Return of export cargo due to maritime disruption: simplified customs procedures allow berth, seal verification, and shipping bill cancellation.
The Board, invoking Section 143AA of the Customs Act, 1962, prescribes expedited procedures for export cargo returning to India due to closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Vessels must generally berth only at their port of departure. Distinct procedures apply depending on whether EGMs/SDMs were filed or whether the vessel called foreign ports, including master's undertakings, possible waiver of SAM, offloading without Bills of Entry subject to verification, container seal checks with 100% examination if tampered, cancellation of Shipping Bills and Let Export Orders, recovery of export incentives, and interim manual record-keeping until system updates enable post-EGM cancellations and inter-agency reporting via ICEGATE.

Back to Town permission for stranded export containers allows movement without EGM when seals intact, waiving inspections and fees.
Exporters or authorised Customs Brokers may apply to the Assistant/Deputy Commissioner (Export) for Back to Town movement where EGM has not been filed; Dock preventive officers will verify container seals and Shipping Bill and stuffing records, and if the seal is intact, physical examination is waived and BTT-related fees and penalties under the Customs Act or regulations are waived. The measure is effective immediately until further orders or normalization of shipping operations.

Risk-sharing support expands MSME access to export finance for under-served markets via Exim Bank-backed guarantees.
Government launches EPM NIRYAT PROTSAHAN to provide risk-sharing support for eligible MSME export transactions to under-served markets via Exim Bank and NCGTC. Support covers specified non recourse trade finance instruments (SBLC, RP, IRU, LC confirmation/negotiation, UPAS LC). MSMEs generate a UIN on the DGFT portal and apply through partner banks that sign MRPA/CBA with Exim Bank. Risk coverage is allocated by a comprehensive score model (10%-80% guarantee to the Trust; Exim Bank/partner bank covers the balance), subject to MLP and country/exporter/transaction/issuer caps; claims are settled by Exim Bank and reimbursed by the Trust.

Credit assistance for e commerce exporters expands guarantee cover and interest relief to eligible MSMEs to boost cross border e commerce financing.
Pilot Credit Assistance for E Commerce Exporters provides credit guarantee cover and interest subvention for Cash Credit, Overdraft and other working capital facilities to eligible MSMEs engaged in cross border e commerce. Implemented through Exim Bank and NCGTC with a dedicated trust, the scheme sets eligibility (IEC and Udyam registration, export track record or inventory in recognised hubs/overseas warehouses), distinct Direct and Overseas Inventory facilities with prescribed ceilings, guarantee coverage, tenure and fees, an online UIN based application process, claim invocation timelines, and governance by a Sub Committee on Trade Finance.

Customs formalities for foreign warship allowed at GRSE shipyards with temporary boarding station and supervised clearance.
Permission is granted to treat GRSE shipyards/units as temporary Boarding Stations and as a proper place for loading and unloading of EXIM cargo to allow customs formalities for the Seychellean Coast Guard Ship SCGS Zoroaster for import for repair/refit and subsequent re-export. Preventive officers of the nearest NSD will supervise boarding, examination and unloading; assessment will be handled by the respective import and export groups; manual Bill of Entry for import and manual Shipping Bill for re-export are permitted. Supervision of loading/unloading and refitting activities will be by the AC, NSD. The order is limited to this purpose and subject to legal and functional responsibilities of the shipping agent.

Monitoring of personal guarantor insolvency processes requires electronic filing of specified forms within prescribed timelines and compliance obligations.
The Board requires Resolution Professionals to file stage specific electronic Forms (PGIRP 1 to PGIRP 6) on its portal for insolvency resolution processes of personal guarantors, with DSC/e signature and OTP authenticated modification capability. Each Form must be submitted within the prescribed timeline following the relevant event, with templates and mandatory document uploads provided. RPs bear sole responsibility for timely, complete and accurate filing; non compliance or inaccurate filings may attract Board actions including refusal to issue or renew Authorisation for Assignment. A transitional period before penalties is specified, and technical support and FAQs are available.

Voluntary debit freeze facility introduced to prevent debits from mutual fund folios until investors unlock them via MF Central.
A voluntary debit freeze will prevent debits from demat and non demat mutual fund folios until unlocked, to be enabled via the MF Central RTA platform for KYC compliant investors with validated email and mobile. AMFI will prescribe locking/unlocking procedures and the list of permitted transactions during the lock period, with AMCs/RTAs required to disclose the process and impacts on their websites and in the Statement of Additional Information.

Export Obligation extension automatically extends specified Advance and EPCG authorisations' EO period without composition fee.
Export Obligation periods for specified Advance Authorisations and EPCG Authorisations whose original or extended EO or block-wise EO periods expire within the identified expiry window are automatically extended until 31.08.2026 without requirement of application, endorsement, amendment, or payment of composition fee; this extension is additional to existing HBP extension facilities, previously paid composition fees are not refundable, customs shall allow exports accordingly, and Regional Authorities will examine EO compliance at EODC issuance, closure, or regularisation.

Election period preventive vigilance: mandatory seizure reporting and district upload into the CVIGIL system for prompt action.
The SOP requires Kolkata Customs Zone to implement election period preventive vigilance under CBIC Instruction No. 22/2023: nominate State, sub nodal and district nodal officers; operate a central Control Room and Response Teams; prevent diversion of liquor, cigarettes and contraband; and treat seizures that may induce voters as election seizures. Sub nodal officers must relay seizure information daily to district nodal officers, who are required to upload details into the CVIGIL application on the same day, following the prescribed district wise workflow and ECI directions.

Preventive vigilance to curb illicit cash and smuggled goods during elections, with mandatory reporting and nodal coordination.
CBIC field formations must step up preventive vigilance to stop unaccounted cash, non-monetary inducements and smuggled or illicit goods during elections; maintain surveillance over consignments, baggage, courier and cargo for abnormal large-volume shipments; and report daily seizures and significant developments to nominated Nodal Officers in the prescribed format, immediately notify major or highly sensitive incidents, and communicate the cost of goods linked to canvassing, with supervisory accountability for lapses.

Chartered Engineer certification for used machinery requires relevant expertise, with importers and Customs Brokers responsible for careful selection.
Certification of second-hand, old and used imported machinery must be obtained from an empanelled Chartered Engineer with specialisation or expertise related to the relevant class or type of goods. Determining the age of a second-hand machine is an engineering exercise requiring a qualified engineer. Importers and Customs Brokers may choose any suitably specialised empanelled Chartered Engineer, but must exercise that choice carefully to avoid rejection of the certification.

Regulatory reporting by AIFs now requires an annual comprehensive SI Portal filing with reduced limited quarterly returns for streamlined compliance.
AIFs must submit a comprehensive Annual Activity Report on the SEBI Intermediary Portal within thirty calendar days of the financial year end, and a reduced Quarterly Activity Report in a revised format within fifteen calendar days of each quarter (excluding the March quarter, which is covered by the annual report). Revised reporting formats will be published by the AIF Standards Forum/industry association, which will assist AIFs in implementing the changed reporting requirements; the circular supersedes prior Master Circular provisions and is effective immediately.

Custodian governance and operational requirements strengthened: segregation of services, risk management, BCP and reporting streamlined.
SEBI prescribes that custodians (except banks or their affiliates) segregate SEBI-regulated activities into separate Strategic Business Units with arm's-length accounting and exclusion from net worth calculation, disclose and obtain client acknowledgement for unregulated services, and implement controls when sharing resources. Custodians must adopt board-level governance, an annually reviewed risk management policy with a designated senior risk officer and STR measures, maintain scalable IT capacity and a Business Continuity Plan with geographically or seismically separated DR sites, and implement orderly wind-down arrangements to ensure client portability.

Supply chain resilience group operationalised to monitor disruptions and coordinate mitigation with stakeholders and agencies.
Operationalisation of Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) for Supply Chain Resilience establishes a Department of Commerce coordination mechanism to monitor global developments affecting supply chains, assess sector-wise export and critical import vulnerabilities, facilitate inter-ministerial coordination, engage stakeholders including Export Promotion Councils, recommend mitigation measures, and receive reports of specific disruptions through a designated DGFT email for consolidation and monitoring.

Voluntary post-clearance Bill of Entry revision is enabled electronically, with risk-based review and refund workflow integration.
Voluntary post-clearance revision of Bills of Entry under Section 18A is available through the ICES module. Importers must submit requests on ICEGATE for amendment, deletion or addition of records. Requests undergo Risk Management System treatment and may be facilitated or referred to a Revision Officer, who may approve, query or reject them. Revisions resulting in refund claims are flagged for officer processing and, upon approval, automatically transferred to the Refund Officer under the existing refund workflow.

IEC hold prevents grant of Let Export Order until revoked by the site that inserted the hold.
ICES now includes an EXP_HOLD role allowing authorised officers to insert and revoke an IEC-level hold that blocks grant of Let Export Order for all shipping bills pending LEO; the system displays a prohibition message at LEO generation and records the inserting officer and site in SB Enquiry. A corresponding HOLDDRI role permits DRI holds. Revocation is limited to the site that inserted the hold, and holds from both field and DRI roles must be removed before LEO can be granted.

Automated Let Export Order enabled - system grants Auto LEO based on risk flag, streamlining export clearance.
Implementation of an Automated Let Export Order (Auto LEO) in ICES enables system-driven grant of LEOs based on a flag from NCTC that supersedes other treatment codes. After shipping bill submission and goods registration, ICES will grant Auto LEO and move the shipping bill to the EGM/stuff queue only if NCTC has selected the shipping bill for Auto LEO. The facility applies to facilitated shipping bills that are not selected for assessment/examination, require no PGA NOC, and have duty/cess paid where applicable.

Automated Out of Charge allows release of import consignments when risk-based clearance, assessment and duty payment conditions are satisfied.
Automated Out of Charge (Auto-OoC) is enabled for Bills of Entry assigned Auto-OoC treatment based on risk criteria, provided the BE is not selected for examination, scanning or PGA NOC, assessment is complete, and applicable duty is paid; any officer-imposed hold will override Auto-OoC.

Deferred import duty payment period extended to 30 days, with holidays excluded from due-date and interest calculations.
The deferred payment period for import duty is extended from fifteen days to thirty days for Bills of Entry filed on or after 1 March 2026. The enhanced system excludes public holidays, all Sundays and local notified holidays from due-date and interest calculations. System Managers must annually update local holidays via Holiday Management (ADN role) so the system correctly applies the exclusion. The Public Notice functions as a standing order for Kolkata Customs (Port) and stakeholders are instructed to publicise the change and report issues to EDI/ICEGATE contacts.

Supplementary IGM amendment under SCMTR extended to allow pre-entry amendments; stakeholders urged to test and adopt compliant messaging.
Continuation of the facility for filing Supplementary IGM amendment prior to grant of Entry Inwards under the Sea Cargo Manifest and Transhipment Regulations is permitted until 31st March, 2026 to allow trade to test amendment scenarios and for activation of the BL Enquiry Module; stakeholders are advised to familiarise with SCMTR-compliant amendments, file messages for smooth clearance (notably Nepal & Bhutan transhipment cargo), and report implementation difficulties to the Deputy/Assistant Commissioner (EDI).