All Industry Rates of Duty Drawback updated: higher rates for footwear and gold, reclassification of vinyl sulphone ester, AMT cars included.
Amendments to the All Industry Rates (AIRs) of Duty Drawback increase AIRs and caps for specified leather footwear and gold jewellery, rationalise rates for silver jewellery, reclassify Vinyl Sulphone Ester to a corrected tariff item while preserving its rate and cap, and broaden motor car tariff descriptions to include Automated Manual Transmission so AMT cars can claim the same AIRs as Manual Transmission vehicles; the Board requires issuance of public notices and reporting of implementation difficulties.

Import authorization restrictions for power tillers impose eligibility, cap and technical compliance requirements for importers.
Allocation of import authorizations for power tillers is limited by a cumulative cap of 10% of prior year import value per firm (including components). Only manufacturers with at least three years' business presence and minimum historical sales qualify. Authorizations require valid type/batch test reports from the designated testing institute, emission approval, CMVR compliance, and proven infrastructure for training, post sales service and spare parts. Imported tillers must meet IS: 13539 or higher specifications.

Faceless assessment facilitation: Turant Suvidha Kendra to accept bonds, verify and digitise import documents for centralized processing.
A dedicated Turant Suvidha Kendra at JNCH will, ahead of phased faceless assessment rollout, accept and manage Bonds and Bank Guarantees, perform verifications referred by Assessment Groups, deface/debit physical documents uploaded in e Sanchit, and forward originals to Bond/BG cells after scanning. The Order assigns supervisory and operational duties to Assistant/Deputy Commissioner, Appraisers, and Examiners/Tax Assistants, prescribes ICES job number generation and system acceptance, requires acknowledgement of received documents, and mandates retention of scanned records cross referenced to Bill of Entry.

Turant Suvidha Kendra document handling: physical verification and electronic recording ensure custody, bond management and CCR compliance.
Turant Suvidha Kendra procedures set out verification, defacement, debiting and custody of physical supporting documents while integrating ICES and e-Sanchit: TSK_OFF role permits view of BEs, bond management and defacement marking, but BEs are not routed to TSK and traders must present hard copies when physical action is needed. Verification remarks and DRN/IRN must be recorded in system only after upload; docks staff remain responsible for CCR compliance prior to Out of Charge. Bonds/BGs accepted by AC/DC TSK are to be stored in designated vaults with registry entries and location codes; Appraising Officer is custodian assisted by EO/TA. Disputes on applicability of documents are to be handled by Assessment Groups and daily pendency reports must be published.

Faceless assessment support centralises bond acceptance, document verification, defacement and debiting through a dedicated single-point interface.
Turant Suvidha Kendra supports faceless assessment through a single-point interface by accepting bonds and bank guarantees, undertaking referred verifications, and processing document defacement and debiting. Importers must upload documents on e-Sanchit before presenting originals where physical verification is required. TSK officers compare original documents with electronic copies, record defacement, debiting or verification in ICES, and process originals accordingly. Assessment and compliance verification are conducted using uploaded records, while documents requiring validation against goods continue to be verified at examination.

Electronic registration and automated customs processes enable online AD code/bank updates and automatic bond debit after assessment.
Exporters may request online registration or modification of Authorised Dealer (AD) Code and bank account details through ICEGATE, submit supporting documents electronically, and track approval; Customs officers must complete ICES approvals the same working day if requirements are met. ICES will automatically debit bonds after assessment when bond details are provided at Bill of Entry submission. First-check BE workflow is automated so BEs marked complete by shed officers queue to assessing officers, appraising officers can return incomplete reports by entering "N", and CFS code handling in SUP queue uses 'NOCFS' with SUP-role entry of CFS codes.

IGST refund module for courier exports: upload CSBs in ECCS, XML ICEGATE ICES validation, scroll generation and PFMS payment.
The advisory mandates courier companies upload manual CSBs in ECCS using a prescribed Excel template; ECCS validates and converts approved files to XML, ICEGATE performs basic XML validation and forwards data to ICES for GSTIN validation, after which ICES generates a scroll that moves to PFMS for refund payment. Rejected files are returned for amendment and re-upload. Designated Deputy/Assistant Commissioners and a Superintendent are assigned responsibilities for scroll generation, monitoring uploads/validation, and ensuring exporter bank details are updated.

Information sharing under section 138(1)(a): tax data to be furnished to the Ministry of MSME under MoU safeguards.
The Principal Director General of Income tax (Systems), New Delhi, is designated under section 138(1)(a) to furnish specified taxpayer information to the Ministry of MSME, limited to Schedule DPM (depreciation on plant and machinery) from ITR 3/5/6, sales/gross receipts from ITR 3/5/6, and gross turnover/gross receipts from ITR 4. A Memorandum of Understanding with the notified Ministry authority will govern mode of transfer, confidentiality, secure preservation, data weeding after use, and timelines, and a copy of the MoU must be sent to the issuing division for record.

Valuation requirement for Market Linked Debentures now mandates appointment of an AMFI appointed valuation agency for issuer compliance.
Valuation of Market Linked Debentures must be carried out by an AMFI appointed valuation agency; issuers are required to appoint such a third party valuation agency, modifying paragraph 4(f)(i) of the MLD guidelines to replace the previous Credit Rating Agency valuation requirement in light of restrictions on CRA activities.

Turant Suvidha Kendra to centralise customs support functions, enabling contactless faceless assessment and trade facilitation.
Establishment of Turant Suvidha Kendras at each Customs station to operationalise contactless customs measures and support Faceless Assessment by accepting bonds or bank guarantees, conducting verifications referred by faceless assessment groups, defacing and debiting documents or permits, and performing other Commissioner-determined trade facilitation functions; each Kendra to be headed by the AC/DC with specified Superintendent/Appraiser and Inspector/Examiner staffing and a register maintained for monitoring and reporting.

GST treatment of liquor licence fees: State grants are excluded, while other licensed privileges remain taxable.
Government services supplied to business entities for consideration, including grants of licences and privileges, are generally taxable under GST through reverse charge. State Government grants of licences for alcoholic liquor for human consumption against licence or application fees are, however, treated as neither a supply of goods nor a supply of services. The corresponding pre-GST service was exempted from Service Tax for the relevant period. This special dispensation is limited to alcoholic liquor licences and does not apply to other fee-based licences or privileges.

One-time verification relaxation allows late ITR-V or EVC/OTP verification to regularize affected electronic returns before consequences apply.
One-time relaxation permits electronically uploaded returns for assessment years 2015-16 to 2019-20 that remained unverified due to non-filing of ITR-V to be verified by sending a signed ITR-V by speed post or by EVC/OTP modes (Aadhaar OTP, net-banking, EVC via bank account, demat account, or ATM) by 30.09.2020; exclusions apply where other statutory measures were taken. Such regularized returns shall be processed and intimation issued by 31.12.2020, with refund interest governed by the applicable interest provision; failure to regularize may attract consequences for non-filing/unverified returns.

Commodity derivatives market rules consolidated: trading, product eligibility, risk management, position limits and disclosure regimes.
SEBI's Master Circular consolidates commodity derivatives circulars and prescribes operational rules (trading hours, transaction charges, spot price polling, UCC/PAN, client code modification), product governance (eligibility, oversight committees, product reviews), market integrity and risk management (DPLs, position limits, hedge policies, LES, margining and SGF), participant conditions (mutual funds, AIFs, EFEs, PMS), warehousing and delivery norms, and technology, surveillance and cyber resilience requirements, while noting original circulars prevail on inconsistency.

Contactless Customs: Turant Suvidha Kendra and ICEGATE upgrades streamline electronic document verification, registration and automated bond debit.
Extension of Turant Suvidha Kendra to all customs formations requires document verification to be based on e Sanchit uploads, with physical submission only at TSKs in exceptional cases; ICEGATE now enables online registration/modification of Authorised Dealer codes and bank accounts with electronic submission of supporting documents, mandates same day approval where complete, and ICES will automatically debit bonds after assessment when bond details are provided at Bill of Entry submission.

Contactless Customs measures enable online bank account registration and ICEGATE workflows to avoid physical document submission.
ICES Advisory 25/2020 enables exporters to request online registration or modification of AD Code and bank account details via ICEGATE, upload supporting documents to e Sanchit, and have those requests presented to Customs officers in ICES for electronic approval or rejection. The system preserves physical inspection only for documents requiring defacement, with the TSK_OFF role and defacement confirmation recorded in the database to support faceless assessment workflows.

Rectification of SBOOI error required to clear IGST refund delays; exporters must amend GSTR 1 via Form 9A.
IGST refunds at Custom House Mundra are pending due to SBOOI errors caused by mismatches between shipping bill details in GSTR 1/6A and Customs ICES. Exporters should amend GSTR 1 using Form 9A via the GST Common Portal to rectify clerical errors; a list of affected shipping bills is available on the Mundra Customs website and exporters must correct entries by the stated deadline to facilitate refund processing.

Blended edible vegetable oils cannot be imported without AGMARK certification and must meet FSSAI import requirements.
Imports of Blended Edible Vegetable Oils (BEVO) are prohibited without AGMARK certification; BEVO must comply with FSS Act packaging and labelling requirements (sealed, tamper proof packages sold as "Blended Edible Vegetable Oil" with AGMARK label declarations) and clearance at points of entry must follow FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017.

Import of milk and milk products: one-time AQCS clearance allowed for certain consignments lacking veterinary certificate, subject to sanitary certification.
Imports of milk and milk products must be accompanied by an official Veterinary Health Certificate conforming with FSSAI Regulations, specifying sanitary, processing and residue requirements; as a one time COVID 19 related measure DAHD authorised AQCS clearance for certain eligible dairy consignments lacking that certificate (with date of lading on or before 30.04.2020) subject to sanitary and hygienic certification, and directed quarantine officers to examine consignments, sample products and take action at the importer's cost for non conformity.

Relaxation of processing time limits allows time-barred valid returns with refund claims to be processed subject to administrative approval.
Validly filed returns up to assessment year 2017-18 with refund claims that remained unprocessed under section 143(1) and became time-barred due to reasons not attributable to the assessee may be processed in non-scrutiny cases subject to prior administrative approval of the Principal CCIT/CCIT; following approval the Principal CIT/CIT shall request the Principal DGIT(Systems) to enable the Assessing Officer so that intimation under section 143(1) can be issued and consequent refund procedures can follow.

Harmonization of MEIS Schedule aligns export incentive entries with updated trade classification, altering eligibility and rates.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade harmonizes the MEIS schedule with ITC(HS) 2017 effective 01.01.2020 by adding specified tariff entries with stated incentive rates for exports from that date, declaring a set of prior codes as ceased with nil benefit, and amending descriptions of certain MEIS entries to reflect revised nomenclature; exporters must apply the new codes, rates, zeroed entries, and amended descriptions for exports made with effect from 01.01.2020.