Restricted import regime for IT hardware with targeted exemptions for SEZ/EOU captive use and amendable authorisations online.
Units in Special Economic Zones and specified export oriented units are exempt from restricted import authorisations for specified IT hardware for captive consumption only. Spares, parts, assemblies, sub assemblies, components and other necessary inputs for the notified IT hardware are not restricted. IT items incidental to imported Capital Goods are exempt from licensing, but not where the IT items themselves are primary Capital Goods. Multiple import authorisations may be obtained and authorised quantities may be amended online provided the overall authorised value remains unchanged.

GST audit completion deadline extended by three months for designated officers auditing specified businesses for the relevant financial year.
Commissioner of State Tax-cum-Secretary for Bihar grants a three-month extension under section 65(4) of the Bihar Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, for completion of GST audits relating to financial year 2018-19. The extension applies to designated officers auditing specified registered business entities in Patna East and Darbhanga divisions, including DEN Networks Ltd, Orient Blackswan Pvt Ltd, Bajrang Prasad Agrawal, Vikash Kumar Gupta, Binod Kumar Sah, and Ram Akbal Sudhir Ghee Trading Company.

E invoicing mandate: eligible taxpayers must issue e invoices or declare exemptions, or face invalidation and penalties.
E-invoicing is mandatory for notified taxpayers exceeding the aggregate turnover threshold for B2B and export supplies; taxpayers exempted by notification must declare their exempt category on the portal, otherwise invoices not issued via the prescribed e invoicing mechanism will not be treated as valid and penal provisions may be invoked. Field formations will be provided lists of non compliant taxpayers to investigate reasons, nudge compliance, initiate penalties for continued non issuance, and report systemic issues to portal administrators.

Master Circular consolidation of SEBI directives preserves prior approvals and proceedings under corresponding provisions of the new circular.
Consolidation of SEBI circulars into a Master Circular effective on issue, updating references and rescinding listed circulars while preserving prior acts, applications, registrations, investigations, rights, obligations and proceedings by deeming them to have been taken under corresponding provisions of the Master Circular; undefined terms adopt meanings from applicable securities statutes and regulations and the circular is issued under SEBI's statutory regulatory powers to protect investors and regulate the securities market.

Re-import exemption for unsold exhibition jewellery may allow clearance without import licence despite import restriction change.
Re-import of unsold jewellery exported for exhibition under Handbook export provisions may be cleared by Customs without an import licence despite the import policy change of the relevant tariff lines from free to restricted; Customs clearance should be in compliance with applicable customs provisions.

Processing of refund claims extended for electronically filed returns, permitting time-barred refunds to be processed under prior conditions.
The Board has directed that validly filed electronic returns with refund claims that had become time-barred under the second proviso to subsection (1) of Section 143 should be processed despite the prescribed limitation, subject to the previously specified conditions and exceptions; this partial modification retains all other conditions of the earlier orders unchanged.

Input tax credit reversal required for ITC shown in GSTR 2A but unclaimed in GSTR 3B, with mandatory corrective filings.
Registered taxpayers whose ITC appears in GSTR 2A but is not claimed in GSTR 3B must be identified, issued advisories, required to claim the ITC in GSTR 3B for the relevant month and simultaneously effect the ITC reversal entry in GSTR 3B table 4(B)(1) pursuant to Rules 42 and 43; zonal offices must compile block wise lists, secure corrective filings, and submit daily progress reports to headquarters in the prescribed format.

Export Obligation Discharge Certificate processing accelerated through RA camps to update and issue EODCs online, prohibiting manual issuance.
Regional Authorities must organise dedicated camps to expedite pending EODC applications for Advance Authorisations and EPCG, publicise the camps to exporters with un redeemed licences, and reserve post lunch sessions for processing. RAs shall examine physical files where submitted and generate EODC letters online via the License Room or accept exporter online EODC status updates; redeemed authorisation status must be updated in DGFT online systems. EODCs are to be issued only online and transmitted to the Customs ICEGATE system; manual or legacy system issuance is prohibited.

Beneficial ownership identification expanded and mandatory CDD required, imposing group wide AML measures and enhanced trustee disclosures.
Registered intermediaries must implement group wide AML/CFT programmes, complete CDD before account relationships, and identify beneficial owners: natural persons with more than ten percent ownership or control (fifteen percent for unincorporated associations), with trusts requiring identification of settlor, trustees, beneficiaries with ten percent or more interest and ultimate controllers. Intermediaries must periodically update CDD, apply EDD to PEPs and higher risk jurisdictions, obtain missing identity records for existing clients or close accounts after notice, permit intra group information sharing with safeguards, and appoint a management level Principal Officer for suspicious transaction reporting.

Ex-bond shipping bill requires warehouse code and into-bond BE details; no export incentives available.
An Ex-Bond Shipping Bill in ICES 1.5 requires declaration of a single warehouse code and item-wise into-bond BE details; one warehouse per SB and one into-bond BE per item are mandatory. Filing debits exported quantities from the ledger, cancellations re-credit and amendments adjust the ledger. Ex-Bond SBs apply only to warehoused goods (including exports under Section 65 permission) and are treated as free SBs, ineligible for export incentives such as drawback, RODTEP, ROSCTL, advance authorization, or EPCG.

Customs Broker Licensing Examination online CBT established, with Form-A application, documentary verification and published eligibility lists.
The Customs Brokers Licensing Examination will be conducted as an online Computer Based Examination by NACIN. Applicants must submit completed Form A in person or by registered/speed post to the appropriate Commissionerate with identity, educational, financial and other supporting documents, two passport photographs and the prescribed fee within the specified submission period; incomplete or late applications will be rejected and eligible candidate lists will be published on the Commissionerate website/notice board.

Appointment of Approved Valuer for jewellery valuation establishes duties, fee limits, reporting and empanelment conditions.
Appointment of an Approved Valuer for valuation of gold, silver, jewellery, precious and synthetic stones, and valuable articles for import/export and for seized/confiscated goods within the Mangaluru Customs Commissionerate, subject to strict adherence to prescribed procedures; annual performance reporting to customs authorities; a capped, slab-based service fee schedule with a minimum charge and applicable GST; fees borne by the stakeholder except where the Department disposes seized goods; five-year empanelment with interim review and possible extension.

Customs Brokers Examination: online CBT in March 2024; apply with Form A, documents and Rs.500 by 17.11.2023.
The online written Computer Based Test for Customs Broker licensing under Regulation 6 (150 bilingual MCQs; 2.5 hours; +3/-1 marking; pass 60%) will be held in March 2024; applications in Form A with prescribed documents and Rs.500 fee must be submitted between 18.10.2023 and 17.11.2023 to the designated Customs office; eligible candidates will be listed by 08.12.2023, admit cards issued online and by email, successful candidates will face a separate oral exam (60% pass) in Q2 2024, and applicants are limited to six attempts with disability accommodations available upon request.

Appointment of Central Excise Officer for adjudication of specified show cause notices against M/s Ind Aust Maritime.
Using powers under rule 3 of the Service Tax Rules, 1994 read with clause (e) of sub section (2) of section 174 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, the Board appoints the Additional Commissioner/Joint Commissioner, CGST & CX, Belapur Commissionerate as the Central Excise Officer empowered to exercise the powers of Chapter V of the Finance Act, 1994 for adjudication of the listed show cause notices, and directs that the specified SCNs issued to M/s Ind Aust Maritime Pvt. Ltd. be made answerable to the officers named in the table.

Input Tax Credit permitted on GST-paid materials transferred between units under Advance Authorization, subject to GST law and customs intimation.
Transfers of duty-free imported or indigenously procured material under the Advance Authorization Scheme require prior intimation to the jurisdictional Customs Authority; where GST has been paid on such transferred inputs between units, availment of Input Tax Credit shall be governed by the provisions of the GST law and the rules made thereunder.

Know Your Client (KYC) norms: uniform KYC form, mandatory PAN verification, digital e KYC options, and KRA cybersecurity rules.
Master Circular consolidates SEBI's Know Your Client (KYC) requirements, effective on issue, requiring intermediaries to update KYC by December 31, 2023. It mandates a uniform KYC form using CKYCR templates, online PAN verification as the unique identifier, lists accepted PoI/PoA, authorises digital KYC (electronic signatures, DigiLocker, VIPV) and Aadhaar e-KYC through a KUA/sub-KUA model while prohibiting storage of full Aadhaar numbers. KRAs and CKYCR must validate attributes, maintain audit trails, enable portability of validated records, and implement a prescribed Cyber Security and Cyber Resilience framework with incident reporting and audit obligations.

Seizure of gold: claimants must assert ownership now or disposal will proceed under customs disposal procedures per Disposal Manual.
Claimants asserting legal ownership of gold and valuables transferred to New Customs House, Panambur, Mangaluru must notify the office immediately; absent timely objections, disposal will be initiated under the procedures of the Disposal Manual, 2019. This publication serves as a notice under Section 150 of the Customs Act, 1962 and follows the custodial transfer and inventory of seized items.

Suspension of SION E-125 for Shea Stearine exports; exporters may apply for Advance Authorisation under Handbook provisions.
The Suspension of SION E-125 removes the Standard Input Output Norm for export of Shea Stearine with immediate effect under Paragraphs 1.03 and 2.04 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023; the suspension remains until a revised SION is established based on production and consumption data submitted by exporting firms. Exporters may apply for Advance Authorisation under Paragraph 4.07 of the Handbook of Procedures, 2023 during the interim.

Total input tax credit governs interest calculation for wrongful IGST availment; interest applies only where combined ledger falls short.
Total input tax credit across IGST, CGST and SGST in the electronic credit ledger is to be treated as the available balance for computing interest on wrongful availment and reversal of IGST credit under rule 88B(3) and section 50(3). No interest arises if, from availment until reversal, the combined ITC balance never falls below the wrongly availed amount; when it does fall below, the extent of deemed utilization equals the shortfall and interest is chargeable to that extent. Compensation cess credit is excluded from this calculation.

Refund procedure for unregistered persons: temporary registration and FORM GST RFD-01 enable tax recovery after contract or policy cancellation.
Enables unregistered recipients who bore GST on advance payments for long-term supplies to claim refund where contracts/policies are cancelled and credit notes cannot be issued. Requires temporary portal registration using PAN, selection of supplier's State/UT, Aadhaar authentication, bank details in applicant's name, and filing FORM GST RFD-01 under 'Refund for Unregistered Person' with statement 8, supplier certificate, and supporting documents. The refund cannot exceed tax declared on relevant invoices; the supplier's cancellation letter is the relevant date for limitation; only proportionate tax on amounts actually refunded by supplier is claimable.