Opening of Extension Counter: Indore office established to extend Joint DGFT Bhopal services and define territorial jurisdiction.
Amendment under paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2009-2014 revises Appendix 1 of the Handbook of Procedures (Vol. I) by updating S. No. 16 for the Joint Director General of Foreign Trade, Bhopal, and establishing an Extension Counter at Indore with specified address, contact details and territorial jurisdiction covering Madhya Pradesh except areas under the Deputy Director General of Foreign Trade, Nagpur.

Status Holders Incentive Scrip: procedural filing, entitlement rules, and use for capital goods imports under Actual User conditions.
New HBP Vol. I provisions govern the Status Holders Incentive Scrip (SHIS): applications for 2009-10 and 2010-11 exports must be filed in ANF3E to the jurisdictional RA by prescribed deadlines, with CA certification and supporting export documentation. SHIS entitlement and use are clarified: shipments remain eligible where VKGUY/FMS/FPS benefits are claimed and foreign exchange realisation is in the Status Holder's name; merchant Status Holders may list supporting manufacturers as co-licensees; SHIS scrip is usable for import duty payment on Capital Goods for specified sectors under Actual User conditions.

Export obligation reporting: EPCG holders must submit annual fulfillment report or face denial of further authorizations.
EPCG Authorization Holders must submit to the concerned Regional Authority, by 30 April each year, a prescribed report on fulfillment of the export obligation showing licence/authorization number, stipulated obligation and export obligation fulfilled in domestic and foreign currency; non compliance may invite administrative action including denial of further authorizations.

Market linked export benefits: Apparels added to focus products list, enabling targeted export incentives for specified markets.
The Director General of Foreign Trade amends Appendix 37D, Table 6 of the Handbook of Procedures, Volume I to add apparels (readymade garments) as a New Market Linked Focus Product with the relevant ITC(HS) classifications and designates the linked markets as the United States and the European Union, thereby making exporters of those apparel classifications eligible for the specified market linked export benefits during the announced eligibility period.

Market linked focus products expanded, enabling export benefits for listed goods to specified overseas markets, effective January 2010.
Amendment adds new Market Linked Focus Products to Appendix 37D, Table 6 of the Handbook of Procedure Vol. I, making specified electronics, electrical, mechanical, agrochemical and other goods eligible for export benefits for shipments made on or after 1.1.2010, with ITC(HS) product codes and identified linked markets. A separate composite entry adds various petro products with listed ITC(HS) codes linked to Algeria, Nigeria and Mexico.

Import licence quota for rough marble blocks: applications invited under specified eligibility and documentation requirements for fiscal year.
Invitation for applications for import licences for rough marble blocks for financial year 2010-11 under Notification No.36/2009-2014 with a quota of 3 lakh MT. Applications in Aayaat Niryaat Form must be submitted to the concerned Regional Authority by 9 April 2010. Eligibility requires an established marble gangsaw in the unit's name on or before 23.10.2009 (not on lease) meeting machine specifications; SSI/SIA registration evidencing operation by 31.3.2004; processing equipment shown in the 31.3.2004 balance sheet certified by a Chartered Accountant; Income Tax return for 2003-04 evidencing processing; CA certificates and CA certified statements proving indigenous sales turnover for 2004-05 to 2008-09 as prescribed.

Variety identification for basmati rice: Customs may send export samples to authorized testing centres including AGMARK.
The Basmati Export Development Foundation (BEDF), Modipuram, is designated as an authorized testing centre for variety identification of basmati rice; Customs may draw export samples and send them for analysis to BEDF in addition to AGMARK testing centres, pursuant to the administrative direction issued with the approval of the Director General of Foreign Trade.

Port registration requirement for import authorizations mandates single port registration, with customs permission needed for any change.
Import authorizations for restricted items must be issued for import through the port type indicated in writing by the applicant and registered at the specified port; thereafter imports under the authorization shall be made only through that registered port unless customs permission is obtained to import through another specified port. For rough marble, the port of registration is mandatory and must be indicated in the application. A new ANF 2B entry records Port of Registration as required by the amendment.

Export controls: new ANF 2EE framework governs site visits and record access for SCOMET-related arrangements.
Insertion of ANF 2EE requires applications to DGFT(Hqrs.) for arrangements involving site visits, on-site verification or access to records/documentation related to Appendix 3 of Schedule 2 ITC(HS); applications are evaluated by an Inter Ministerial Working Group against criteria including purpose, party and end user credentials, supply chain integrity, diversion risk, foreign export control measures and treaty applicability; permissions are conditional on confinement to stated purposes, sites, individuals and timeframes, recordkeeping, prohibition on exchange of goods/technology during visits, additional assurances as required, and compliance with the Weapons of Mass Destruction Act, 2005, with violations inviting civil or criminal prosecution.

Special Additional Duty refund procedure permits recredit into export scrips subject to document submission and timelines.
Applications for recredit of Special Additional Duty into DEPB, VKGUY, FPS and MLFPS scrips must be submitted at the R & I counter with the original license file number; claimant details must be endorsed if different from the license holder. Claims must be made on an individual license basis. Where a consolidated credit note exists, a self certified photocopy of that note must accompany each license claim with the file number of the original. Applications must be filed within three months of issuance of the consolidated credit note and are subject to prescribed documentation and conditions.

Acceptance of foreign currency cash: qualifies for EPCG export obligation discharge and SFIS eligibility with RBI-compliant surrender and records.
Service providers under the EPCG Scheme may count foreign exchange received as cash in foreign currency notes towards their export obligation (EO) and for SFIS eligibility, provided such cash payments are within RBI-prescribed limits, surrendered to Authorized Persons as required, and recorded in a separate register containing the foreign consumers' name, passport number, date and amount received.

Tariff Rate Quota Scheme amended to set eligible imports and concessional duty treatment, and to specify quota recipients for milk products.
The Tariff Rate Quota Scheme is amended to identify four tariff lines permitted for import at specified annual quotas and concessional customs duty rates. The amendment further revises Part (a) of para 2.59.1 to designate National Dairy Development Board, State Trading Corporation, National Cooperative Dairy Federation, NAFED, MMTC, PEC and STCL as eligible entities to receive allocations for Milk Powder and specified milk fats under the quota.

Import of ships under SFIS: installation certificates not required; ships treated as moveable capital goods and permitted under the scheme.
Ships and other moveable capital goods imported under the SFIS scheme are permitted as capital goods for the shipping sector; the FTP vehicle exclusion introduced from the 2005-06 foreign exchange earning period does not apply to ships. Because ships are moveable capital assets and are registered to obtain Indian flag status, Customs shall not insist on an installation certificate for such imports. The non requirement of installation certificate extends to EPCG imports by service providers of moveable capital goods.

Duty credit scrips compliance: rectify application deficiencies by the prescribed deadline or risk rejection of entitlement claims.
Applicants for Duty Credit Scrips under the Foreign Trade Policy who filed with the CLA, Delhi during the designated filing window must rectify identified deficiencies by the specified deadline or face application rejection; applicants are required to supply missing or corrective documentation within the stated timeframe to preserve entitlement to export-linked duty credit benefits.

Border trade access: free import/export limited to residents with trade passes under the Foreign Trade Policy.
Amendment under paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy restricts free import/export of specified local commodities to residents of border districts who are issued trade passes; the listed items and paragraphs 2 and 3 of the earlier public notice remain unchanged.

Flexibility for silk input substitution permits alternate silk varieties for exported textiles, subject to proportional composition requirements.
Amendment to the Handbook of Procedures permits specified alternative silk inputs under the Standard Input Output Norms for textiles-allowing Dupion, Tussar, Spun Silk and Noil Silk as substitutes for certain export product inputs. Where products comprise multiple silk varieties or include Spun Silk blends with other fibres, alternate inputs are allowable only in proportion to the constituent ratios of silk or the ratio of Spun Silk blended with other fibres.

Toilet and kitchen linen added to Focus Products, making specified HS codes eligible for export benefits under the trade policy.
Under Paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2009-14, two tariff entries were added to Appendix 37D, Table 4 effective for exports from 1 January 2010: HS 63026000 for toilet and kitchen linen of terry toweling or similar terry fabric of cotton, and HS 63029900 for toilet and kitchen linen of other textile materials, thereby listing these items as Focus Products eligible for export benefits under HBPv1 (Appendices and Aayat Niryat Forms).

Rescission of export allocation: withdrawal of CXL concessions sugar export allocation to EU, effective immediately.
The Director General of Foreign Trade, under powers conferred by the Foreign Trade Policy, 2009-14, rescinded Public Notice No. 41/2009-2014 with immediate effect and withdrew the previously allotted quantity of white sugar for export under CXL concessions to the European Union for the fiscal year 2009-10 as an action taken in public interest.

RCMC issuance rules: exporters without Export Promotion Council coverage may obtain RCMC from FIEO as an option.
Amendment designates that where an export product is not covered by any Export Promotion Council or Commodity Board, the Registration cum Membership Certificate (RCMC) is to be obtained from the Federation of Indian Exporters' designated forum; additionally, multi product exporters not registered with any EPC, and whose main line of business is not discernible, have the option to obtain the RCMC from that designated forum.

Input-output norm amendment for dish ends updates required steel input, increasing steel consumption per unit export.
Amendment to SION C-1808 specifies that Dish Ends (ellipsoidal or circular) made of non alloy/alloy/stainless steel require non alloy/alloy/stainless steel plates/coils of the relevant grade quantified in relation to the steel content of the exported product.