SCMTR compliance extended to allow stakeholders to file electronic cargo and transhipment declarations without penal action during interim.
The transitional period for implementation of the Sea Cargo Manifest and Transhipment Regulations (SCMTR) is extended until 31.05.2025 to allow stakeholders to test and file required electronic export, arrival and transhipment messages; officers are directed not to initiate penal action during the interim where stakeholders are making demonstrable efforts to comply, while monitoring, outreach and publicity measures must be undertaken to ensure timely adoption.

Personal carriage procedures for gems, samples, and prototypes enable electronic customs filing, temporary detention and airport clearance protocols.
The Circular establishes a harmonised procedure for import/export of gems and jewellery and samples/prototypes via personal carriage, mandating electronic filing and processing of Bills of Entry and Shipping Bills from 01.05.2025 at specified airports. It prescribes stakeholder roles: importers/exporters must file advance declarations with travel and trade identifiers; passengers must request temporary detention and obtain Detention Receipts; customs will verify, seal, escort and warehouse detained parcels pending clearance or LEO; eligible parties may opt for factory-premises examination or movement under bond. Time targets and amendment/cancellation processes are specified, and DG Systems will issue detailed advisory on electronic processing.

Waiver of interest permitted where TDS/TCS payments debited on time but credited late due to technical glitches.
Order authorizes CCIT/DGIT/PrCCIT under section 119 to reduce or waive interest under section 201(1A)(ii)/206C(7) where TDS/TCS payments were debited from the taxpayer's bank account on or before the due date but not credited due to technical problems beyond taxpayer control; a speaking order after hearing and verification from the bank/Directorate of Systems is required; paid interest may be refunded if waived; applications must be filed within one year from end of the relevant financial year and disposed of within six months; the designated officer's order is final.

Local Risk Management System mandates targeted and approved interventions to manage customs clearance and monitor compliance.
Local Risk Management System administration designates the Additional/Joint Commissioner in charge of SIIB as System Administrator who assigns LRM roles and oversees maintenance, security, and liaison with the National Risk Management system. The RMS implements targeting and intervention tools: targets match intelligence to bills and alert Targetors, while interventions permit approved percentage-based checks of consignments to monitor compliance; both require proposer and approver remarks, impact analysis, and cautious use given possible effect on AEO clients. Random examination percentages are applied and system outages revert processing to normal ICES procedures. Feedback must be routed to NRM.

Deletion of specified input: 'Walnut in any form' removed from export inputs list, easing compliance under advance authorizations.
The entry for Walnut in any form has been deleted from Appendix-4J of the Handbook of Procedures (HBP-2023), thereby removing that item from the list of specified inputs subject to the Appendix-4J pre-import condition under advance authorizations and altering the scope of items governed by that regime.

Section 128A benefit: earlier GSTR 3B tax payments accepted; subsequent payments must use prescribed DRC 03 procedure.
Payments made through FORM GSTR 3B before the statutory provision came into force are eligible for the Section 128A waiver if paid prior to the effective date and intended for the demand; once the provision is in force, payments must be made by the prescribed modes including the dedicated payment form and electronic liability register credits. For notices/orders covering periods both within and outside the waiver window, taxpayers may pay tax for covered periods, file the prescribed special application form to avail the waiver, and must inform the appellate authority or tribunal that they will not pursue appeals for the covered periods, whereupon the authority will pass orders for the remaining periods.

GST e invoice integration: mandatory submission to DGFT portal proposed to claim deemed export benefits under FTP.
Proposal would require GST e-invoices received from GSTN on the DGFT BO portal as mandatory documentary evidence to claim deemed export benefits under the Foreign Trade Policy, enabling automated validation of e-invoices and GST returns for verification of deemed export transactions and eBRC corroboration to improve transparency and compliance.

Camera module classification clarified: integrated camera assemblies qualify for concessional treatment while separate components face standard customs duty.
The camera module comprises parts such as lens, sensor, FPCB assembly, bracket/holder, connectors and mechanical parts whose essential character is the camera; classification must follow Rule 3(b) GRI. Integrated camera assemblies that function only as cameras shall be treated as camera modules and attract the concessional basic customs duty rate under the relevant notification entry, whereas individual components imported separately will attract their applicable basic customs duty rates.

Container scanning compliance: selected import and export containers must undergo DTCS scanning before terminal exit.
Import and export containers selected by the risk based Container Selection Module must be presented to the Drive Through Container Scanning System (DTCS) at Tuticorin Port and scanned before terminal exit. Terminal operators, custodians, carriers and shipping agents are responsible for moving selected containers to DTCS, verifying container and seal numbers against EIR/CODEX documents, and obtaining endorsed scan results. "SCANNED OK" endorsements permit release; "SCANNED SUSPICIOUS" triggers 100% or marked area examination at designated CFSs. If DTCS is non functional, DC/AC (CSD) may order release subject to physical verification and 100% examination.

Alignment of interest of AMC designated employees: revised mandatory investment slabs, lock in, disclosure and compliance requirements.
Amendments require Designated Employees of AMCs to mandatorily invest slab wise minimum percentages of gross annual CTC (net of income tax and statutory contributions) into schemes they oversee, with two options for ESOP inclusion; role based slab assignment and a lower slab for liquid fund specialists. Up to seventy five percent of required liquid fund investments may be placed in higher risk AMC schemes based on the prior month's risk ometer. Lock in, redemption and insider trading rules are adjusted and governance requires committee led preliminary examinations and quarterly public disclosure of aggregate mandated employee investments.

Related party transaction information standards delayed to allow stakeholder feedback and revision by the industry forum.
Applicability of the Industry Standards on minimum information for audit committee and shareholder review of related party transactions has been deferred to a revised effective date to allow stakeholder feedback; the Industry Standards Forum must consider feedback, simplify and reissue the Standards on a time-bound basis, and stock exchanges are directed to inform listed entities. The circular is issued under the regulator's statutory powers and published on its website.

Review of SIONs for automobile tyres: stakeholders must submit modification proposals with certified supporting data to DGFT.
The Directorate has initiated a review of the SIONs for automobile tyres and requests Export Promotion Councils, exporters, trade bodies and other stakeholders to submit proposed modifications with detailed justification, production and consumption data, and wastage norms certified by a Chartered Engineer. Proposals and supporting documents must be emailed to the designated inbox for examination within the response period specified in the Trade Notice.

Online filing requirement for Regulation 10(7) reports via SEBI Intermediary Portal becomes the sole permissible mode, replacing email.
SEBI requires that reports for acquisitions covered by specified Regulation 10 exemptions be filed through the SEBI Intermediary Portal for the exemptions in Regulation 10(1)(a)(i) and 10(1)(a)(ii), with a transitional parallel filing period followed by portal only filing; fee payment must be made via the portal and a filing is complete only upon such payment, while reports for other Regulation 10 exemptions continue to be filed by email.

Disclosure of holding of specified securities: shareholding formats amended to require NDU, encumbrance and fully diluted share disclosure.
The Master Circular's shareholding pattern formats are amended: Tables I-IV must disclose Non Disclosure Undertakings, other encumbrances and total encumbered shares (including NDUs); underlying convertible securities include ESOPs; and a new column will capture total shares on a fully diluted basis (warrants, ESOPs, convertible securities). A Table II footnote provides access to promoter/promoter group entries with nil shareholding. Stock exchanges must notify companies and amend rules as needed; depositories must update systems. Amendments take effect from the quarter ending June 30, 2025.

Lab-grown diamond declaration: exporters may voluntarily omit additional qualifiers for small stones; mandatory qualifiers apply otherwise.
A concession makes declaration of additional qualifiers voluntary for exports of Lab Grown Diamonds (HPHT/CVD) weighing less than one carat, while mandatory additional qualifiers continue to apply for all other imports and exports of synthetic or reconstructed diamonds to ensure accurate identification and facilitation.

DigiLocker integration for investor holdings enables nominee notification and access to prevent unidentified unclaimed assets.
The circular directs AMCs (and RTAs) and Recognised Depositories to register with DigiLocker as issuers to enable investors to fetch holding statements, recent transaction statements and consolidated account statements into DigiLocker; KRAs must electronically share verified instances of investor demise and death-certificate information with DigiLocker to update user status and notify DigiLocker nominees, who may access fetched financial statements after authentication, while transmission norms for mutual fund folios and demat accounts remain unchanged.

Social Stock Exchange minimum application size for Zero Coupon Zero Principal Instruments reduced to Rs. 1,000.
The circular amends the SSE issuance condition for Zero Coupon Zero Principal Instruments by reducing the minimum application size from rupees ten thousand to rupees one thousand, replacing the earlier provision with: "(4) The minimum application size shall be rupees one thousand." The amendment is issued under the regulator's statutory powers and is effective immediately as part of the existing SSE framework.

RTI administration assigns CPIO and appellate jurisdictions across customs functions, with link officers ensuring continuity during officer absences.
Central Public Information Officers and First Appellate Authorities are designated under the RTI Act, 2005 for defined Airport and Air Cargo Complex customs functions. CPIO jurisdictions include establishment, administrative, airport, import, export, courier, intelligence, vigilance, adjudication, accounts, and laboratory matters. Appeals against CPIO decisions lie to the FAA having jurisdiction. First and second link officers shall act as the respective CPIO or FAA during the notified officer's leave or absence, and the notice specifies addresses and the channel for RTI fee payment.

Extension of RoDTEP annual return filing deadline announced, with a corresponding three month grace period for FY 2023 24 exports.
Extension of the deadline for filing RoDTEP Annual Return for Financial Year 2023-24 is announced, moving the last filing date to 30.06.2025 and extending the related grace period to 30.09.2025; the action is taken under powers in the Foreign Trade Policy and applies to Annual RoDTEP Returns referenced in the Handbook of Procedure and prior Public Notice.

GST classification clarifications define agriculturist exemptions and commodity-specific rates affecting pepper, popcorn and AAC blocks.
The circular clarifies that pepper of genus Piper is classifiable under HS 0904 at 5% GST and dried pepper or raisins supplied by an agriculturist are exempt and not liable for registration under Section 23(1) of the WBGST Act; ready-to-eat popcorn mixed with salt and spices is HS 2106 90 99 attracting 5% if unpackaged and 12% if packaged and labelled, while sugar-coated popcorn is treated as sugar confectionery at 18% GST; AAC blocks with over 50% fly ash fall under HS 6815 at 12% GST; and the amended Compensation Cess entry for utility vehicles applies from the notified effective date.