Pre-shipment inspection agency inclusion recognises Mats Fareast, adds instrument approvals and requires administrative updates with immediate effect.
M/s Mats Fareast PTE Ltd is included in Appendix 2G as a recognised Pre Shipment Inspection Agency authorised to issue Pre Shipment Inspection Certificates, with PSIA approval valid for three years or until further notice; the annexure lists approved instruments and highlights calibration non compliance. Existing agency Marine Inspection and Logistics International (Rotterdam) B.V. may add specified instruments, Ravie Energie Inc.'s head office address change is notified, and all notified PSIAs must update membership certificates and contact details within 30 days.

Timeline relaxation for debenture trustees extends compliance deadlines due to pandemic impact on monitoring and disclosures.
SEBI extends timelines for debenture trustees to submit required reports and certifications to stock exchanges and to publish specified website disclosures-including asset cover certificates, quarterly compliance reports, utilization certificates, breach status and actions taken, and accounts under trustee supervision-and provides a separate extension for reporting regulatory compliance under the earlier circular, invoking SEBI's powers under Section 11(1) of the SEBI Act and Regulation 2A of the Debenture Trustees Regulations, 1993 to address pandemic-related operational challenges.

Bank merger compliance removes the previous bank's no-objection requirement for exporter AD Code and IFSC approval updates.
Bank amalgamations and mergers require an exporter seeking approval of AD Code/IFSC with a bank account in ICES to submit the modified Annexure A from its current bank through E-Sanchit. A separate no-objection certificate from the previous bank is not required where the bank has merged or amalgamated. The revised procedure applies to changes in AD Code/IFSC and bank-account approval arising from bank mergers.

COVID-19 relief imports exempted from IGST if authorised by state nodal authority and certified for free distribution.
An ad hoc IGST exemption applies to imports of specified COVID-19 relief materials received free of cost for free distribution, subject to conditions: State/UT appointment of a nodal authority to authorise importers; production at customs of a nodal certificate confirming goods are for free distribution; and submission within six (or, if extended, nine) months of a nodal certified statement to the Deputy/Assistant Commissioner of Customs detailing imported and distributed goods. The exemption covers consignments pending clearance and customs formations must expedite clearance and coordinate with State authorities.

Board meeting interval extended for two financial quarters to provide pandemic-related compliance flexibility for corporate boards.
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs temporarily extends the permissible interval between consecutive board meetings by sixty days for the first two financial quarters of 2021-22, allowing a longer gap than normally prescribed for the quarters April-June and July-September, as an administrative clarification to address Covid-19 related difficulties.

Relaxation of filing timelines for charge forms: delays condoned with adjusted fee calculation and specific exclusions.
Relaxation of timelines is granted for filing Form CHG-1 and Form CHG-9 by excluding the period 01.04.2021-31.05.2021 from reckoning statutory filing days for certain charge creations or modifications; counting, where applicable, is to resume from 01.06.2021. Fees for filings on or before 31.05.2021 are charged at the baseline rate, while filings after that date attract fees calculated by counting days from 01.06.2021 (or the first day after creation as so reckoned) together with any specified pre-baseline period. Specific exclusions (already-filed forms, lapsed timelines before 01.04.2021, non-extended expiries, and CHG-4 filings) apply.

Relaxation of additional fees permits filing company and LLP forms without extra fees until 31 July 2021, excluding charge forms.
The waiver allows companies and LLPs to file forms due between 1 April and 31 May without additional fees if filed by 31 July; only normal fees apply, but charge forms CHG 1, CHG 4 and CHG 9 are excluded and remain subject to additional fees for late filing.

Timelines for SID and KIM updates require half yearly electronic filings and expedited updation after scheme launch to protect investors.
Requires SID updates for open ended and interval schemes within six months after the half year of launch and thereafter within one month from each half year end using data as of September and March; KIM must be updated at least once every half year within one month from the half year end, filed electronically with SEBI. For the half year ended March 2021, updation is to be completed by the stated compliance cutoff; circular issued under SEBI Act powers and Regulation 77 of the Mutual Funds Regulations to protect investors.

Fee per certificate increased under Handbook amendment, requiring agencies to apply the revised prescribed charge.
Amendment revises the fee per certificate in Para 2.108(c)(iv) of the Handbook of Procedure, 2015-20, increasing the prescribed per-certificate fee by notification. The change is effected under powers granted by the Foreign Trade Policy and communicated via Public Notice No. 3/2015-2020, requiring concerned agencies to apply the enhanced prescribed fee for issuance of certificates.

Extension of compliance deadlines under the Income tax Act allows additional time to file appeals, objections, returns and statements.
Extension of timelines under the Income-tax Act grants relief by shifting due dates to 31st May for specified compliance obligations falling on or after 1st April 2021, including appeals to the Commissioner (Appeals), objections to the Dispute Resolution Panel, returns in response to Section 148 notices, belated and revised returns for the relevant assessment year, payment and challan-cum-statement filings for tax withheld, and Form No. 61 statements for declarations under Form No. 60.

Relaxation of compliance timelines: deadline for RTA and market participant obligations extended due to Covid-19 impacts.
SEBI revises its April 13, 2020 relaxations by adding processing of demat requests to the Annexure list, making thirteen eligible items for timeline relief. Compliance timelines for items 1-13 are extended to July 31, 2021 for intermediaries and market participants. Separately, the deadline for submission of the half yearly Internal Audit Report (IAR) by RTAs for the half year ended March 31, 2021 is extended to July 31, 2021. The circular is issued under Section 11(1) of the SEBI Act to protect investor interests and regulate the securities market.

Relaxation of compliance timelines for market intermediaries extended to accommodate pandemic-related operational disruptions.
SEBI extended compliance deadlines for Trading Members, Clearing Members, Depository Participants and KYC Registration Agencies due to Covid-19, deferring deadlines for call recordings, KYC uploads to KRA, issuance of annual global statements on request, client funding reporting and operation from alternate terminals to end-June 2021, and extending audit, net worth, system/cyber audit, risk reporting, AI/ML reporting and related submissions to end-July 2021. Depository Participant timelines for BO grievances, investor grievance redressal, demat account closure and demat request processing were similarly relaxed. Exchanges and depositories must notify members and publish the circular.

Risk-o-meter disclosure required with scheme performance and portfolio details sent only to subscribed investors via email.
Mutual funds/AMCs must disclose the risk-o-meter of the scheme and the benchmark alongside scheme performance, and send scheme portfolio details by email only to investors who are subscribed to the relevant schemes; these portfolio details should accompany fortnightly, monthly and half yearly portfolio statements, effective June 1, 2021.

Listing compliance extensions granted for debt, municipal bond and commercial paper filers; digital signatures permitted for filings.
SEBI temporarily extends timelines under the Listing Obligations framework for entities with listed debt securities, municipal bonds and commercial paper for the quarter/half year/year ending March 31, 2021, covering Regulation 52 filings and statements of deviation/variation, and permits the use of digital signature certifications or digitally signed documents for stock exchange filings until December 31, 2021.

Relaxation of LODR compliance timelines grants extensions for specified filings and permits digital signature use through year end.
Relaxation of certain compliance obligations under the LODR Regulations grants extensions for filing the annual Secretarial Compliance Report, quarterly and annual audited financial results, and the statement of deviation or variation in use of funds for the reporting period ending March 31, 2021, with revised deadlines. Listed entities are permitted to use digital signature certifications for authentication of filings to stock exchanges under the LODR Regulations for all filings through the end of the calendar year, issued under SEBI's regulatory powers.

Line of Credit support for export financing with Indian sourcing requirement and post completion utilization period.
Government-supported Line of Credit by Export-Import Bank finances exports to Mozambique subject to Foreign Trade Policy; at least 75 per cent of contract value must be supplied from India, up to 25 per cent may be procured abroad. The LoC is effective from April 09, 2021 with a terminal utilization period of sixty months after scheduled project completion. Shipments must be declared in the Export Declaration Form. No agency commission is payable under the LoC; exporters may use their own funds or EEFC balances for commission and AD Category I banks may permit remittance after full realisation, subject to prevailing instructions. AD Category I banks must notify exporters and refer to Exim Bank for details.

Compensation in units to align AMC key employees' interests with unitholders, including lock in and clawback safeguards.
Require a minimum of 20% of gross annual CTC net of income tax and statutory contributions for Key Employees of AMCs to be paid as units of schemes they oversee, allocated proportionately to scheme AUM (excluding ETFs, index funds, overnight funds and existing close ended schemes), paid over 12 months, locked in for three years or scheme tenure, subject to redemption restrictions, limited loan provisions, clawback for misconduct with proceeds credited to the scheme, trustee monitoring, disclosure of aggregate unit compensation, and defined scope of Key Employees with specified exclusions.

Provisional rating rules require CRAs to label ratings 'Provisional' and convert them into final ratings within specified timeframes.
Provisional ratings for debt instruments must be prefixed with Provisional and are those contingent on execution of support agreements, legal documents, assignment or escrow arrangements, debt service reserve accounts, or pending formation and registration of REITs/InvITs; CRAs must convert provisional ratings into final ratings within prescribed timeframes with possible committee approved extension, disclose pending steps, associated risks and alternative ratings in press releases, and publish supplementary disclosures when provisional ratings are not accepted by the issuer.

Deemed authorisations for COVID related imports ensure priority customs clearance and waiver of interagency referrals for relief consignments.
Customs are to treat permissions, licences or authorisations normally required from other government departments for COVID related consignments facilitated by external agencies or imported by the Indian Red Cross Society as deemed to have been given, avoiding referral or permitting waivers, and to accord these consignments the highest priority for rapid clearance.

COVID-19 Helpdesk operationalisation enables exporters to register licensing, customs and documentation grievances for coordinated resolution.
Operationalisation of COVID-19 Helpdesk to address international trade disruptions, including import/export licensing, customs clearance delays, documentation and banking issues; DGFT will collate matters involving other government departments and coordinate resolutions. Stakeholders must submit requests via the DGFT Helpdesk Service on the website selecting the Covid-19 category, or use the designated email or toll-free line; status can be tracked through the Helpdesk status tracker with email and SMS updates.