TDS on salary: employers must seek employees' tax-regime choice and, absent intimation, apply the default regime for withholding.
Employers must obtain from each employee an annual intimation of the employee's intended tax regime so the employer can compute total income and deduct tax at source according to that option. If the employee does not intimate a choice, the employer must presume the employee remains in the default tax regime and deduct tax on salary using the rates applicable to that regime. An employee's intimation to the employer does not itself constitute formal exercise of the statutory option to opt out, which must be completed separately.

Specification of Proper Officer under Rule 144A assigns Deputy Commissioners to perform Rule 144A functions within jurisdictional limits.
The Commissioner of State Tax assigns the functions under Rule 144A of the Haryana GST Rules to the Deputy Commissioner of State Tax, subject to the condition that such functions shall be performed only within the Deputy Commissioner's territorial jurisdiction unless a specific jurisdiction is otherwise mentioned.

Track and Trace system implementation extended for pharmaceutical exports; exporters must maintain parent child packaging relationship and upload data.
The Director General of Foreign Trade amends Para 2.90A (vi) and (vii) of the Handbook of Procedure to substitute the earlier implementation date with a later date, extending the deadline for implementation of the Track and Trace system for export consignments of drug formulations. The extension requires maintenance of the parent child relationship in packaging levels and uploading of such data on the Central Portal, and applies to both SSI and non SSI manufactured drugs.

Central Dispatch Unit centralises manual dispatches to secure proof of service and standardise recordkeeping procedures.
A Central Dispatch Unit (CDU) shall handle all manual outward dispatches received by the Central Registry Unit (CRU), maintain a serialised manual dispatch register and centralized dispatch numbers, and forward proof of dispatch to originating sections via the e-office; e-office dispatches remain the sections' responsibility. The CDU will record undelivered letters, manage notice board placements with a separate register, and maintain a guard file and e-office index of public notices and orders.

Effective date for Rule 114AAA provisions specified as 1 July 2023, superseding prior administrative order.
The Board specifies the effective date on which provisions of sub rule (3) of rule 114AAA of the Income tax Rules, 1962 shall take effect and expressly supersedes the earlier Board order dated 30 March 2022 issued for the purposes of the proviso to sub rule (2) of rule 114AAA.

Amnesty scheme for export obligation defaults: settle by paying exempted customs duties plus capped interest to obtain EODC.
Amnesty scheme allows holders of Advance Authorisations and EPCG authorisations (subject to specified vintage coverage) to regularise EO defaults by registering on the DGFT website and paying customs duties exempted proportionate to unfulfilled EO plus interest, with interest capped at 100% of the customs duty liable for interest (excluding Additional Customs Duty and Special Additional Customs Duty). Upon submission of payment proof and prescribed documents to the Regional Authority, an Export Obligation Discharge Certificate may be issued; exclusions apply for fraud and related cases, and duties paid under the scheme are not eligible for CENVAT credit or refund.

Notification of Handbook of Procedures establishes the procedural framework under the Foreign Trade Policy and gives it operative effect.
Notification of the Handbook of Procedures, 2023 invokes powers under paragraphs 1.03 and 2.04 of the Foreign Trade Policy and, by Public Notice No. 1/2023, places the Handbook into operative effect as the binding procedural framework for foreign trade compliance.

Debenture trustees must perform prescribed due diligence, register charges, and use a depository monitoring system for securities.
SEBI consolidates operational requirements for Debenture Trustees effective April 1, 2023: mandatory online registration and designated regulatory communications; detailed due diligence and documentation obligations at appointment and security creation; requirement to verify and register charges within 30 days; issuance of prescribed due-diligence certificates; mandatory use of a depository-hosted Security and Covenant Monitoring System with unique Asset IDs for recording assets, covenants, charge registration, payment status and credit ratings; ongoing monitoring, disclosures, Recovery Expense Fund operation, investor grievance integration with SCORES, and half-yearly compliance reporting to SEBI.

Fund raising by large corporates: compliance period extended and stock exchanges directed to amend rules and notify market.
The contiguous block over which large corporates must meet the mandatory requirement to raise a minimum portion of their incremental borrowings through issuance of debt securities, reckoned from Financial Year 2021-22, is extended from two years to three years; relevant provisions of Chapter XII (paras 2.2(c) and 2.2(d)) of the NCS Operational Circular are modified. Stock exchanges are directed to notify brokers, publish the circular, amend bye laws, rules and regulations in coordination, and communicate such amendments to the regulator for uniform implementation.

Electronic Cash Ledger migration shifts customs deposit and payment processes to a portal based non interest bearing ledger for duty payments.
The Electronic Cash Ledger (ECL) requires registration on ICEGATE and creation of an ECL account for importers, exporters, brokers, couriers and other payors; deposits are made via portal challans and visible on ECL. Payments for customs duties, integrated tax, compensation cess, interest, penalties and fees may be made by selecting payment challans with ECL as the payment mode, with a back end conversion for direct portal payments. Refunds of ECL balances are processed to the bank account registered on the customs system under the Regulations.

Warehoused goods: new mandatory shelf-life, bank guarantee, extension timing and bond-closure requirements to protect revenue.
The notice prescribes mandatory procedures to safeguard revenue from Customs bonded warehouse operations: declaration of shelf life at initial warehousing or bond-to-bond transfer; restriction of warehousing periods where remaining shelf life is under one year unless shortened appropriately; timely in-period applications for extensions with justification; mandatory submission of bonds supported by Bank Guarantee for bond-to-bond transfers during extended warehousing; prompt payment or cancellation of Ex-Bond Bills of Entry; and submission of supporting documents for bond closure, failing which fresh bonds will be refused without senior approval.

Electronic Cash Ledger implementation shifts customs payments to phased portal deposits and electronic payment modes for trade.
Phased enablement of an Electronic Cash Ledger under Section 51A and the Customs (Electronic Cash Ledger) Regulations, 2022 requires ICEGATE registration and ECL account creation. Initial exemptions apply to non-automated customs stations, accompanied baggage, international courier terminals and specified non-electronic deposit uses, with courier deposits migrating into ECL in the second phase. Deposits are made via portal-generated challans using authorised internet banking or NEFT/RTGS; payments may be made from ECL balances or via a front-end payment flow that creates and debits ECL. Refunds follow ECLR procedures and are not governed by Section 27.

Electronic Cash Ledger payments for customs liabilities commence in phases, requiring courier shipment payments through the ledger.
Electronic Cash Ledger is being implemented in phases for customs payments from 1 April 2023. It operates through non-interest-bearing deposits that may be used to pay customs duty, integrated tax, compensation cess, interest, penalties, fees, and other liabilities. Courier shipment payments must be made through ECL from 1 May 2023, while specified transactions and TR-6 challan payments remain exempt pending later migration. Registered importers, exporters, customs brokers, couriers, and eligible UIN holders may deposit funds and make payments through the ICEGATE portal. Unused balances may be used later or claimed through the ECL refund process.

Acceptance of Electronic Certificate of Origin allowed for CEPA preferential claims subject to format, verification, and e Sanchit upload.
Acceptance of Electronic Certificate of Origin issued by Japan is permitted for India-Japan CEPA preferential claims if the e-COO is in the prescribed format with authorised seal and signature and complies with Notification No. 55/2011. Authentication is to be verified via METI's CO Reference System using circulated credentials, with referral to the FTA Cell when necessary. The e-COO must be uploaded on e-Sanchit, particulars entered accurately in the bill of entry, and a printed copy produced for cross-checking as a substitute for defacement; ICES blocks duplicate COO reference use.

Identifier code declaration required in Bill of Entry item-level for specified telecom goods; must use Annexure values and system fields.
Importers and customs brokers must mandatorily declare an alphanumeric identifier code at the Bill of Entry item level in the Single Window BE_ITEM_INFO_TYPE table under the info_cd field for the specified telecom tariff headings, selecting the value only from the list in Annexure 2 of the Board circular; related fields include info_type, info_qfr and PNM/PID.

Electronic Cash Ledger requirement: phased migration to online deposits and payments for customs liabilities, with portal registration and bank integration.
The phased rollout requires liable persons to register on ICEGATE and create an ECL account, deposit non-interest-bearing sums via portal-generated challans using authorised internet banking, NEFT or RTGS and use ECL balance to pay customs and related liabilities by selecting payment challans in customs applications; a portal route permits immediate payment while creating and debiting an equivalent ECL deposit on the back end.

WBGST DIN introduced for GST communications; recipients can verify authenticity online and post facto DINs issued in exceptions.
The Directorate mandates electronic generation and prominent quoting of a WBGST DIN on specified GST communications issued by officers not below State Tax Officer from designated offices, except where GSTN portal numbers are used, communications originate from non-designated offices, or certain forms are manually issued outside office. The DIN's structure, verification via the Directorate website, and initial categories requiring DIN (summons, arrest memos, search authorisations, inspection notices and related notices/intimations) are prescribed. Technical or urgent field exceptions allow post facto DIN generation within three working days; absent DIN, communications are deemed invalid.

Portfolio managers must implement cyber security and resilience frameworks with rapid incident reporting and annual audits.
Portfolio managers with AUM of INR 3000 crore or more must implement a board approved Cyber Security and Cyber Resilience framework covering governance (board review, Technology Committee, designated CISO), asset identification and classification, risk lifecycle controls (identify, protect, detect, respond, recover), technical and physical safeguards, annual VAPT by CERT In empanelled firms with mandated remediation, continuous monitoring, incident forensics, RTO/RPO limits, immediate incident reporting to the regulator and CERT In, quarterly reporting, periodic training and annual independent audits.

NAV disclosure timelines revised for overseas-investing mutual fund schemes, permitting next-morning or SID-specified delayed public disclosure.
The circular revises NAV disclosure timelines for mutual fund schemes investing overseas, allowing differentiated outer time limits-same-day disclosure for most schemes, next-business-morning disclosure for schemes with certain overseas exposures or ETCDs, and SID-specified timing where same-day valuation is infeasible-while requiring AMCs to value underlying assets as of the T day.

First time import/export registration: single IEC registration suffices to undertake both import and export operations.
An IEC holder who completes first time import registration need not undergo a separate first time export registration (and vice versa); a single registration enables the IEC holder to undertake both import and export activities. Customs officers may verify registrations from the EDI-uploaded list of first time importers/exporters, and difficulties may be reported to the Deputy/Assistant Commissioner by email. These directions are to be treated as a standing order for officers and staff.