Bank current account opening restricted by borrower exposure thresholds, escrow requirements, collection account limits, and CC/OD routing rules.
No bank shall open current accounts for customers who have availed CC/OD; all transactions must be routed through the CC/OD account. Banks with under 10% of system exposure may permit credits but debits only to remit funds to a CC/OD account held with a bank having 10% or more exposure. For borrowers without CC/OD, mandatory escrow applies at Rs.50 crore or more (only escrow bank may maintain current account), while Rs.5-

Loan-to-Value ratio increase for gold-backed non-agricultural loans temporarily eases borrower liquidity, then reverts for new loans.
The circular temporarily increases the permissible Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratio for loans secured by gold ornaments and jewellery for non-agricultural end-uses to provide liquidity support to households, entrepreneurs and small businesses affected by Covid-19. The enhancement applies to scheduled commercial banks, including regional rural banks, while other terms and conditions of prior RBI guidelines on gold loans remain applicable; fresh gold loans sanctioned after the temporary period will revert to the earlier LTV ceiling.

Faceless Assessment roll out covers Delhi and Mumbai zones for specified tariff chapters, with electronic ICES workflows and port roles.
Faceless Assessment was expanded w.e.f. 03.08.2020 to include Delhi and Mumbai zones and extended at Chennai and Bengaluru for imports under Chapters 50-71, 84, 85 and 86-92; Bills of Entry are assigned by the Customs Automated System to Faceless Assessment Groups (FAGs) for electronic verification while Port Assessment Groups (PAGs) at the port of import retain responsibility for physical examination, testing, bond/BG registration via Turant Suvidha Kendra, and actions under restriction/prohibition provisions; electronic communication and specified ICES roles govern queries, amendments, provisional assessment, reassessment, speaking orders and appellate/review channels.

AD Code/IFSC registration requires electronic upload and bank email verification via E Sanchit on ICEGATE for IGST refunds and remittances.
Exporters must use ICEGATE/E Sanchit to register or modify AD Code/IFSC with bank account details by uploading scanned documents: prescribed bank authorisation letter, IEC, GST registration certificate, entity PAN, authorised signatory PAN, and cancelled cheque; modifications also require a bank NOC. Banks should send the authorisation letter/NOC directly from branch email to the designated EDI email; absent direct bank email, the Commissionerate will verify genuineness with the bank and, after verification, the EDI Section will process the request the same day.

e-Office adoption: taxpayers urged to submit searchable PDFs with contact details to obtain diary acknowledgements.
Taxpayers are encouraged to submit communications electronically to the Commissionerate as PDF files, preferably searchable, and to include mobile numbers and email addresses so the e-Office application can provide immediate acknowledgements and allocate a Diary Number for reference; difficulties or suggestions may be reported to the Commissionerate.

Proxy advisor grievances: regulator to examine alleged non compliance with Code of Conduct and procedural guidelines.
Listed entities may approach the regulator for grievances against proxy advisers where there is alleged non compliance with the Code of Conduct under the Research Analyst Regulations or with procedural guidelines for proxy advisers; the regulator will examine such matters for non compliance under its regulatory powers, and recognized stock exchanges are directed to disseminate the circular.

End Use Certificates for imported goods await GST Council guidance before issuance by state tax officers.
End Use Certificates for imported goods by officers of the State Tax Administration remain under consideration before the GST Council's Law Committee, and detailed guidance has not yet been issued by the competent forum. Earlier communication had advised that issuance of such certificates should await instructions from the Law Committee, GIC or GST Council. Reports that some field officers had issued certificates, and requests from trade for repeated issuance directions, were noted, but the matter was still pending at the level of the Law Committee.

State GST communications must include a DIN; missing DINs are invalid unless regularized within 15 working days.
State GST officers must electronically generate and prominently quote a Document Identification Number (DIN) on specified communications; the DIN is a 19-character code verifiable on the departmental website. Exceptions (technical failure or urgent issuance while the officer is outside office) require written reasons and an express statement that the communication lacks a DIN. Communications without an electronically generated DIN and not covered by exceptions are invalid; exigent issuances must be regularized within 15 working days by superior approval, post-facto DIN generation, printing the DIN pro-forma and filing it.

GST jurisdiction and inspection coordination guide investigation continuity, ITC blocking, and referral of jurisdiction-linked actions.
State and Central GST officers may initiate action concerning firms within the other authority's jurisdiction, but parallel proceedings on the same subject matter are barred once one proper officer has already acted. Investigations should be completed by the authority that first initiated them, while jurisdiction-linked measures such as blocking ITC, cancellation of registration, or blocking e-way bill generation should be referred to the concerned State or Central GST authority with specific recommendations. The circular also requires year-wise, zonal-wise consolidated reporting of inspections of Central jurisdiction firms and the action taken.

Payment details updating in the MS Module ensures proper recording of tax, penalty, and fine under mobile squad proceedings.
Updates to the MS Module online register are directed for mobile squad proceedings under Section 129 and Section 130 of the State GST framework. Modifications in the Payment Details menu are intended to ensure that payment of tax, penalty, or fine is properly entered and confirmed, and earlier online and offline payment-related entries must be updated within the prescribed timelines. A separate module has also been created for updating appellate decisions received after disposal of appeals under Section 107, with entries up to July 2020 to be completed by 31-08-2020.

e-Office adoption encourages electronic submissions in searchable PDF with contact details to obtain diary numbers for correspondence.
Launch of e-Office in the Principal Commissioner's Office, Kochi establishes a paperless environment to enhance efficiency, transparency, accountability and data security. Taxpayers are urged to submit communications electronically in searchable PDF format and to include mobile and email contacts to receive acknowledgements by SMS/email; the Department will issue a Diary Number for future reference. Trade bodies are requested to circulate the notice and report difficulties or suggestions.

Proxy advisor obligations: disclose voting policy, methodology, report sharing, and timely conflict and error notifications.
Proxy advisors must adopt and disclose voting recommendation policies (reviewed at least annually), explain methodologies for research and recommendations, share reports simultaneously with clients and companies with a defined comment timeline and addendum procedure, notify clients within 24 hours of factual errors or material revisions, disclose when recommendations propose standards above legal requirements with rationale, and maintain stated communication processes with clients and companies.

Faceless assessment expansion enables remote electronic verification and reassessment of import declarations, centralising assessment and port coordination.
The notice expands the roll-out of Faceless Assessment to additional customs zones, designates Faceless Assessment Groups and Port Assessment Groups, prescribes new ICES roles (VAO, VDC, VDN), mandates exclusive electronic exchange via ICEGATE and e Sanchit for assessment-related communications, and allocates responsibilities for examination, provisional assessment, bond registration at the Turant Suvidha Kendra, reassessment procedures including speaking orders, appeal and review routes, and exceptional transfer or recall of bills between FAG and PAG.

Dispatch of notice under section 62(2) not treated as violation where SEBI-compliant alternatives used for rights issues until year-end.
The earlier relaxation in General Circular No. 21/2020, para 2, is extended: for listed companies conducting rights issues opening up to 31st December, 2020, inability to dispatch the notice under section 62(2) by registered post, speed post, or courier will not be treated as a violation where the company complies with relevant SEBI circulars; other requirements of the General Circular remain unchanged.

Faceless assessment for Chapter 29 centralizes expert classification, valuation, RMS compliance, and mandated reporting.
Phase 2 faceless assessment for Chapter 29 places a Nodal Commissionerate-led Faceless Assessment Group (FAG) responsible for uniform classification, valuation, exemption scrutiny, immediate processing of bills of entry, strict compliance with RMS instructions, maintaining a shared knowledge repository (including product descriptions, valuation circulars, NIDB checks, anti-dumping notices and precedents), focused electronic queries, avoidance of routine first-checks, issuance of speaking orders within statutory timeframes, administrative review and appeals handling, and detailed fortnightly reporting via the Annexure A register.

Preferential Certificate of Origin submissions now required via electronic platform, replacing manual applications and issuing electronic and printed certificates.
Issuance of Preferential Certificates of Origin for exports to Thailand must be processed through the e COO Platform; exporters must submit CoO applications via the platform to designated issuing agencies (EIA, MPEDA and Textile Committee) and manual applications after the transition date are not required. The e COO will generate an electronic copy with the officer's image signature and agency stamp alongside the set of four printed copies, and exporters may obtain ink signed and stamped printed quadruplicate certificates by post or in person for submission to Thai authorities.

Faceless assessment expands virtual appraisal roles and system monitoring to centralize customs assessment processes.
Implementation of Phase II of the Faceless Assessment creates VAO, VDC and VDN roles in ICES for faceless appraisal, prescribes nomination and allocation of officers to specified groups and sites, and requires that VAO/VDC undertake assessment-related tasks (queries, online replies, amendments, e Sanchit submissions) while non-assessment functions remain with the Port of Import. VDN may reallocate BEs and, in exceptional approved cases, push BEs to Port of Import; First Check returns BEs to FAG, whereas post-Second Check recall or reassessment is handled at Port of Import. Monitoring dashboards and pendency reports are provided for oversight.

Upfront margin requirement: collecting minimum upfront margin avoids penalty, while clearing corporation still enforces risk based margin.
SEBI permits Trading Members and Clearing Members to avoid penalty for short collection of margin if they collect a minimum upfront margin in lieu of VaR and ELM, while the Clearing Corporation will continue to collect risk based margins from members; the penalty provision for short collection in the cash segment is deferred to a specified future implementation date and the earlier circular is modified only to the extent indicated.

Digital signature certification allowed for authentication of stock exchange filings to facilitate remote compliance during pandemic.
Use of digital signature certifications is authorized for authentication and certification of filings and submissions made to stock exchanges under the Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements. The circular directs stock exchanges to notify listed entities and disseminate the guidance on their websites, creating a temporary administrative accommodation permitting digital signatures as an alternative to physical certification during the extension period.

Participation by physical shareholders in open offers, buybacks and delisting permitted subject to applicable tendering procedures.
Shareholders holding securities in physical form are permitted to tender those shares in open offers, buybacks through the tender offer route, and exit offers in voluntary or compulsory delisting, provided that such tendering is carried out in accordance with the relevant provisions governing each of those processes; the Circular is effective immediately and stock exchanges must disseminate the clarification to listed entities, registrars, transfer agents and depositories.