Hedging of Commodity Price Risk permitted overseas using specified derivatives subject to bank safeguards and reporting requirements.
These Directions permit residents other than individuals to hedge commodity price risk and freight risk in overseas markets using permitted products (futures, forwards, vanilla options, swaps, and certain structured products), subject to bank verification of contracted or anticipated exposure, alignment of hedge quantity and tenor, board approved hedging policy, risk management capability, OTC counterparty jurisdictional acceptability, routing of payments through a special account, statutory auditor certification, corrective action reporting to the Reserve Bank, limited SBLC/guarantee use for margins, and quarterly reporting to the Reserve Bank.

GST Council set timelines for e Way Bills, deferred e Wallet and TDS/TCS, and tasked committees on return design.
The Council ratified specified notifications and circulars, amended Anti Profiteering Rules (notably Rule 134), designated GIC as the IT grievance committee with GSTN and CBEC system heads as invitees, set e Way Bill dates (inter State from 1 April 2018; staggered intra State rollout in April 2018), deferred IGST accounting and e Wallet implementation (to 1 October 2018), postponed TDS/TCS and reverse charge introduction to 1 July 2018 with a GoM to study reverse charge for composition taxpayers, and referred the new single monthly return design for further GoM/IT group consideration.

One-time default intimation for DPD importers fixes a default stacking code, waiving repeated advance notifications to shipping lines.
DPD importers at JNCH may submit a one time default intimation via CSLA to fix a default stacking code for all future FCL consignments; shipping lines and terminal operators must update records so those consignments are treated as DPD without repeated advance notifications. Exceptions require advance intimation for specific consignments. Customs broker submissions must include importer authorization and prescribed supporting documents, and correspondence will use declared email addresses with issues referred to the DPD Cell.

CFS gate module implementation requires main line operators to complete one-time authorization registration before mandatory cargo movement controls commence.
Implementation of the CFS Gate Module under ICES Version 1.5 for movement of containerized import cargo to Container Freight Stations was postponed to 18 March 2018. Main Line Operators were required to register one-time authorizations by 17 March 2018, with no further extension contemplated. Gate passes cannot be generated during truck movement from terminals to CFSs; instead, Preventive Officers must endorse prescribed vehicle, container, seal, gate pass, date and time particulars on the Cargo Movement Approval Order.

Refund of IGST on export claims: Saturday trading enabled to submit concordance tables to clear SB005 errors.
Refund of IGST on export consignments pending due to error code SB005 will be expedited by allowing exporters to submit concordance tables on Saturdays so Customs can immediately process those refund claims as a trade facilitation measure.

Refund of IGST on export: exporters must correct shipping-bill errors listed in annexure to enable speedy refund processing.
Refund of IGST on export under Rule 96 is addressed; the notice attaches Annexure A listing shipping bills filed at ICD Tughlakabad with GSTN integration error response codes and requests exporters to identify and rectify the errors per prior public notices so IGST refund claims may be processed speedily.

IGST refund on export invoice mismatches: officer interface allows customs verification and concordance submissions to process claims.
An alternative officer interface mechanism allows a Customs officer to verify GSTN and Customs EDI invoice data and sanction IGST refunds in cases flagged with error code SB005 where GSTR 1/Table 6A invoice details are correct despite discrepancies in Shipping Bills; exporters must submit a concordance table mapping GST invoices to Shipping Bill invoices (Annexure A) to the designated Assistant/Deputy Commissioner and refunds will be credited only electronically through PFMS. The facility applies to Shipping Bills filed up to 31 December 2017.

Bank guarantee self renewal requirement: unconditional self renewal language needed to avoid delays in warehousing bond extensions.
Submission of bank guarantees for extending warehousing bonds must include an unconditional Self Renewal Clause; guarantees containing a Written Claim Clause conditionally limiting bank liability contradict the self renewal requirement, causing processing delays, and trade participants are advised to submit guarantees with proper unconditional self renewal wording.

Mandatory digital submission of supporting documents for bills of entry; noncompliant filers face prohibition on paper filing.
The Commissionerate mandates uploading digitally signed supporting documents through e SANCHIT for all bills of entry filed at Jamnagar from the notified date; hard copies of uploaded documents will not be required, additional documents during assessment must be uploaded via e SANCHIT, and originals requiring verification must nonetheless be uploaded prior to clearance. Custom Brokers and self filers who have not used e SANCHIT will be barred from filing documents on ICEGATE after the prescribed cut off, and the directions constitute a standing order for officers and staff.

e-SANCHIT mandatory uploads required; non-compliant customs filers barred from electronic filing and hardcopies not insisted.
e-SANCHIT uploads are obligatory for all Appraising Groups at Visakhapatnam Custom House; filers who do not use e-SANCHIT will be barred from filing on ICEGATE. Customs officers will base assessment on uploaded documents, will not insist on hardcopies when documents are on e-SANCHIT, and original documents requiring verification must still be uploaded and may be inspected in person by relevant Appraising Group officers.

IGST refund on export invoice mis-match: officer-interface camp for filing Annexure A to enable manual amendment.
Refund of IGST on exports pending solely due to invoice mis-match (error code SB005) may be addressed through manual amendment by filing Annexure 'A' via an officer-interface established at ICD Tughlakabad help camps. Exporters or authorised representatives must attend with the relevant shipping bill page, supporting invoice and GSTR-1/GSTR-3B documents to enable reconciliation and submission of Annexure 'A'; the remedy is available only for cases where refund delay arises exclusively from error code SB005.

Refund status reporting framework updated with a designated nodal officer, daily email submission, and GSTN data coordination requirements.
The commercial tax administration amended the earlier refund-monitoring arrangement by updating the designated State Nodal Officer for Refund Status after an official NIC email ID became available. The designated officer remained Ms. Vidisha Kasturi, Assistant Commissioner, Commercial Tax, Headquarters, Lucknow, and the revised email address was specified for official communication. Zonal additional commissioners and refund nodal officers were directed to send refund-related information in English, in Excel format, on every working day before 4:00 PM through the designated email ID.

Separate limit for Interest Rate Futures: dedicated FPI long-position allocation with exchange monitoring and breach rectification.
The circular allocates a separate long-position limit for FPIs in Interest Rate Futures, modifies prior SEBI circular provisions accordingly, and prescribes that only net long positions of FPIs in each IRF instrument be aggregated for the cap while excluding net shorts. It further imposes an individual FPI long-position cap, requires stock exchanges to monitor and publish aggregate FPI net long positions daily, trigger alerts as utilisation nears the allocation, and mandates that FPIs causing any breach must square off excess positions within a short prescribed timeframe or by contract expiry. Existing Government securities limits remain exclusively for Government securities.

IGST refund invoice mismatch: special rectification camp to assist exporters correct filings and clear pending refund claims.
IGST refund claims are delayed due to invoice mismatches between Shipping Bills and GST returns identified as error code SB005; the Board has provided an administrative mechanism to reconcile such mismatches under Circular No. 05/2018-Customs, and a special rectification camp will be held to assist exporters and trade associations in correcting filings and clearing pending refund claims.

Form E 13 requirement: present the form before LEO issuance to ensure direct container movement to port.
Form E-13 must be presented after registration and before issuance of the Let Export Order (LEO); it is not required at entry into Parking Plazas but is a mandatory prerequisite to LEO to ensure containers move directly to the port terminal. The same timing applies to refrigerated and perishable cargo containers, exporters should plan movements to avoid last minute congestion, and implementation constitutes a standing order for officers and staff.

Mandatory importer identification in bills of lading: require GSTIN, IEC and email to enable screening and DPD processing.
Importers must ensure exporters include IEC, GSTIN and an official importer email in bills of lading. Shipping lines discharging at Nhava Sheva terminals must obtain these details and indicate them in the IAL; shipping lines may use the details for container stacking codes. The measure aims to prevent unclaimed or hazardous consignments and to facilitate Direct Port Delivery. Importers, customs brokers and port staff are directed to comply, and contact points are provided for reporting difficulties.

Self-sealing registration for electronic container sealing requires EDI registration and submission of specified exporter documents.
Exporters holding Self Sealing Permission, Factory Stuffing Permission, or AEO status must register those permissions with JNCH EDI through the FSP Cell and follow the RFID electronic sealing procedure; permissions issued by other ports/ICDs require submission of self-attested copies for EDI registration.

Restriction on places of import: insecticides permitted only through designated ports, ICD and specified international airports.
Rule 45 of the Insecticides (Fourth Amendment) Rules, 2017 confines imports of insecticides listed in the Schedule to specified places of entry: a designated Inland Container Depot and specific seaports for sea imports, and specified international airports for air imports; Cochin is no longer a notified port for such imports, and stakeholders must comply with these designated entry points when importing scheduled insecticides.

Invoice mis match in export filings impedes IGST refund processing; officer interface permits verification and correction before sanctioning refunds.
Refund delays arise mainly from exporters filing inconsistent invoice data between GST returns and Customs shipping bills-mismatched invoice numbers, taxable values and IGST amounts-and from incomplete or incorrect GSTR 1/Table 6A or GSTR 3B entries; exporters are directed to amend via GSTR 1 Table 9, monitor ICEGATE error reports, and ensure invoice compliance so records pass GSTN validation and are forwarded to Customs for automated refund processing.

Customs Compliance Verification enables post registration automated clearance upon duty payment, subject to risk and interdiction checks.
Turant Customs enables importers to self register imported goods on the ICEGATE portal after arrival and initiates a Customs Compliance Verification during which the proper officer conducts statutory checks. If satisfied that clearance is appropriate but for duty payment, the officer logs CCV completion so that the system will electronically clear the Bill of Entry upon payment, subject to existing risk management interdictions, agency alerts and local contingencies; ICES 1.5 provides an automated clearance queue for officers.