Preferential origin declaration required when claiming FTA benefits; importer must sign and upload certified origin details at filing.
Where an FTA/PTA notification is claimed in the Bill of Entry, the importer must sign and upload the Annexure I Preferential Origin Declaration to e Sanchit at filing, including importer name, designation and stamp. Annexure I requires statements on invoice accuracy, absence or disclosure of alternative information affecting price or quantity, transaction basis, seller imposed restrictions, post import price adjustments, additional payments affecting valuation, related party status and SVB examination, and full particulars necessary to establish originating status under the applicable trade agreement.

Remote general meetings permitted: companies may use virtual platforms or postal ballots under extended COVID flexibility.
Companies are authorised to conduct extraordinary general meetings through video conferencing or other audio visual means, or to transact business by postal ballot, in accordance with the framework and conditions set out in the Ministry's earlier circulars; all other requirements in those circulars remain applicable and unchanged.

Extension of time for filing charge-related forms under Companies Act relaxed; deadline extended while prior conditions remain unchanged.
Extension of a scheme providing relaxation of time for filing forms relating to creation or modification of charges under the Companies Act, 2013 is effected by substituting the previously specified deadline figures with later dates; all other eligibility criteria and procedural requirements of the earlier circular remain unchanged.

LLP Settlement Scheme extension preserves existing scheme requirements and deadlines under ministry circular to support compliance continuity.
Extension of the LLP Settlement Scheme, 2020 continues the measures of General Circular No. 13/2020; the scheme period is extended to 31st December, 2020 and all other conditions and procedural requirements of the earlier circular remain unchanged to address COVID-19 related disruption.

Companies Fresh Start Scheme extended to provide additional compliance relief until 31 December 2020, terms otherwise unchanged.
The Companies Fresh Start Scheme, 2020 is extended to provide additional time for companies to regularise filings and fulfil statutory requirements; all procedural requirements, eligibility conditions and other stipulations of the earlier circular remain unchanged and continue to govern access to the Scheme's benefits.

Steel Import Monitoring System registration required for specified steel imports; prior online registration must be entered in Bills of Entry.
SIMS registration is compulsory for imports of additional steel HS codes under Chapters 72, 73 and 86 of the ITC (HS), 2017; Bills of Entry on or after 16 October 2020 must reflect prior online SIMS registration. Importers must submit advance information in the SIMS online system, obtain an automatic registration number on payment of a registration fee, apply within the prescribed advance window before expected arrival, and enter the registration number and its expiry in the Bill of Entry to enable customs clearance.

Verification of Rules of Origin: importers must document origin criteria and customs may seek exporting country verification to validate preferential claims.
Implementation of section 28DA and CAROTAR 2020 requires importers to retain and provide minimum information demonstrating compliance with Rules of Origin; customs officers must first seek this information from the importer before initiating verification with exporting countries. Verification requests must be complete, representative where multiple certificates exist, approved by the jurisdictional principal authority, and accompanied by legible COO, invoice and transport documents. Repeated failure to provide information or exercise reasonable care leads to compulsory verification of subsequent consignments until adequate controls are shown. A central nodal point and specimen repository support authentication and communications with partner countries.

Cancellation of Letter of Approval may be effected via General Clauses Act; SEZ Act should be amended to clarify powers.
Minutes record that cancellation of a co-developer's Letter of Approval may be effected by invoking the General Clauses Act, while the SEZ Act and Rules should be amended to provide explicit enabling provisions. The Board granted multiple one year extensions and regularisations of formal approvals and LoAs, approved conditional changes in developer identity and shareholding subject to continuity, eligibility, regulatory compliance and tax disclosure obligations, and authorised numerous co-developer approvals and operational permissions with conditions and agreements.

GST registration revocation timelines extend for specified return-default cancellations where electronic notice and earlier cancellation orders applied.
For GST registrations cancelled for return defaults, where notice was served through registered e-mail or the common portal and the cancellation order was passed up to 12 June 2020, the revocation application period is calculated from the later of the order's service date or 31 August 2020. The clarification applies to composition taxpayers failing to furnish returns for consecutive tax periods and other registered persons failing to furnish returns continuously for six months.

Resources for trustees compliance deferred; earlier trustee resource guidelines now applicable from January 1, 2021.
Compliance with prior guidelines on resources for trustees of mutual funds is deferred and shall apply from January 01, 2021; all substantive obligations and conditions of the August 10, 2020 circular remain unchanged. The circular emphasizes statutory authority to support investor protection and trustee governance standards applicable to Mutual Funds, Asset Management Companies, trustee companies and boards of trustees.

Client level segregation of advisory and distribution mandates single service choice within adviser groups and strict compliance obligations.
SEBI requires Investment Advisers to implement client-level segregation of advisory and distribution services within adviser groups using PAN as control, treat dependent family members as a single client where applicable, obtain annual auditor certification of segregation compliance, and advise direct (non commission) plans where available. Advisers must enter into prescribed written investment advisory agreements prior to rendering advice or charging fees, follow specified fee regimes under Assets under Advice or Fixed Fee modes with supporting documentation and restrictions, maintain verifiable client interaction records for prescribed retention periods, conduct annual compliance audits with reporting, and comply with registration, qualification, risk profiling and disclosure requirements within stated timelines.

System-Driven Disclosures require listed companies to provide promoter PANs to depositories, with prompt sharing and same-day updates.
Listed companies must provide PAN numbers of promoters, promoter group members, designated persons and directors to the designated depository in the prescribed format; for PAN exempt entities, investor demat account numbers are to be provided. The designated depository will share this information with the other depository. Listed companies must update the designated depository on the same day for any subsequent changes, and the designated depository will share incremental changes the same day. Other procedural requirements of the earlier SDD circular remain applicable.

Customs drawbacks: pending claims to be processed; exporter replies and EGMs due by 02-11-2020 or claims decided on records.
A "Special Refund and Drawback Disposal Drive" mandates priority disposal of all refund/drawback claims pending as on 31-08-2020. Exporters/CHAs must reply to queries by 02-11-2020 or claims will be decided on available records; EGM non-filing and EGM errors must be rectified and BRCs produced by 02-11-2020 or claims processed at zero drawback with rights to file supplementary claims preserved. Approval for EGM error rectification is delegated to the EGM Superintendent, subject to random checks; affected lists are uploaded on the customs website and the Notice is a standing order for staff.

Gov.in email ID creation procedure for officers requires name-based applications, nodal approval, and duplicate ID deletion control.
Procedure is prescribed for creation of officers' gov.in email IDs through the NIC e-forms portal in two stages. Officers must complete the required organisational particulars, apply in the name-based format [email protected], verify that the ID has not already been created, and then obtain nodal approval through the pending request facility. The circular also requires zone-wise compilation of duplicate email IDs and submission of the deletion list for initiation of deletion action.

GST treatment during corporate insolvency separates pre-CIRP operational debt from fresh registration, compliance, credit, and refund obligations.
Pre-CIRP GST dues of a corporate debtor are operational debt to be claimed before the National Company Law Tribunal, and coercive recovery is barred during the moratorium. Registration should not ordinarily be cancelled, while the IRP or RP need not file pre-CIRP returns. During CIRP, fresh GST registration is required and the IRP or RP must meet tax and return obligations. Transitional input tax credit is available for eligible invoices bearing the former GSTIN, and cash-ledger deposits in the former registration may be refunded despite non-filing of relevant returns.

GST compliance relief during COVID-19 relaxed filing charges, interest, input-credit reconciliation, and deadline requirements for taxpayers.
For GSTR-3B returns for February, March and April 2020, original due dates remained unchanged, but eligible taxpayers received nil or reduced interest and waiver of late fee if returns were filed within stipulated timelines. Non-compliance with those timelines attracted interest at 18% from the original due date, regular late fee and potential penalty. Late fee relief applied to specified GSTR-1 filings, while the rule 36(4) input tax credit restriction was applied cumulatively through the September 2020 return. Specified returns, tax collection statements, e-way bills and other compliance actions also received extended timelines.

Insolvency GST registration compliance permits continuity for compliant corporate debtors and authorised-signatory changes when insolvency professionals are replaced.
Bihar GST compliance for insolvency proceedings permits corporate debtors with all pre-appointment FORM GSTR-1 statements and FORM GSTR-3B returns furnished to continue under their existing registration without separate IRP/RP registration. Replacement of an IRP/RP requires amendment of authorised signatory details rather than fresh registration. COVID-19 relief extends the merchant exporter's 90-day export condition, where it expired within the specified period, to 30 June 2020, and also extends filing of FORM GST ITC-04 for the March 2020 quarter to that date.

Accumulated ITC refunds remain available for imports, ISD invoices and reverse-charge supplies despite GSTR-2A invoice matching restrictions.
Refund of accumulated input tax credit for supplier invoices is restricted to credit supported by invoice details uploaded in FORM GSTR-1 and reflected in the applicant's FORM GSTR-2A. This restriction applies to missing supplier invoices and does not affect input tax credit availed on import documents, Input Service Distributor invoices, or inward supplies liable to reverse charge. Refund treatment for imports, ISD invoices and reverse-charge supplies continues on the basis applicable before the GSTR-2A reflection restriction.

GST return filing relief clarifies reduced interest periods and conditional late-fee waivers for delayed pandemic-period compliance.
GST compliance measures for specified 2020 periods prescribe turnover-based interest treatment for delayed GSTR-3B returns. Persons above the aggregate-turnover threshold receive nil interest for the first 15 days of delay, reduced interest up to 24 June 2020, and normal interest thereafter. Persons below the threshold receive nil interest until prescribed dates, reduced interest until 30 September 2020, and normal interest for further delay. Late-fee waiver for GSTR-3B remains conditional on filing by prescribed dates; otherwise, late fee runs from the original due date.

Director remuneration under GST depends on employment status, with non-salary payments attracting reverse charge liability for companies.
GST on directors' remuneration depends on whether the director acts as an employee or independently supplies services. Remuneration paid to independent directors and other non-employee directors is taxable, with the company liable under the reverse charge mechanism. For employee-directors, salary recorded in the company's books and subjected to tax deduction applicable to salaries falls within the employee-services exclusion in Schedule III. Separately recorded non-salary remuneration subjected to tax deduction applicable to professional or technical fees is taxable, and GST is payable by the company on reverse charge basis.