Export time limit imposed for authorized shipments of value added Red Sanders wood, requiring compliance within the prescribed period.
Amendment prescribes a definitive time limit for execution of the export authorization granted to the Government of Andhra Pradesh for value added products of Red Sanders wood; the DGFT, under Paragraph 2.04 of the Foreign Trade Policy, amends Public Notice No. 42 (RE-2013)/2009-2014 to impose a cut-off date for completion of the previously time-unlimited authorized export quantity, leaving existing procedural permissions unchanged except for the temporal limitation.

Tariff rate quota allocation for sugar exports: highest FOB bids win, BG and reporting required before shipment.
APEDA will allocate TRQ quota for export of raw sugar to the USA by issuing Registration-cum-Allocation-Certificates (RCAC) after sealed applications; allocations are awarded by highest FOB price in USD per MT, with identical prices allocated pro rata. Applications must include a performance bank guarantee equal to 5% of the FOB value in Indian Rupees and processing charges per MT. RCACs run for 90 days with one 30-day extension possible; exporters must submit export details within 15 days of RCAC expiry and non-shipment may lead to invocation of the bank guarantee and reallocation of surrendered quantities.

Export procedure for certified organic products: implementation ordered, excluding textiles and applying NPOP-based rules.
The Director General amends earlier public notices to bring the procedure for export of certified organic products included in the NPOP document into operation, directing that the export procedure notified earlier will come into effect for all certified organic products except Textiles, and noting subsequent supersession by a later public notice.

Export quota allocation for sugar requires compliance with certification and reporting conditions under CXL and TRQ rules.
Allocation designates specified quantities of white sugar for export under the CXL Quota to the European Union and raw sugar from the non-levy pool for export under the Tariff Rate Quota to the United States for the stated fiscal period; exports are treated as Free subject to conditions in the referenced notification. Release under the EU CXL requires a Certificate of Origin issued by the Additional Director General of Foreign Trade, Mumbai, and EUR endorsement by Customs, while US preferential certification, if required, will be issued by the same authority; reporting requirements must be followed.

Export obligation period for raw sugar shortened, pre import condition made mandatory under Advance Authorisation scheme.
Amendment to Appendix 4J adds raw sugar with a six month export obligation period under the Advance Authorisation scheme and makes the pre import condition mandatory. The export obligation period runs from the date of customs clearance of each import consignment and the change takes effect immediately under powers conferred by the Foreign Trade Policy.

IEC exemption revised: CIF value thresholds for specified border consignments raised, changing eligibility for IEC exemption.
Amendment revises the category of persons exempted from Importer-Exporter Code (IEC) exemption by adjusting CIF value ceilings for import/export consignments to and from Nepal, Myanmar (through Indo Myanmar border areas), and China (through specified frontier points), allocating distinct per consignment CIF thresholds by route and by port, and thereby changing the eligibility for the IEC exemption for small value border trade consignments.

Committee on Quality Complaints and Trade Disputes established to handle trade quality complaints and coordinate responses under foreign trade procedures.
Constitutes a Committee on Quality Complaints & Trade Disputes (CQCTD) for Kerala, including Regional Authority, Trivandrum, chaired by the Joint Director General of Foreign Trade, Cochin, to implement Chapter 8 of the Handbook of Procedures of the Foreign Trade Policy for effective handling of quality complaints and trade disputes; lists named members from DGFT, industry, standards, MSME, trade bodies, banks and special invitees, and directs circulation to DGFT offices, EP councils, Customs and notice boards for stakeholder notification and coordination.

Prescribed visiting hours for trade meetings set between 3 P.M. and 5 P.M.; prior appointments and agenda requested.
Prescribed visiting hours between 3 P.M. - 5 P.M. each working day are designated for meetings of non-officials and Members of Trade with officers at DGFT Headquarters; visitors may seek meetings with authorised officers during these hours but are encouraged to fix prior appointments and specify issues in advance to enable officer preparation and avoid unnecessary waiting. The arrangement applies only to DGFT Headquarters and regional authorities are advised to issue similar notices as per local convenience.

Mode of Deposit of Application Fees restored: demand drafts accepted; prescribed bank receipts and submission of two copies required.
The facility to accept Demand Drafts for application fees, penalties and other fees is restored by amending Appendix 2K. Fees may be deposited by Demand Draft in favour of the Head of the concerned DGFT Regional Office, or by cash/cheque for a Treasury Receipt Challan in an authorised Central Bank of India branch with the prescribed head of accounts and Bank Receipt showing the Department and Pay & Accounts Officer station. Deposit with Indian Missions abroad is permitted and applicants must submit two copies of the Bank Receipt as proof.

Abeyance of new export provisions preserves prior Pre Shipment Inspection Certificate issuance process under transitional authority.
The Director General of Foreign Trade keeps para 2.55 and para 2.56 of the Handbook of Procedures, 2015-20 in abeyance under paragraph 2.04 of the Foreign Trade Policy to facilitate transitional arrangements; meanwhile, issuance of the Pre Shipment Inspection Certificate (PSIC) shall continue to follow the procedure in para 2.32.2A and 2.32.2B of the Handbook of Procedure Vol. I, 2009-14 until further orders.

Track and Trace system mandates standardized barcodes and central data upload for exported pharmaceutical packaging to ensure traceability.
Manufacturers exporting pharmaceutical formulations must apply standardized barcodes at secondary and tertiary packaging and maintain parent-child packaging data, uploading prescribed data to a central government portal prior to release. Primary packs require human-readable GTIN, batch, expiry and serial information with barcode labelling initially exempted. Manufacturers or designated agencies are responsible for accuracy, completeness and timely upload. Transitional exemptions apply for consignments manufactured before the implementation date, and importing-country barcode mandates are permissible with licensing permission but do not negate domestic tertiary barcode requirements.

Services exports eligibility under SEIS links specified CPC-coded services to prescribed reward rates and policy conditions.
Notification under paragraph 2.04 of the Foreign Trade Policy establishes the Schedule (Appendix 3D) for the Services Exports from India Scheme (SEIS), specifying eligible services, Central Product Classification codes and admissible reward rates as percentages of net foreign exchange earnings for services rendered from April 1, 2015; the list and rates apply through 30 September 2015 subject to review. Rewards are subject to conditions in the Foreign Trade Policy and Handbook of Procedures; educational services exclude capitation fees and certain maritime rewards are limited to operations from India by Indian-flag carriers.

Merchandise Exports from India Scheme: Appendix 3B notifies country groups and HS code wise MEIS reward rates effective April 1, 2015.
Notification under paragraph 2.04 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-2020 notifies Appendix 3B to implement the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS), effective April 1, 2015. Appendix 3B contains Table 1 (Country Groups A, B, C, with a residual rule treating unlisted countries as Group C) and Table 2 (ITC(HS) code wise product descriptions with MEIS reward rates for each country group), establishing the operative destination classifications and HS code reward percentages for exporter entitlement.

Notification of Handbook of Procedures: FTP Handbook, Appendices and Aayat Niryat Forms notified, effective from 1 April 2015.
The Handbook of Procedures (Volume 1), its Appendices and the Aayat Niryat Forms are formally notified under paragraph 1.03 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2015-2020 and are brought into legal effect from 1 April 2015 as the procedural framework governing export-import operations under that Policy.

Pre-shipment inspection agency delisting removes recognition and prohibits issuance of pre-shipment inspection certificates by the agency.
A Pre-Shipment Inspection Agency's recognition was cancelled following allegations of mis-declaration and concealment in its application; consequently the Directorate exercised powers under the Foreign Trade Policy to amend Appendix 5 by deleting the agency's entry and rendering it ineligible to issue Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificates.

Agri-Infrastructure Incentive Scrip: defective applications must be rectified by the specified deadline or face summary rejection.
Submission and rectification requirements for Agri-Infrastructure Incentive Scrip applications filed for the half year October 2013-March 2014: applicants with notified deficiencies must cure them within the prescribed timeframe or their applications will be summarily rejected and no further correspondence will be entertained.

Single PAN single IEC requirement: additional IECs will be deactivated unless holders surrender extra IECs to authorities.
Only one IEC shall be issued against a single PAN. Where multiple IECs exist for one PAN, excess IECs will be deactivated suo moto after the compliance date, and holders may retain one IEC while surrendering others to the concerned Regional Authorities for cancellation within the prescribed timeframe to regularise records and maintain data integrity.

VKGUY benefit eligibility clarified: product descriptions determine entitlement, irrespective of HS codes, for the specified export period.
Amendment to Appendix 37A revises ITC HS codes for specified VKGUY items and reassigns Tamarind Kernel Powder to a new entry. Affected items retain previously notified incentive rates. For exports between 25 February 2014 and the date of this Public Notice, VKGUY benefits shall be admissible based on product description per Public Notice No. 52 irrespective of the ITC (HS) code in shipping bills; that intervening period will not be counted for late cut calculation and the date of this Public Notice will be deemed the date of export.

Application fee correction for online IEC: regulatory corrigendum reduces the stated online IEC application fee under trade policy.
The Director General of Foreign Trade, under paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy (2009-2014), issues a corrigendum to Public Notice No.79/(RE-2013)/2009-2014 clarifying that the application fee for online IEC applications should be read as Rs. 250 instead of Rs. 500, and directs that the corrected fee figure be applied to online IEC processing.

Electronic Importer-Exporter Code: new electronic format issued on online application with system-generated SMS and email notification.
A new electronic format for the Importer-Exporter Code (e-IEC) is introduced as Appendix 18B-1 for IECs issued on the basis of complete online applications, while the existing format remains for physically issued IECs. Regional Authorities will process online applications and notify grant or refusal by system-generated SMS and by sending the e-IEC certificate or rejection letter to the applicant's registered email. The e-IEC is a computer-generated certificate with specified fields and an online verification facility; holders must update changes in name, address or constitution within the prescribed period to retain import/export eligibility.