Export quota allocation for white sugar to EU designates a sole agency and prescribes EC certification for consignments.
The Director General of Foreign Trade allocates an export quota of white sugar to the EU for 2008-09, identifies the applicable Harmonized System classification, designates a single authorized export agency under the preferential quota regime, and prescribes the Special Certification entry to be recorded in EUR and GSP documents linking consignments to the applicable EC certification requirement.

Extension of export obligation block: regional authorities grant extensions subject to duty-saved payment; larger cases referred to HQ.
Regional Authorities are empowered to consider requests for extension of the Block of years for fulfilment of export obligation and may allow extensions on payment of 2% of duty saved on unfulfilled export obligation for each block for licences up to Rs.50 crores; cases above Rs.50 crores are to be forwarded to DGFT (HQ) for EPCG Committee consideration. The rule applies to all licences irrespective of date of issue and is effective from the date of the circular.

Import cutoff date for sandalwood applications set annually; late filings handled on first-come-first-served basis if quota remains.
Cutoff for filing applications to import sandalwood is fixed as the 31st of July in each licensing year; thereafter further applications will be processed on a first come first served basis provided the earmarked quantity has not been exhausted.

Corrigendum to SION amendments corrects serial numbers in Annexure A to align entries under the Foreign Trade Policy.
Corrigendum corrects numbering errors in Annexure A to the earlier public notice implementing SION amendments, issued under powers conferred by the Foreign Trade Policy and the Handbook of Procedures. Two serial entries in Annexure A of the prior notice were misnumbered and are amended to their proper sequence; the corrigendum is issued in public interest and records the administrative file reference.

Endorsement of supporting manufacturers as co-licensees enables direct import and amends duty credit scrips under the Status Holders scheme.
Licensing authorities shall endorse the names of supporting manufacturers appearing in shipping bills on export certificates so those manufacturers may import directly and shall be treated as co-licensees for DFCE under the Status Holders Scheme; duty credit scrips already issued under the scheme shall be deemed amended to this extent.

Proof of customs duty payment: attested TR 6 challan copies suffice for advance authorization regularisation, originals not routinely required.
For regularising shortfall under the Advance Authorisation Scheme, Regional Authorities may accept an attested copy of the TR 6 challan as evidence of customs duty and interest payment for issuance of the EODC; the original need not be insisted upon unless reasons are recorded. After EODC issuance, a copy of the challan with the EODC must be forwarded to the Customs Authority at the Port of Registration with a specific endorsement for cross verification before redemption of the Bank Guarantee or Legal Undertaking.

Validity of export licence fixed at 12 months; extensions allowed for R&D on technical authority recommendation.
Validity of export licence and authorisation is fixed at 12 months by amendment to sub paragraph (vi) of para 2.12 of the Handbook of Procedures (Vol. I), issued under paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy. The Export Facilitation Committee may, on recommendation of the technical authority, grant a longer validity for export authorisations in cases concerning R&D studies.

Customs duty on unutilized material payable with notified interest, clarifying payment obligations under handbook procedure.
The Handbook of Procedures, Vol. I is amended to state that customs duty on the unutilized value of imported or indigenously procured material is payable to customs authorities together with interest as notified, clarifying the payment obligation under paragraph 4.28(i)(a).

Amendment to Standard Input Output Norms updates input requirement for automotive steel wheel rims and deletes a related SION entry.
Amendment to the Standard Input Output Norms substitutes the norm for SION C-1878 governing inputs for the export of automotive steel wheel rims (12"-17", excluding wire wheels), specifying the permitted hot rolled sheet/wide coil input per unit of export product. The Public Notice concurrently deletes SION entry C-1879 as part of corrections to the Handbook of Procedures (Vol.2).

Standard Input-Output Norms added for resistance welding products, specifying eligible copper-alloy inputs and import-export input ratios.
Amendment to the Handbook of Procedures (Vol.2) adds SION entries C-2040-C-2044 for resistance welding products, specifying covered export items and identifying relevant copper-alloy input materials by form and type, and establishing the operative import-to-export input-output ratio to be used for compliance.

Certificate of Origin-Non-Preferential: new authorized issuer added to the official list by DGFT amendment.
The Director General of Foreign Trade amends Appendix 4-C of the Handbook of Procedures (Vol. I) to add M/s Association of Small & Medium Chemical Manufacturers (ASMECHEM) to the Maharashtra list of agencies authorized to issue Certificate of Origin-Non-Preferential, providing its address and contact details and issuing the change by public notice under the Foreign Trade Policy.

VKGUY product classification updated to include cashew under specified HS codes, enabling export benefits from the effective date.
Amendment adds a new VKGUY product classification for cashew in Table 10 of Appendix 37A, listing ITC HS codes 080131, 080132 and 20081910, and stipulates that export benefits shall be admissible with effect from 1.4.2007, made under Paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2004-2009 and issued by Public Notice No. 116(RE-2007)/2004-2009.

Standard Input-Output Norms revised for specified pharmaceutical exports, updating permissible input quantities and ingredient list.
Amendments revise the Standard Input Output Norms (SION) in the Handbook of Procedures (Vol.2) by updating SION entries for Citalopram Hydrobromide and Ampicillin Sodium Sterile, listing specified import items and prescribing revised input quantities per unit of export product to govern input entitlement and exporter compliance.

Standard Input Output Norms amendment adds entry for silicon metal permitting specified export and imported input substitution under trade policy.
Amendment adds SION entry C-2039: export product Silicon metal 99% minimum with export quantity 1 M.T., permitting import of Silicon metal 94-96% purity as allowed input in quantity 1.05 MT, as an addition to the Handbook of Procedures (Vol.2) under the Foreign Trade Policy.

Listing of Job-Workers on duty credit scrips permitted, with administrative listing and revalidation procedures clarified under Target Plus rules.
Amendments add Sr. No. 10A to Appendix 17D, introducing Annexures A and B as application forms to list job-workers on duty credit scrips where permitted imports are for 'own use'; clarify that Regional Authorities may list job-workers during the validity of the duty free credit entitlement certificate (acronyms DFCEC/DFCE), specify that sale of permitted imports to job-workers prior to conversion violates the Actual User and non-transferability conditions, and permit up to two one-year revalidations of scrips with applications to the Regional Authority within two months of expiry.

Listing of job-workers permits their inclusion on duty credit scrips subject to Actual User and non-transferability conditions.
Regional Authorities may list job-workers on DFCE/DFCEC duty credit scrips upon request in the Annexure A format; a new Sr. No. 10A is added to Appendix 17D for this purpose. Revalidations are permitted up to two times for one year each from expiry, with applications filed within two months of expiry. Annexure A allows listed job-workers to convert imports made for 'own use' into resultant products, subject to payment of duties on sale and compliance with Actual User and non-transferability conditions.

Export documentation amendment: column heading changed to 'Date of Exports as per Para 9.12' for Status Holder schemes
The Public Notice amends the CA certificate annexed to Appendix 17D by replacing the column heading 'Let Export Date' with 'Date of Exports as per Para 9.12' in the Statement of Export for Eligible Exports at item vi, applicable to the DFCE for Status Holders scheme and the Target Plus scheme entries in the Handbook of Procedures, Vol. I.

Import restriction for fuel: specify fuel, transfers only to licensed marketers, and fuel excluded from DEPB rates.
Applicants for Advance Authorisation must specify the exact fuel to be imported; imports of fuel are not permitted under Paragraph 4.7 of HBP Vol.1 or against Adhoc Norms. DFIA and erstwhile DFRC import entitlement transfers for fuel per SION may be made only to companies licensed to market fuel by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. Fuel is excluded from DEPB rate calculations, though exporters may seek a DEPB Brand Rate in ANF 4C for the customs duty component on fuel.

Focus Product Scheme eligibility for handloom products bearing Handloom Mark requires label numbers on export documents for benefits.
Focus Product Scheme benefits for handloom products bearing the Handloom Mark require exporters to record Textile Committee-issued Handloom Mark Label Numbers on at least one export document (shipping bill, invoice or packing list), with each piece matched to a label number. Regional Authorities shall grant benefits using the Scheme code on application supported by any customs-passed export document bearing the Handloom Mark Label Numbers, which constitutes acceptable proof for entitlement.

DEPB rate adjustments: revised export incentive value caps apply immediately to specified engineering, plastics, textiles and chemicals exports.
Amendments to the Schedule of DEPB rates are issued under Paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy and Paragraph 1.1 of the Handbook of Procedures, revising DEPB entries and value caps with immediate effect. The DGFT amends entries across product groups-Engineering, Chemicals, Plastics and Textiles-specifying DEPB rate adjustments and revised value caps for listed products and adding an entry for Titanium Dioxide (Rutile).