Export obligation relief: one-year extensions and procedural filing relaxations for units impacted by the Orissa super cyclone.
Targeted export relief for units in cyclone-affected areas of Orissa includes a one year general extension of export obligations under the EPCG Scheme, deferral of EOU export-performance monitoring until 31 March 2000, a further one-year period to complete Advance Licensing obligations and a deemed one-year validity extension for Advance Licences with ports in affected areas expired in October 1999 or thereafter. Procedural relaxations permit attested duplicate documents without duplicate-document cut and extend filing deadlines falling in October 1999 or thereafter to 31 March or the normal applicable time limit, whichever is later.

DEPB coverage for frozen meat clarified: initially all frozen meats, later limited to fish, then eligibility restored.
DEPB rate notified on 1.5.98 covered all frozen meats (fish, buffalo, chicken) because norms only regulated packaging and previous Advance Licences included buffalo meat; amendment on 11.11.98 limited Serial 1 to fish meat only, rendering other meats ineligible between 11.11.98 and 7.5.99; from 8.5.99 meat products are eligible under Serial 15 of food products in Appendix 28A.

Export description amendments clarify polymer-based plastics entries and revise DEPB product descriptions and corrigenda.
Corrections to Appendix-28A revise Product Group Plastics descriptions for entries S.No.8-15 to articles made solely of specified polymers and amend DEPB descriptions: Chemicals entry revised to Auramine O/Auramine OH/Basic Yellow 2 with assay requirement; Engineering entries revised to high tensile precision fasteners (cold/hot forged bolts/screws/nuts) and to light commercial vehicles in CBU/SKD/CKD condition. A corrigendum corrects serial numbers in a prior public notice.

Extension of filing deadlines: applications, endorsements and IEC correction deadlines extended to year end and January grace periods.
Amendments to the Handbook of Procedures (Vol. I) extend filing and endorsement deadlines due to regional licensing disruptions from 17 November to 7 December 1999. Applications whose last dates fell between 17 November and 31 December 1999 are granted an extension to 31 December 1999, including endorsements for revalidation and transferability. Recognition applications for Export House categories are extended to 31 December 1999; deficiency communications are extended to 15 January 2000 and applicant rectifications to 31 January 2000. Corrections to IEC numbers and a related notice date are also extended into January/February 2000.

PAN requirement for IEC updates: PAN must be submitted to validate and issue or revalidate IEC certificates promptly.
All exporters and importers holding a valid IEC certificate must feed IEC data on the DGFT website and submit Appendix 2.A with the original IEC certificate, supporting documents and the PAN Number. The office will verify and validate hard-copy submissions; revised IE Code Certificates will be issued where data changes, and unchanged certificates will be stamped valid and returned. New IEC numbers will not be issued without PAN.

DEPB rate amendment: additions to export benefit schedules for combed cotton yarn and inclusion of spices board.
Amendment to the Handbook of Procedures (Vol.1) adds DEPB rate entries for combed cotton yarn against cotton waste, inserts the Spices Board, Cochin as a designated entry for spices and cashewnuts, and issues a corrigendum to paragraph 3(1)(i) of the Appendix under the Foreign Trade (Exemption from application of Rules in certain cases) Order, 1993 to clarify permitted dispatch for personal or institutional use.

DEPB entitlement for dyes: allowed when shipping bill broadly matches rate list and colour index reference corresponds.
Where Shipping Bill descriptions for dyes and dye stuff broadly correspond to DEPB rate list entries, entitlement may be allowed under the relevant DEPB serial provided the colour index (CI) reference in the Shipping Bill matches the CI reference in the DEPB rate list; the CI reference is the decisive identifier for claim verification.

EXIM code amendment updates classification for areca (betel) nut, creating two specific entries and deleting another.
Amendment under paragraph 4.11 of the Export and Import Policy, 1997-2002 revises EXIM code 080290 to specify Betel nut/ Areca nut, whole and Betel nut/ Areca nut, split ground, and deletes the prior third entry; issued as a public notice dated 29 November 1999 to amend Public Notice No.25 (RE-98)/97-02.

Duplicate licence validity clarified: duplicates are co-terminus, with six-month revalidation for licences lost in custody.
Duplicate licences are co-terminus with the original and will not be issued after original expiry; however, where a DEPB or an Advance Licence with transferability is lost in the custody of DGFT/Customs and certified by the authority, a duplicate will be issued and revalidated for six months from its date of issuance, and an FIR copy will not be required. Appendix 40 is amended to update the list of agencies/funds eligible for deemed export benefits to include multilateral development agencies and related entities.

Clubbing of duty free licences permitted at regional level when regional offices monitor headquarters-issued licences, subject to procedural conditions.
Regional Licensing Authorities may consider requests to club Advance Licences or other duty free licences issued by headquarters with licences they issued, provided the applicant meets the procedural and eligibility conditions prescribed in the Handbook of Procedures, Vol. 1, because monitoring of headquarters-issued licences is performed at the regional level.

Classification of animal feed supplements: premixes with vitamins and additives to follow Harmonized System heading for feed preparations.
The DGFT directs that premixes containing vitamins, provitamins, amino acids, coccidiostats and similar additives intended exclusively as animal feed supplements are to be classified under the Harmonized System heading for animal feed preparations in accordance with the Explanatory Notes to the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, for uniform customs and licensing treatment.

Export realisation compliance: exporters must submit proof or pay equivalent cash to justify DEPB claims and retain licence privileges.
Non realisation of export proceeds for exports under DEPB requires licence holders to pay in cash an amount equivalent to the DEPB entitlement for unrealised proceeds; partial realisation similarly mandates cash payment for the unrealised portion. The authority has allowed a final opportunity to submit proof of realisation or pay the required cash, warning suspension of further DEPB or advance licences and other regulatory action for non compliance.

Extension of export time limit for onions permits NOC-based shipments under the amended deadline.
The policy circular amends the final paragraph of Policy Circular No.40 (RE-99) to extend the 15 day export window for onion shipments under NOCs issued by canalising agencies on or before 31.5.99, changing the permissive deadline from 18 November 1999 to 19 November 1999; this amendment is issued with DGFT approval.

Extension of export time permits shipments against previously issued NOCs for Bangalore Rose Onion to proceed under existing quota.
Extension permits shipments against 56 NOCs for Bangalore Rose Onion issued by KAPPEC during 4.11.1999-9.11.1999 for 3,039 MT until 7.12.1999 as a partial modification of the earlier policy, and prohibits issuance of further NOCs by KAPPEC, limiting the arrangement to facilitate exports under the earlier 10,000 MT quota.

Electronic IEC updation required; PAN must be recorded and a hard copy filed or customs clearance may be refused.
The DGFT mandates online updation of IEC entries via its website with subsequent submission of a printed hard copy to the issuing licensing authority for post verification. All IE Code holders must enter their Income Tax PAN; assistance from service providers is permitted. Updated online information will be used for Customs clearance and DEEC logging, and corrections made before the stated waiver deadline will not attract penalty. If online entries are not followed by a hard copy, the licensing authority will not verify the update, and Customs may refuse clearance where submitted information mismatches website records.

Export authorization: shipments allowed only against pre-existing NOCs, with fixed allocation and no fresh NOCs issued.
Export of Bangalore rose onion is permitted only against No Objection Certificates (NOCs) issued on or before 7.9.99; shipments under those NOCs may proceed until 7.12.99. No fresh NOC will be issued after 7.9.99. An allocation of 2000 MT is allowed for the State cooperative marketing federation against existing NOCs within the overall 10000 MT ceiling previously allocated to the issuing authority.

Deemed export benefits: return obligations triggered if external funding fails, with specific project exceptions and conditional relief.
The Public Notice substitutes project names to include Talcher Super Thermal Power Project Stage II and related HVDC works, and replaces paragraph three to address deemed export benefits where World Bank funding fails: suppliers are to be treated as if covered by Paragraph 10.2(d) of the EXIM Policy, Power Grid Corporation must return cash equivalents of deemed export benefits except for Talcher Stage II, and for Talcher Stage II NTPC must return only the cash equivalent of the additional benefits specified in Paragraphs 10.3(a) and (b) subject to Paragraph 10.11 of the Handbook of Procedures.

Extension of shipment deadline allows onion exports against specified NOCs for a further limited 15 day period.
Exports of onions against canalising agency NOCs issued on or before 31.5.99 are permitted for an additional 15 days from the circular's date, extending the shipment window to 19th November, 1999; this temporal extension, approved by the DGFT, addresses exporters' difficulties and certain High Court directions without altering the underlying quantitative ceiling framework.

Standard Input Output Norms amended: Handbook of Procedures Vol.2 updated with substitutions, deletions and new SION entries.
Amendments to the Standard Input Output Norms in the Handbook of Procedures, Vol.2 substitute, correct, delete and add SION entries across sectors. The Public Notice prescribes revised export item descriptions, amended import item descriptions and quantities, restored norms for certain entries, and new SION additions (chemicals A-2291-A-2319, engineering C-1475-C-1479, plastics H-414). Annexure A contains specific corrigenda; Annexures B-D set out full new norms and allowed input lists with conditional notes and alternative inputs.

Terminal Excise Duty refund requires authenticated invoices or a Range Superintendent debit certificate to prove excise paid.
Claimants must submit supply invoices certified by Project Authority or, for 100% EOU/EPS/STP/EHTP units, AR-3A or Bond Officer certified invoices, together with original input-output stage invoices and corresponding RT-12 or self-certified invoices showing Terminal Excise Duty paid. Suppliers must obtain a debit certificate from the Range Superintendent of Central Excise certifying duty paid against the Gate Pass or Invoice cum Gate Pass, or have the Invoice cum Gate Pass authenticated by Central Excise to establish the exact excise duty paid for refund purposes.