Export through air ports permitted for finished leather, wet blue and EI tanned leather subject to sample testing.
Permission is granted to permit export of finished leather, Wet Blue and EI Tanned Leather through air ports in addition to previously authorised sea ports and ICDs. Customs may draw samples where required for certification and testing as per finished leather norms, and samples are to be certified by notified laboratories under the prescribed procedure.

Advance authorization redemption permitted based on spices sample analysis, with monthly reporting and sampling rules retained.
Regional Authorities may redeem advance authorizations for spices based on Sample Analysis Reports furnished by the spices testing board, applying to pending and future cases; RAs must submit a consolidated monthly report of such redemptions to the Norms Committee-IV, while sampling and analysis provisions remain unchanged.

e-BRC mandatory: backdated manual BRCs with amended issuance dates after the mandatory date are not acceptable.
DGFT requires electronic Bank Realization Certificates (e-BRCs) as mandatory proof of export proceeds per Policy Circular No.6. Manual BRCs bearing amended or backdated issuance dates will not be accepted where the original issuance falls on or after the mandatory effective date, to protect issuance date integrity and authenticity of bank-issued realization evidence for DGFT applications.

Export controls on finished leather: permit through specified ports subject to laboratory sampling and certification.
Export of Finished Leather, Wet Blue and EI Tanned Leather is permitted only through notified sea ports and ICDs; officials of the Central Leather Research Institute at those ports/ICDs will draw samples in the presence of Customs where required. Samples will be tested and certified by CLRI or other approved laboratories in accordance with the finished leather norms prescribed in the earlier Public Notice, with additional ports/ICDs to be notified by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade as necessary.

Closure of export obligation defaults by payment of customs duty with capped interest, interest payable in cash, deadline imposed.
An option is provided to regularise past defaults in Export Obligation by payment of the corresponding customs duty for the shortfall together with interest calculated from the date of import to date of payment, with interest capped so it does not exceed the customs duty payable. Customs duty may be paid in cash or by debiting valid duty credit scrips, but the interest must be paid in cash. Payment must be completed by 31 March 2014 and separate procedural and reporting instructions will be issued.

SION notification adds Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulphate export entry with specified input allowances under Foreign Trade Policy.
Notification establishes a new SION entry for Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulphate (Active Matter 69% min.) and specifies permitted input items and their authorized input-to-output quantities per kilogram of export product: Palm Kernel Fatty Acid Distillate, Copper Chromite Catalyst, Ethylene Oxide, Caustic Soda Flakes, and Sulphur, thereby incorporating the SION into the Chemicals and Allied Products Group under the Foreign Trade Policy and Handbook of Procedures.

Status recognition certificate authority clarified: RA and DC roles defined; existing certificates retained and renewals governed by prescribed authority.
Clarifies issuing and renewal authorities: IECs with both DTA and SEZ units-RA issues and renews Status Recognition and Nominated Agency Certificates; SEZ/EOU-only IECs-DC issues and renews Status Recognition Certificates and are not eligible for Nominated Agency Certificates; DTA-only IECs-RA issues and renews both certificates. Existing certificates will not be withdrawn; renewals after expiry must follow the prescribed authority.

Inputs actually used requirement restricts duty-free import to only inputs used in exported goods, superseding earlier guidance.
Notification No. 31 requires that inputs actually used in manufacture of the export product must be the only inputs imported under the authorisation, and that imported inputs must be used in the export product; accordingly Policy Circular No.30 (10.10.2005) is withdrawn and duty-free imports under Chapter 4 of the FTP shall be governed by Notification No. 31, with any inconsistent prior communications deemed superseded.

Unintended benefit prevention under Incremental Export Incentivisation Scheme urges enhanced RA scrutiny and stakeholder feedback.
Notice seeks suggestions to prevent unintended benefit under the Incremental Export Incentivisation Scheme by requiring Regional Authorities to apply enhanced scrutiny to claims involving substantial export growth, including requesting evidence of manufacture or purchase (excise/sales tax returns), checking supplier export history and current export quantum, and calling for any other supporting evidence to justify entitlement; stakeholders are invited to submit feedback to the specified email address by the stated deadline.

Port of Registration inclusion: Kattupalli Sea Port added enabling exporters to access relevant export promotion benefits.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade amends paragraph 4.19 of the Handbook of Procedures (Vol. I) to include Kattupalli Sea Port, Tamil Nadu, as a Port of Registration by Public Notice dated 29 July 2013, thereby enabling exporters using Kattupalli Sea Port to avail export promotion benefits under the Foreign Trade Policy; the revised Handbook will later alphabetize the port name.

Validity of IEC remains irrespective of unit status, allowing de-bonded units to retain and modify their IEC.
An IEC remains valid irrespective of a firm's status as DTA or as an EOU/SEZ/EHTP/STP/BTP. On de-bonding the unit need not surrender the IEC; the jurisdictional DC/SEZ will forward the original IEC file to the concerned RA, which becomes custodian and permits the de-bonded unit to modify the IEC. De-bonded units are eligible for benefits from the RA under the Foreign Trade Policy. The IEC issued by the RA also continues to remain valid where a DTA unit converts to an EOU or SEZ/EHTP/STP/BTP.

Agri Infrastructure Incentive Scrip compliance: non-compliant applications must be promptly corrected or will be summarily rejected.
Exporters with deficient applications for the Agri Infrastructure Incentive Scrip must rectify identified deficiencies by the specified final date; failure to do so will result in summary rejection of the applications and no further correspondence will be entertained.

Personal hearing under FTP para 2.49.2 granted monthly; exporters and importers may apply with prescribed supporting documents.
Personal Hearing under the Foreign Trade Policy is available to exporters/importers aggrieved after review (excluding adjudication orders). Requests must be addressed to DGFT with the header "Request for PH before DG under Para 2.49.2 of FTP." Hearings are scheduled at Udyog Bhawan on the second Tuesday of each month (3:00-4:00 PM) or the next Tuesday if that day is not a working day. The covering page must list applicant name and IEC, contact details, representative's name and designation, subject and justification for reconsideration, date/file number of the decision, review date by PRC/competent authority, reason for rejection, preferred PH date, and count of indexed, paginated enclosures.

Focus Product Scheme additions expand export incentive eligibility for specified HS lines under amended Appendix 37D.
DGFT public notice amends the Handbook of Procedures by adding numerous HS tariff lines to the Focus Product Scheme in Appendix 37D, extending export incentive eligibility (at the scheme rate) to specified product groups-including aeronautical equipment, optical and measuring instruments, medical and diagnostic apparatus, pharmaceuticals and vaccines, jute products, and select electronic components-effective 15 August 2013; it also deletes Copper Sulphate (THUTIA) from Appendix 37A Table 2 with immediate effect.

Modification of Export Product Description updates SION entries to specify Simethicone and Activated Polydimethyl Siloxane formulations.
Exercising powers under paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy and paragraph 1.1 of the Handbook of Procedure (Vol. I), the Directorate General of Foreign Trade amends SION A-3530 to Activated Polydimethyl Siloxane (Simethicone 100% USP/EP/BP) and SION A-3529 to Simethicone (Simethicone Emulsion BP/USP/EP), thereby modifying the export product descriptions to include formulation-specific specification references.

SION input-output norm notification sets required inputs for export of fatty alcohol under Foreign Trade Policy.
Notification of SION A-3643 prescribes input-output norms for the export product "Fatty Alcohol (Cetyl, Stearyl, Ceto-Stearyl)" under the Foreign Trade Policy and Handbook of Procedure, specifying permitted input items and their allowed quantities per kilogram of exported fatty alcohol (Palm Fatty Acid Distillate and Copper Chromite Catalyst).

SION modification updates export product designation and revises permitted input list, adding inputs and adjusting allowed quantities.
Modification of SION A-1442 widens the export product designation to include a product variant and revises the technical SION parameters by adding new permitted inputs and reducing the allowed quantities of certain existing inputs for the specified acetate product, pursuant to powers under the Foreign Trade Policy and Handbook of Procedure.

Registration certificate requirement limited to exports of non-basmati rice and wheat to Bangladesh and Nepal via non-EDI land crossings.
Registration certificates are required for exports of non-basmati rice and wheat only when exported to Bangladesh and Nepal through non-EDI Land Custom Stations; such RCs must be obtained by online application from DGFT Regional Authorities (Kolkata and Patna), and will be issued through the DGFT online system, with no change in policy for other destinations.

Deputation appointment for Console Operator posts: applications required with service eligibility, qualifications, and mandatory clearances.
Seven Console Operator posts are to be filled on deputation/absorption with pay regulated under DoPT rules; eligibility requires holding analogous posts or prescribed service in specified pay scales plus essential qualifications in statistics, mathematics, engineering or computer science and experience in electronic data processing and programming. Deputation normally not to exceed three years and a maximum age for appointment by deputation/absorption is prescribed. Applications in triplicate must include the prescribed proforma, five years' ACRs, vigilance clearance and integrity certificate forwarded through proper channel within the stipulated period.

Appellate Authority designation centralises appeals from regional adjudication orders under the foreign trade regulatory framework.
The Additional Director General of Foreign Trade, Chennai, is appointed as the Appellate Authority for adjudication orders issued by Regional Authorities of the South Zone, consolidating appellate jurisdiction for those orders under the administrative instruction referenced in the Office file and the O&M instruction dated 13.6.2013.