Reduced export performance criterion permits Export House qualification for exports to specified LAC, CIS and African countries.
Specifies that exporters to listed Latin American, CIS and Sub Saharan African countries are eligible for a reduced three year average FOB/FOR export performance threshold to qualify for Export House status under the Exim Policy 2002-07. The circular enumerates eligible countries and records totals of 49 African, 12 CIS and 44 Latin American countries for application in computing average export performance for export house recognition.

Import of secondhand capital goods: allowed to actual users subject to age based import and EPCG debonding conditions.
Import of second hand capital goods is freely allowed to an actual user only if the goods are not more than ten years old at import; EPCG debonding is restricted, permitting debonding for second hand goods under the ten year threshold after a holding period on payment of duties, while goods older than ten years may be debonded only against an import licence and duty payment. Additional amendments reclassify service provider export house nomenclature, permit SEZ DTA sales subject to duties and tariff change rules, require jewellery exports to reflect wastage norms and to compute CIF from FOB per Handbook value addition, and adjust depreciation and various appendix entries.

DTA sale entitlement updated: revised eligibility, certification and monitoring rules for export oriented units.
Amendments revise operational, entitlement and monitoring rules for EOU/EPZ/SEZ units: clarify accounting for duty free imports and intra unit transfers, restrict DTA clearances to goods similar to exports with BOA referral for disputes, and correct appendix cross references. DTA sale entitlement procedures, certification, advance sale conditions and sectoral exceptions are defined. Monitoring obligations require Development Commissioners to conduct periodic joint reviews, apply NFEP/NFE calculation and amortisation rules, initiate show cause and penal action for persistent shortfalls, and submit prescribed proformas to the Ministry.

Input-output norms updated to amend standard SION entries, adding and correcting import allowances for specified export items.
The public notice amends the Handbook of Procedures, Vol.2 by fixing and modifying Standard Input Output Norms, adding, substituting and deleting sectoral SION entries. It prescribes precise import items and allowable quantities tied to listed export items across Chemicals, Engineering, Food, Plastic, Textile and Miscellaneous categories, introduces conditional component substitutions and CIF-value caps for minor inputs, and adds a testing/certification compliance note for certain textile exports.

Exemption from Special Additional Duty for DEPB exports allows pre-policy-change shipments to be treated under prior handbook rules.
Exemption from Special Additional Duty is allowed for DEPB shipments where the date of order of "Let Export" is prior to the policy change; DEPB entitlement must use the rate and exchange rate applicable on the date of the "Let Export" order and DEPBs must be endorsed to show issuance under Customs notification 34/97 read with paragraph 7.43 of the Handbook of Procedure (Vol.1), 1997-2002. Procedures are prescribed for filing separate DEPB applications, surrendering and reissuing DEPBs for mixed-date shipments without additional application or TR, endorsement of partly utilised DEPBs, and use of counter assistance and licensing authority processing.

DEPB endorsement amendment permitted for exports prior to notification application, enabling re endorsement under prior EXIM provisions.
Authorization to amend DEPB endorsements where Customs Notification No.45 was applied to pre cut off exports; DGFT to issue instructions and update software. Exporters may submit affected DEPBs for amendment and re endorsement under the prior EXIM Policy and Customs Notification No.34 of 1997, with expedited processing at the original collection counters.

Advance license restrictions: only declared manufacturing inputs allowed; finished goods and mere packaging operations excluded.
Advance license issuance for deemed exports is limited to inputs required for manufacture as specified in the Legal Undertaking/Letter of Permission/Letter of Intent; applicants must submit that instrument and licenses shall not cover fully finished goods or supplies to units engaged only in packaging, labeling, segregation, or refrigeration.

SPS quota allocation for raw cane sugar to the EU prescribes certification endorsements and designates a sole authorised exporter.
An SPS quota for export of raw cane sugar to the EU for 2002-2003 is allocated with a required certification endorsement referencing the applicable European Commission regulation and the common code for sugar. The Indian Sugar Exim Corporation Ltd. is appointed as the sole agency authorised to export under this quota, pursuant to the Handbook of Procedures and with DGFT approval; Customs and port offices are directed to implement the measure.

State of Origin requirement: exporters must show state code in shipping bills to protect export benefit eligibility.
Exporters must indicate the State of Origin using the prescribed state code in Shipping Bills per ITC (HS) classifications; failure to do so may lead to rejection of applications for export benefits. An annexed list of state names and corresponding codes is provided, and exporters and CHAs are advised to verify the correct state code before presentation to Customs.

Duty free import prohibition on natural rubber: imports and DFRC replenishment disallowed until further notice.
A public notice amends the Handbook of Procedures, Vol. II to add a General Note prohibiting duty free import of natural rubber despite its inclusion in the Standard Input Output Norms, and expressly bars duty free import against Duty Free Replenishment Certificate entitlements until further notice.

DEPB issuance procedures clarified; FOB conversion, manual shipping bill documentation, separate policy-period applications, and mandatory electronic filing.
DEPB applications must be filed on Appendix.10 C with prescribed documents; FOB in free foreign exchange (column 14 of the Bank Realization Certificate) is to be converted to Indian Rupees at the export exchange rate notified by the Ministry of Finance applicable on the customs "Let export" date. For manual shipping bills exporters must attach a self certified photocopy of the DEPB shipping bill (second copy) showing customs examination endorsement. Separate applications must be made for exports under the 1997-2002 policy and the 2002-2007 policy. Electronic filing is to be made compulsory for all exporters within one month.

DEPB declaration requirement: applicants must submit a signed letterhead declaration excluding specified export categories for affected licences.
Applications for DEPB licences issued on or after 1.4.2002 must include a duly signed letterhead declaration stating that the export products covered by the shipping bills are not: manufactured in a customs warehouse; exported against an Advance Licence or under the DFRC scheme; produced by a 100% EOUs; from free trade/export processing/Special Economic Zone/EHTP schemes; goods of foreign origin unless processed in India; or exports under paragraphs 2.35 and 2.36 of the Exim Policy.

Export-import compliance: revised security, documentation and DEPB validity rules alter licence and guarantee obligations under the Handbook.
Amendments to the Handbook of Procedures (Vol.1) revise applicability, security and documentation requirements: DEPB exclusion from paragraph 2.12.2; duplicate DEPB validity matching original balance where loss unrelated to Customs or Licensing Authorities; revised bond/guarantee and legal undertaking obligations for Status Holders/PSUs, manufacturer and merchant exporters; free import of second-hand capital goods up to ten years for actual users; enhanced recordkeeping for licence-wise consumption; and multiple corrections to application forms, appendix formats and FOB treatment for DEPB computation.

DEPB schedule amendments update export entitlement rates and value caps, correcting, deleting and adding product entries accordingly.
Amendments to the Schedule of Duty Entitlement Passbook (DEPB) rates effect corrections, deletions and additions across product groups under authority of the Export and Import Policy and Handbook. The notice revises DEPB rates and, where applicable, value caps for multiple chemical products (Product Code 62), corrects a typographical product name without changing other parameters, deletes specified Chemical-group entries, adds a Polyester Film entry to the Plastic group (Product Code 63), and inserts several new Chemical-group DEPB entries with stated rates and, in some cases, capped entitlement values.

Input-output norms modification updates permitted inputs and imposes actual-user restrictions on textile import licences.
The Director General of Foreign Trade amends the Handbook of Procedures, Vol.2, by correcting, substituting and adding entries in the Statement of Standard Input Output Norms across chemicals, engineering, food, sports, textiles and miscellaneous products; inserts new entries A-2976 to A-2980, I-35 to I-38 and K147 to K152 with detailed permitted input items and quantities; and amends textile general notes to impose an "Actual User" licence condition restricting transfer and requiring use for further export production.

Preferential Nepal imports follow annual quotas, designated land customs stations, and regulated agencies for vegetable fats
Preferential import of vegetable fats, acrylic yarn, specified copper products, and zinc oxide from Nepal is permitted at prescribed customs-duty rates and within annual quantity limits. The quota period runs from 6 March to 5 March, with unused quota generally lapsing without carry-forward. Imports must pass through designated Land Customs Stations. A special extension applied to the 2003-2004 vegetable-fats quota until 5 December 2004. From 23 October 2003, the State Trading Corporation and its appointed associates were designated to import vegetable fats, with responsibility for distribution and monitoring, alongside the Central Warehousing Corporation.

Export quota release for onions permits allocation to designated agencies for export under specified terms until deadline.
A quota of 6.00 (Six) Lakhs M.T. of onions, excluding Bangalore Rose and Krishnapuram varieties, is released for export up to 31st March, 2003 under Para 2.4 of the Export and Import Policy, 2002-2007. The quota is allocated to specified agencies and State Trading Enterprises for export either directly or through registered exporters on the same terms and conditions as Notification No.16(RE-2000)/1997-2002 dated 17.5.2000, except for the export time limit which is as indicated.

Import of crude drugs permitted without licence for manufacture of Ayurvedic, Unani and other traditional medicines after correction.
Import of crude drugs listed in licensing note no. 2 at the end of Chapter 12 of the ITC(HS) Classification is allowed without a licence for the manufacture of Ayurvedic, Unani or other systems of medicine; the previous heading stating import was "subject to Actual User Condition" was an editing error and is deleted.

Export quota release for onions permits specified agencies to export allocated quantities under existing terms until prescribed deadline.
Director General of Foreign Trade released an export quota of 1 lakh metric tonnes of onions (excluding Bangalore Rose and Krishnapuram varieties) for export up to the prescribed deadline; exports must follow Notification No.16(RE-2000)/1997-2002 terms except for the revised time for export. The quantity is allocated among specified agencies and state trading enterprises for export, either directly or through registered exporters, with each agency assigned a defined allocation.

DEPB rate corrections: exclusions expanded and product-group chemical entries amended, including deletions and new entries.
Corrections to the Schedule of DEPB Rates amend the General Instructions to exclude DEPB applicability for goods manufactured in Customs Act Section 65 warehouses, under Advance Licence/DFRC fulfilment, by 100% EOU units, in FTZ/EPZ/SEZ/EHTP schemes, exports of foreign-origin goods unless processed in India, and exports under specified EXIM Policy paragraphs; and revise Product Group - Chemicals by correcting DEPB rates and value caps for listed products, deleting a specified chemical entry, and adding new chemical and tyre-related entries.