying documents, and require submission of weekly status reports; verification performance will be monitored and non-compliance will affect officers' appraisals, stressing verification as a routine enforcement duty to protect return-filing compliance and State revenue.

Refund entitlement for CSD: invoice-based fifty percent tax refund with quarterly Form RFD-10A filing and specified documentation.
CSD entitlement is fifty per cent of State, Central and Integrated tax on inward supplies subsequently supplied to unit canteens or authorized customers. Refunds are invoice-based, filed quarterly in Form GST RFD-10A with an undertaking, declaration of no prior claim, GSTR-3B and GSTR-2A copies, attested invoices not in GSTR-2A, and bank details. The proper officer must acknowledge within 15 days, may issue one complete deficiency memo within 15 days, validate GSTIN and returns on the portal, and sanction fifty per cent per tax head by Form GST RFD-06 with payment advice in Form GST RFD-05.

External Commercial Borrowings end-use relaxation allows resolution applicants to raise ECBs to repay rupee term loans under approval route.
The Reserve Bank permits resolution applicants under Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process to raise ECBs, excluding borrowings from branches/overseas subsidiaries of Indian banks, for repayment of rupee term loans of the target company under the approval route; proposals must be routed through Authorised Dealer Category I banks to the Foreign Exchange Department, Central Office, Mumbai, and all other ECB provisions remain unchanged.

Activation of ANF 3D e com module enables MEIS claims for courier and postal shipments; no application fee applies.
Activation of the ANF 3D e commerce application module on the DGFT portal permits filing of MEIS claims for courier and postal exports; no application fee is required for ANF 3D filings, and for exports prior to the amended form's publication late cut provisions will be applied using the date of publication as the relevant date.

Container exit controls: CFSs prohibited from issuing LEO on seal-intact certification; parking plaza processing required.
Officers at Container Freight Stations shall not register shipping bills or issue Let Export Orders for self-sealed containers solely on the basis of a 'seal intact' certification from parking plaza officers; export documents and RFID seal verification must be processed through the parking plaza and terminal TOS, and only containers selected for open examination or showing seal mismatch may be processed for LEO at CFS.

AEO vehicle access for container scanning permits accredited importers to take DPD containers to a drive-through scanner with customs endorsement.
When the mobile scanner at the port terminal is non functional, AEO importers (T1, T2, T3) whose DPD DPD containers are selected for scanning may use their own vehicles to evacuate containers to the Drive Through Scanner upon Customs endorsement of the Delivery Order after AEO verification. AEO T1 importers must furnish a bond equivalent to the goods' value at the terminal boarding office; bond cancellation follows a scan clean report and Customs out of charge. If CONCOR is the authorised rail carrier, it may transport containers to the DTS against an Import Continuity Carrier Bond, with suspicious scans requiring transfer to the importer's chosen CFS for detailed Customs examination.

AEO Programme digitisation: online AEO T1 portal launched; manual filing allowed until transition cutoff to online system.
The document establishes an online portal (aeoindia.gov.in) for AEO T1 applications where applicants register, verify via OTP, complete Annexure I and II, upload documents and a declaration, preview and submit; submissions go to Customs officers for scrutiny, then to a Zonal AEO Programme Manager for approval or rejection, and on approval are forwarded to the Directorate for electronic certificate generation. Manual filing remains permissible concurrently until the transition cutoff to the online system.

IGST refund restriction: exporters who availed specified duty exemptions must export under LUT or report and repay refunds.
Amendment disqualifies exporters from claiming refund of IGST on exports if they have availed specified exemption notifications for deemed exports, supplies to merchant exporters, EOUs, Advance Authorisation and EPCG receipts, except where linked to the Export Promotion Capital Goods/Goods Scheme; affected exporters must export under LUT and those who already received refunds must report to Customs and jurisdictional GST authorities and repay the refund after consultation.