Transferability of SFIS imported goods: sale allowed after three years, with exceptions and export conditions subject to restrictions.
Goods imported or procured using SFIS scrips under FTP 2009 14 may be sold or transferred after three years from clearance per Department of Commerce Notification No. 30. Requests for transfers of goods under FTP 2004 09 will be considered by DGFT on merits under para 2.5, in line with judicial guidance. Consumables, including food and alcoholic beverages, are non transferable even after three years. DGFT may permit export sale any time after import/procurement provided no incentive, rebate, refund, drawback or re credit is claimed and any return to India is treated as fresh import.

Document Management System implementation requires mandatory digital coupon attachment for customs dockets, altering fee collection procedures.
A Document Management System at ICD Mulund will store Bills of Entry, Shipping Bills and related documents electronically and physically; M/s Newgen Software Technology Ltd implemented the system and it began functioning on 18.10.2016. The Service Centre will collect a docket charge via coupons, issuing two coupon sets (normal documentation and DMS). Stakeholders must attach the EDI copy of the coupon to Bills of Entry and Shipping Bills when handing over dossiers after LEO/Out Charge; this is mandatory for all dockets.

Online transmission of SEIS scrips integrates with customs EDI, removing manual registration and restricting manual debits.
SEIS scrips will be transmitted online and integrated with Customs EDI (ICES 1.5), eliminating the need for manual feeding at the port. Exporters and customs brokers must verify each scrip once at port registration; thereafter scrips will be available for all India use. Further manual debits should not be made; any manual debit made prior to integration or verification must be recorded in the EDI ledger and on the hardcopy scrip and brought to the concerned officer for entry on the system within ten days. Report implementation issues to the System Manager.

External Commercial Borrowings by startups: permitted under ECB framework with eligibility, lender standards, permitted instruments, and an annual cap.
Startups recognised by the Central Government may raise ECBs with minimum average maturity of three years from recognised lenders resident in FATF or FATF-style regional body jurisdictions, excluding specified overseas Indian bank entities. Borrowings may be loans or certain preference shares, denominated in freely convertible currencies or INR (with INR mobilisation via AD Category-I banks), subject to an annual per-Startup cap, mutually agreed all-in-cost, permissible end-uses, conversion to equity under foreign investment rules, borrower-determined security subject to FDI norms, and hedging options for INR exposure; most ECB framework provisions apply except leverage and ECB-liability:equity ratios.

Extension of filing deadline for AOC 4 and MGT 7: permitted without additional fees until the prescribed extended date.
The Ministry directed that financial statements and annual returns filed through e forms AOC 4, AOC 4 (XBRL), AOC 4 (CFS) and MGT 7 may be submitted without payment of additional fee until 29 November 2016, extending earlier relief in response to stakeholder requests.

Special Currency Basket valuation revised; banks must apply the updated rupee conversion for deferred payment obligations.
Revision of the rupee valuation of the Special Currency Basket for settlement under the Deferred Payment Protocols is announced; Authorised Dealer Category I banks are notified to apply the revised valuation with effect from the circular's effective date. The Directions are issued under FEMA sections 10(4) and 11(1) and are without prejudice to other permissions or approvals, and banks must communicate the change to their constituents and implement the revised valuation for relevant deferred payment obligations.

Grievance redressal committee for Foreign Trade Policy grievances ensures expedited review, sectoral resolution, and procedural reform.
A Grievance Redressal Committee is constituted at the Zonal RA, Chennai, chaired by the Zonal Additional Director General of Foreign Trade, with membership including zonal Additional/Joint DGs, concerned officers, regional executive directors of trade and export promotion bodies, and special invitees from originating departments. Its terms of reference are to review and expedite disposal of FTP-related procedural grievances pending beyond reasonable time, examine sector-specific grievances from members or other sources, and suggest reforms in policy and procedures.

Rebate of State Levies scheme allows exporters to opt in for state levy rebates by declaring eligibility in the shipping bill.
The ROSL scheme permits textile garment exporters to opt in by declaring eligibility and selecting prescribed scheme codes in the EDI Shipping Bill; selection of the code is the exclusive method of claim. Rebates-calculated on FOB value using notified rates and caps-are credited to the exporter's registered drawback account and disbursed in parallel with drawback, with disbursal status displayed on ICEGATE.

Revised DTAA expands source-based capital gains taxation and lowers withholding burdens while enabling MAP and APA mechanisms.
The revised DTAA establishes source based taxation for capital gains on substantial shareholdings, reduces withholding tax rates on royalties/technical fees and interest to facilitate cross border investment, expands dependent agent Permanent Establishment rules, and provides exclusive residence taxation for international shipping income. It creates explicit access to the Mutual Agreement Procedure and bilateral Advance Pricing Agreements for transfer pricing disputes, provides for suspension of tax collection during MAP on security, updates Exchange of Information to international standards including bank information, adds assistance in collection, and inserts a Limitation of Benefits anti abuse article.

Import regulation for metal scrap: shredded scrap cleared freely; un shredded consignments subject to RMS and scanning requirements.
Shredded metal scrap may be cleared through all ports without a pre shipment certificate. Un shredded, compressed or loose scrap must follow DGFT guidelines and be cleared only at EDI ports with operational Risk Management System, subject to documentary or physical checks selected by RMS. Designated sea ports are to install Radiation Portal Monitors and Container Scanners by the prescribed deadline; until then scanning will occur at ports with existing facilities. Principal Commissioners/Commissioners may allow re warehousing to importer premises at importer's risk subject to RMS and scanning conditions. Instructions are effective immediately.

Simultaneous benefit prohibition clarified: pending cases of concurrent zero-duty EPCG and SHIS to be governed by the public notice.
Incorrect concurrent availing of Zero duty EPCG and SHIS arising from overlapping FTP/HBP wording was addressed by a Department of Commerce Public Notice, which now governs the resolution of pending cases. Following inter departmental review, Customs amended notifications to remove the FTP related bar on dual issuance, and stakeholders are invited to report implementation difficulties to the Customs office.

Bank Guarantee requirements for Advance License/EPCG imports demand unconditional renewal clauses and prescribed certified documentation.
Execution of bonds and Bank Guarantees for clearance under Advance License/EPCG schemes requires BGs with an unconditional self renewal clause and bank forwarding details for genuineness checks. BG exemption is conditional on a clean compliance record and certified proof of export performance or duty payment from designated authorities or professionals. Manufacturer exporters claiming concessional BG must submit certified registration, specified proof (export performance, duty payment or DGFT redemption/EODC) and installation certificates; non-registered manufacturers must provide equivalent council or professional certification and installation evidence, with post-verification where required.

Digital signature authentication on invoices: manual signatures are addressed and guidance issued, traders to follow prescribed procedures.
Authentication of invoices by digital signatures is governed by notified conditions, safeguards and procedures, and the Board's circular clarifies the interaction between digital authentication and manual signatures. Stakeholders are to follow the prescribed procedures; trade bodies must circulate the guidance and report any implementation difficulties to the jurisdictional Range or Divisional Office.

Taxpayer appreciation certificates issued to eligible taxpayers based on tax contribution and timely e filing/verification.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes issued a second round of Certificates of Appreciation to additional individual taxpayers, targeting those who filed returns within the due date and whose ITR V was received well before the 120 day submission period; the initiative distinguishes recipients by tiers based on tax contributed and encourages e filing and timely electronic or ITR V verification to qualify for acknowledgement.

Foreign direct investment liberalization for other financial services allows full foreign ownership via automatic or government routes with regulator conditions.
Foreign direct investment in Other Financial Services and NBFCs is permitted up to full ownership under the automatic route when activities are regulated by a financial sector regulator, subject to regulator- or government-imposed conditions including minimum capitalisation norms; unregulated or partly regulated activities may be allowed full foreign investment under the government approval route with conditions; statutory limits in specific Acts prevail; downstream investments remain subject to sectoral regulations and foreign exchange provisions.

Intimation under section 143(1) relaxed to permit late processing of refund claims with specified exclusions.
Administrative relaxation directs that valid non scrutiny returns claiming refund for specified assessment years, which were not processed within the statutory time for issuing intimation, be processed and intimations and consequential refunds issued expeditiously by a stated deadline. The relaxation excludes returns unprocessed under the special non processing provision and returns showing or likely to show a demand.

Import control of un shredded metallic waste and scrap: procedural conditions for sea port clearance under revised trade policy.
The Director General of Foreign Trade amends Public Notice No.38/ (2015-2020) by inserting a new paragraph (v) in Para 2.54 of the Handbook of Procedures (2015-2020) to set out conditions governing clearance of imports of un-shredded Metallic Waste and Scrap by sea ports, and replaces the wording HMS I and HMS II with un-shredded Metallic Waste and Scrap.

Tax exemption for land acquisition compensation extends to awards under RFCTLARR Act, ensuring non-taxability under income-tax law.
The tax authority clarifies that compensation exempted from levy of income-tax under the RFCTLARR Act shall also not be taxable under the Income-tax Act, 1961, even where the Income-tax Act contains no separate or specific exemption for that compensation, thereby addressing uncertainty on taxability of awards or agreements for compulsory acquisition of both agricultural and non-agricultural land.

Disclosure formats for listed insurance companies require regulator-prescribed quarterly reporting and continued newspaper-format compliance under listing rules.
Insurers listed on stock exchanges must submit quarterly financial results and segment-wise reports in formats prescribed by the insurance regulator for specified quarters; newspaper publication formats remain governed by SEBI-prescribed formats with possible additional regulator-prescribed disclosures; other requirements of earlier SEBI circulars continue to apply.

Rebate of State levies on garment exports: opt in EDI claims, FOB based calculation, payment subject to textiles budget.
ROSL establishes an opt in, item level rebate administered by CBEC alongside Duty Drawback for garments (Chapters 61/62) from specified export dates, with average rebate rates and per unit caps under two schedules. Exporters must declare eligibility, not claim other refunds, and select an EDI scheme code to claim. Rebate is calculated on FOB value, paid subject to Ministry of Textiles budget and EGM filing, and recovery follows Drawback processes with the Textile Commissioner empowered to recover wrongful payments as arrears of land revenue.