Advance licence entitlement expanded to include line-of-credit and ECGC-backed deferred supplier credits; import reservation and procurement clarified.
Amendments revise Advance Licence, EPCG and DFRC entitlements to include exports under Government of India/EXIM Bank Lines of Credit and ECGC-backed Deferred Payment/Suppliers Line of Credit contracts, delete a specified interest term from bank guarantee undertakings, require Industry Outreach Programmes for exporter/importer awareness, prohibit direct import of items reserved for State Trading Enterprises against advance licences while permitting procurement via ARO, and clarify amendment, fulfillment and automatic enhancement procedures for export obligations and licence usage.

Refund of Terminal Excise Duty conditioned on recipient's non availment of CENVAT credit; documentation and authority communication required.
Supply of goods qualifies for refund to Terminal Excise Duty only if the recipient has not availed CENVAT credit/rebate; deemed export drawback on central excise paid on inputs/components is available only where CENVAT credit/rebate has not been availed by the applicant, while deemed export drawback on customs duty for inputs/components remains available. Claims may be filed with the Development Commissioner or the Licensing Authority, and when the Licensing Authority allows benefits it must notify the Development Commissioner with invoice details. Applications must include recipient and applicant self-declarations regarding non availment of CENVAT and excisability.

Deemed export benefits: amended claiming criteria apply prospectively to supplies made on or after the public notice date.
The amended claiming criteria for deemed export benefits apply to supplies made on or after the Public Notice date amending sub paras 8.6(ii) and 8.6.1. For projects under para 8.6.1 the claim period is computed from the last day of the month, quarter, or half year in which the last payment was received or the last supply was made, as per the supplier's option. The facility for late submission with the prescribed late cut under the Handbook is retained.

Standard Input-Output Norms amended to add and revise product-specific import-export norms across chemicals, engineering, plastics, textiles.
Directorate amends the Standard Input-Output Norms in the Handbook of Procedures by making targeted amendments, deletions, corrections and additions to SION entries and by adding new entries across Chemicals and Allied Products, Engineering Products, Plastic Products and Textile Products; each SION entry specifies export items paired with enumerated permissible import inputs and allowed quantities or formulae, with some norms substituted, shifted between groups, or accompanied by conditional notes, and these changes are to be incorporated into the Handbook SION tables.

Declaration of Technical Characteristics required in shipping bills; DFRCs withheld unless declaration or customs attested additional declaration provided.
Declaration of Technical Characteristics, quality and specification of inputs under Para 4.31 must appear in the shipping bill for DFRC issuance; if absent, an additional declaration attested by Customs must be submitted, and for Deemed Exports an additional declaration attested by the Excise authorities over the recipient unit is required.

Import restriction declaration required for EPCG applications, confirming goods are not restricted or prohibited under ITC HS classification.
EPCG applicants must declare that items proposed for import are not restricted or prohibited under the ITC(HS) Classification and must state the applicable ITC(HS) codes when filing applications; a reference has been made to DGFT for clarification and trade is to include this declaration pending guidance.

Import restrictions on agricultural products limit scheme eligibility and require designated agencies for all edible oil imports.
The amendment excludes specified agricultural commodities from import eligibility under the trade scheme where they attract duties above a stated threshold, including certain vegetables, fruits, spices (except cloves), tea, coffee, pepper, all oilseeds, and natural rubber. It also requires that edible oil imports under the scheme be routed only through designated state trading enterprises (STC and MMTC).

Import restrictions on agricultural products: specified commodity exclusions and mandated state-trader route for edible oils.
Imports of agricultural products in Chapters 1-24 are permitted under the Handbook subject to exclusions: vegetables, specified fruits and spices with duties above thirty percent are barred; tea, coffee and pepper are excluded; all oilseeds and natural rubber are prohibited; and edible oils may be imported under the scheme only through STC and MMTC.