Manufacturing and other operations in a Warehouse Regulations: ICES updated to waive interest on Ex Bond home clearances.
ICES has been updated to support MOOWR interest waiver for Ex Bond Bills of Entry from Section 65 warehouses by adding an IEC-Warehouse mapping option under the AC (Bonds) role to validate Sec 65 declarations, and by uploading a revised Bill of Entry message format with item level BE ITEM SW CTRL fields (Annexure I). Items properly declared under the new format will not attract interest. A re crediting option for the Warehouse BE ledger on re export via Exports details of WHBE has been added. Changes are effective from 21.09.2020.

Warehouse manufacturing: Ex-Bond bills from Sec65 warehouses attract no interest; ICES mapping and BE field updates effective 21.09.2020.
No interest is leviable on Ex Bond Bills of Entry for home consumption where manufacturing occurred in a Section 65 warehouse. ICES now requires IEC Warehouse mapping (enter IEC and 10 digit warehouse code) to validate Sec65 declarations, an updated BE message format with item level fields (fixed 'SEC65' control code, warehouse code, warehousing date, GST invoice and finished product details) for Ex Bond BEs, and an option to re credit the WBE ledger on re export by entering shipping bill details. Changes effective 21.09.2020.

Importer duty of care requires documented origin evidence and may trigger compulsory verification of subsequent consignments.
Importers claiming preferential duty must retain and furnish prescribed minimum information demonstrating how Rules of Origin criteria, including regional value content and product specific rules, are met; authorities should seek this information from the importer before initiating verification with the exporting country. Submission of a Certificate of Origin does not absolve the importer from exercising reasonable care for accuracy; failure to provide information or exercise reasonable care must be reported to the Risk Management Centre to trigger compulsory verification of subsequent consignments until adequate controls are demonstrated.

Verification of Certificates of Origin: new procedures require importer due diligence and enable cross border verification under CAROTAR.
The guidelines require importers to maintain and produce prescribed minimum information to substantiate preferential origin claims; if doubts remain about authenticity or whether goods meet Rules of Origin, customs must seek importer information first and, failing satisfaction, refer representative Certificates of Origin for verification through the Board's nodal point. Failure to provide information or exercise due diligence is reported to the Risk Management Centre to trigger compulsory verification of future consignments until adequate controls are shown. Field SOPs, timelines, signature repositories, communication channels, and training measures are prescribed.

Reasonable care in origin claims - importers must document origin compliance and risk triggering compulsory verification procedures.
Procedural guidelines require importers to retain specified minimum information proving compliance with the Rules of Origin and to exercise reasonable care in origin claims; where information is deficient or care is lacking, authorities may invoke compulsory verification of subsequent consignments. Verification must follow standard operating procedures: seek information from the importer first, prepare comprehensive verification proposals approved by the jurisdictional commissioner, forward representative Certificates of Origin with supporting documents to the Board's designated nodal point, and monitor timelines and responses while using the ICES repository for specimen signatures/seals.

Physical verification of business premises governs Aadhaar-linked registration scrutiny, reporting, and the prohibition on deemed registration without Aadhaar.
Physical verification of business premises is to be applied uniformly for registration under the RGST Rules, 2017. Where Aadhaar is not furnished, registration should ordinarily follow physical verification; document-based registration instead requires prior approval from the concerned Additional Commissioner (Administration). Written permission is required for verification visits in notified or high-risk cases, and reports with photographs must be cross-verified and uploaded in FORM GST REG-30. Deemed registration should generally be avoided and is prohibited where Aadhaar has not been furnished.

Interest on net cash tax liability to be recovered administratively; notices based on gross liability to be held pending amendment.
Field formations are instructed to recover interest only on the net cash tax liability - i.e., tax paid by debiting the electronic cash ledger or payable through the cash ledger - for the earlier GST period; show cause notices issued on gross tax payable should be kept in the call book pending the retrospective amendment of section 50.

Survey powers under section 133A require senior approval and must be used only as a last resort.
The order imposes an approval regime for conduct of survey u/s 133A: International Taxation charges need CCsIT (International Taxation) approval or CCIT (International Taxation) where no CCsIT exists; TDS charges need CCsIT (TDS) approval or Pr. CCsIT where no CCsIT exists; Central charges need CCIT (Central)/DGIT (Investigation) approval and collaboration with the investigation wing. Approving officers must ensure all other possibilities are exhausted and that survey is a last resort.

Uniform NAV applicability: closing NAV applies when funds are available, with strengthened OMS controls and allocation safeguards.
Subscriptions (except liquid and overnight schemes) receive closing NAV on the day funds are available; AMCs must adopt board and trustee approved written policies detailing OMS use, scheme wise order placement, inbuilt regulatory limits, dedicated dealers, dealing room controls, concrete pooled order allocation rules with pro rata weighted average pricing, constrained deviations requiring multi officer written approvals, segregation of margins/collaterals among schemes, and system based monitoring with audit trails, time stamping and trustee reporting of non compliance.

No interest on Ex-Bond bills for goods cleared after manufacturing in licensed Section 65 warehouses; ICES BE format updated.
No interest applies to Ex-Bond Bills of Entry for goods cleared after manufacturing in a licensed Section 65 warehouse; ICES now includes an IEC Warehouse mapping feature under the AC (Bonds) role to validate Section 65 declarations, and the BE_ITEM_SW_CTRL table and BE message format have been amended to require additional item-level information for such Ex-Bond BEs. A provision to re credit the Warehouse BE ledger on re export via Exports details of WHBE has also been added, and the changes are effective from 21.09.2020.

Certificate of Origin compliance determines preferential duty claims through item-wise Bill of Entry declarations, electronic upload, and pre-clearance defacement.
Preferential-rate duty claims under trade agreements require item-wise Bill of Entry declarations, including Certificate of Origin particulars, origin criteria, and accumulation or cumulation status. Each preferential item must be supported by electronic upload of the relevant Certificate of Origin through eSanchit and entry of its IRN in the supporting-document table. Importers must make the CUF02 self-declaration that goods qualify as originating goods. Each uploaded Certificate of Origin must be marked as defaced before Out of Charge can be granted.

Foreign investment cap in defence raised under automatic route; government approval required beyond higher threshold, with security review.
The policy raises the automatic-route foreign equity ceiling for the defence industry and retains government approval beyond the new ceiling where access to modern technology or other specified reasons exist. Licence applications remain subject to inter-ministerial consultation; foreign investment requires security clearance and may be reviewed on national security grounds. Companies not holding an industrial licence must file a mandatory declaration with the Ministry of Defence within thirty days if foreign infusion alters ownership up to the lower threshold, while proposals to increase FDI beyond that lower threshold require government approval. Investee entities must ensure in country design, development, manufacturing, maintenance and life cycle support capabilities.

Compulsory selection for complete scrutiny allocates specified case categories to Central Charges or the National e Assessment Centre for assessment.
Guidelines set parameters for compulsory selection of returns for Complete Scrutiny under the Faceless Assessment Scheme, 2020: survey, search and seizure, notices calling for return, reassessment notices, and registration/approval claim cases are categorized. Where impounded material or certain search/seizure aspects exist, matters must be transferred to Central Charges after issuance of the assessment notice; where no impounded material or where returns were filed, proceedings are to be conducted by the National e Assessment Centre, with required Survey Report uploads to ITBA.

Government-supported Line of Credit enables financing of eligible Indian exports to Malawi subject to sourcing and documentary conditions.
Government-supported Line of Credit to Malawi authorises Exim Bank financing of eligible Indian exports for drinking water and development projects, subject to Foreign Trade Policy eligibility and Exim Bank approval. Contracts must source at least 75 per cent of goods, works and services from India, with up to 25 per cent procured abroad. The LoC is effective from September 2020 with a terminal utilization period of 60 months after scheduled project completion. Shipments must be declared in the Export Declaration Form. No agency commission is payable under the LoC, though exporters may use own funds or EEFC balances for commission remittance after realisation, subject to AD Category I bank rules. Directions are issued under FEMA.

E-office implementation requires electronic communications via designated email and PDF submissions to streamline processing and acknowledgement.
Launch of e office establishes an electronic, paperless workflow in the Commissionerate to improve efficiency, transparency, accountability and data security. All communications must be sent only to the designated email id and preferably as searchable PDF files to enable faster processing. Communicators should provide mobile and email details to receive immediate acknowledgement and a Diary Number for future reference; trade bodies are asked to circulate the notice and forward difficulties or suggestions to the same address.

Listing of InvIT and REIT units in IFSC permitted subject to jurisdictional incorporation, regulation and specified exchange listings.
SEBI permits listing and trading of Units of InvITs and REITs on IFSC stock exchanges provided the trusts are incorporated/settled in Government notified Permissible Jurisdictions, regulated by the securities regulator(s) in those jurisdictions, and already listed on specified international exchanges; Annexure A contains the lists of jurisdictions and exchanges.

Rules of Origin verification requires importer due diligence and formal verification requests through designated CBIC nodal point
Importers claiming preferential tariff treatment must retain and produce specified minimum information demonstrating satisfaction of Rules of Origin; submission of a Certificate of Origin does not relieve the importer of the obligation to exercise reasonable care. Where doubts on genuineness or accuracy arise, officers must first seek information from the importer under CAROTAR before requesting verification from the exporting country. Verification requests must be comprehensive, approved by the jurisdictional Commissioner, include legible COO, invoice and transport documents, and be sent to the Board's designated nodal point, which maintains signature/seal repositories and monitors responses.

Faceless Assessment expands national electronic customs assessment, centralising verification while preserving port inspection and appeal mechanisms.
All-India roll-out of Faceless Assessment creates a centralised electronic framework assigning bills of entry to Faceless Assessment Groups for verification while Port Assessment Groups remain responsible for physical examination, testing, bonds and other port functions. Importers must file documents electronically via ICEGATE and e-Sanchit; faceless units may accept self-assessment, seek documents, order testing or re-assess with a speaking order. Turant Suvidha Kendra handles bond registration and document tasks. Appeals from re-assessments lie with the Commissioner (Appeals) of the port of import.

Faceless Assessment roll out: imports assigned electronically to faceless assessment groups; ICEGATE communications, port examinations and TSK bonds apply.
Imported Bills of Entry will be processed under a phased Faceless Assessment system assigning filings via the Customs Automated System to designated Faceless Assessment Groups; filings and supporting documents must be submitted electronically on ICEGATE and e Sanchit. Faceless Assessment Groups may accept self assessment, raise consolidated electronic queries, order examination/testing by port shed officers, provisionally assess or refer matters to Port Assessment Groups in specified exceptional circumstances, and must issue speaking orders and provide hearings for re assessment; ports of import retain examination, custody, bond registration at TSK, and enforcement responsibilities.

Margin collection requirement: upfront VaR and ELM mandatory; other margins deemed collected if pay in occurs within two working days or by early pay in.
TMs and CMs must collect upfront VaR margin and ELM from clients prior to trade; other margins may be collected within a two working day window. If client pay-in (funds or securities) occurs within two working days, or securities are early pay in to the Clearing Corporation, other margins are deemed collected and penalties for short/non-collection do not apply. If pay-in is not made within two working days and other margins are not collected by that time, applicable penalties may be levied. Clearing Corporations continue to collect upfront VaR plus ELM and other margins from TMs/CMs.