Contactless customs: online AD code and bank account registration plus automated bond debit to reduce physical interactions.
Contactless Customs measures require exporters to use ICEGATE for online registration/modification of Authorised Dealer (AD) Codes and bank accounts with e Sanchit document submission; Customs officers must approve or report deficiencies the same working day if requirements are met. ICES will automatically debit bonds after assessment when bond details accompany the Bill of Entry, and traders are encouraged to use continuity bonds. Importers/exporters are advised to complete simplified ICEGATE registration based on GSTIN verification to access portal functionalities such as bank account management, ledger view and IGST refund status.

Relaxation of ILDM compliance extended: reporting timelines for municipal debt issuers moved to a new July deadline.
The circular modifies clause 7 of SEBI's earlier March 23, 2020 circular to extend timelines for submission of the investor grievance report, financial results and accounts maintained by issuers under the ILDM Regulations, setting a new deadline of July 31, 2020, and directs stock exchanges to notify listed municipal debt issuers and disseminate the circular, effective immediately under SEBI's regulatory powers.

Contactless customs procedures: automated bond debits and streamlined electronic workflows to reduce physical visits and delays.
Implements Contactless Customs measures: ICES will automatically debit bonds when bond details and sufficient balances are provided at filing, eliminating physical bond debits; importers should use continuity bonds. Importers are urged to complete simplified ICEGATE registration to access electronic functionalities. First-check Bill of Entry workflow is streamlined so Bills automatically reach assessing officers after import-shed completion, allow return to examiners when incomplete, and handle CFS code routing by marking entries as 'NOCFS' for SUP correction.

Auto-debiting of bonds enables automatic debiting after assessment, reducing physical customs interaction and streamlining first-check routing.
System changes mandate auto-debiting of bonds declared in Bills of Entry after assessment, obviating manual debiting where a valid bond and sufficient balance are declared at filing; officer intervention is required only if no bond is declared or balance is insufficient. First-check Bills of Entry will automatically route to assessing officers after shed officers mark examination complete, with assessing officers able to return BEs to examiners by entering "N" until they enter "Y" to complete assessment. First-check BEs sent to the supervisor queue will carry a 'NOCFS' code so supervisors can enter the correct CFS code and forward to inspection.

GST on director remuneration: non employee fees taxable with company liable under reverse charge; salaries excluded as employment consideration.
Remuneration paid to directors who are not employees, including independent directors, is taxable and the company must pay GST under reverse charge; remuneration to directors who are employees is exempt when recorded and taxed as "Salaries" (in course-of employment under Schedule III), but any portion characterized and taxed as professional or technical fees is taxable and subject to reverse charge by the company.

Refund of Input Tax Credit restricted to invoices reflected in GSTR-2A; imports, ISD and reverse-charge credits remain unaffected.
Refund of accumulated Input Tax Credit is limited to ITC supported by invoices uploaded by the supplier in FORM GSTR-1 and reflected in the applicant's FORM GSTR-2A; refunds previously allowed on applicant-uploaded missing invoices are thereby modified. The restriction does not impact refund treatment for ITC on imports, ISD invoices, or inward supplies subject to reverse charge, which continue under the prior practice.

Faceless contactless customs: Turant Suvidha Kendras and ICEGATE digital measures extended to streamline customs processes nationwide.
The Board requires establishment of Turant Suvidha Kendras at all Customs formations to handle exceptional physical document submission while relying on e Sanchit for ordinary verification, and directs wide publicity of TSK details. ICEGATE has been enabled for online registration/modification of Authorised Dealer codes and bank accounts with electronic submission and dashboard tracking, automatic ICES debit of bonds post assessment when bond details accompany the Bill of Entry, and promotion of simplified ICEGATE registration tied to GSTIN to unlock portal functionalities.

Filing deadline extension for NFRA-2 compliance provides additional time from form deployment to complete reporting obligations for financial year.
The Ministry prescribes that the time limit for filing Form NFRA-2 for the reporting period is 270 days from the date of deployment of the form on the NFRA website, thereby creating a clear compliance trigger and finite filing window for that reporting period.

GST classification of petroleum exploration services distinguishes operational extraction support from geological, geophysical, and mineral evaluation services.
GST classification separates operational support services for petroleum, natural gas and mining extraction under heading 9986 from geological, geophysical, consulting, mineral exploration and evaluation services under heading 9983. Extraction support includes well-related operations, test drilling connected with extraction and contract operation of extraction units. Geological and geophysical prospecting, feasibility studies, project evaluation, surveying and mineral evaluation are classified separately. Services outside these entries must be classified under their respective headings and taxed accordingly.

Grievance Redressal Committee for GST issues ensures structured referral, quarterly review and time bound IT resolution processes.
Constitution of a Grievance Redressal Committee for Lakshadweep to address GST taxpayer grievances: co-chaired by senior Central GST officials, including GSTN, trade and tax professional representatives; two-year terms; quarterly meetings; Secretary to place stakeholder grievances before the Committee and submit quarterly reports. Functions include resolving procedural and IT grievances, referring policy or legal changes to GST Council Secretariat/CBIC Policy Wing, and referring portal issues to GSTN. GSTN will provide a portal for recording and tracking grievances and disposals with time-bound resolution and public status display.

Input tax credit blocking under Rule 86A was streamlined through SOP for non-existent firm invoices and prompt enforcement action.
Standard Operating Procedure was prescribed for blocking and unblocking of Input Tax Credit under Rule 86A in cases where credit had been claimed on the basis of invoices or other documents issued by non-existent firms. Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners in Vigilance/Enforcement units and Range Offices were authorised to act under Rule 86A(1) and 86A(2), with prompt analysis of returns and E-Way Bill data, identification of taxpayers, reporting to supervisory authorities, communication of reasons to the registered person, and compliance with the prescribed monetary threshold and one-year limit.

MSME classification change: composite investment-and-turnover criteria now govern category, triggering reclassification and reporting obligations.
Revisions require use of a composite criterion of investment in plant and machinery or equipment and turnover to classify enterprises; aggregation applies to all units sharing a PAN by combining GSTIN-linked figures. Investment calculation is linked to prior Income Tax Returns, with self-declaration permitted for new enterprises until first ITR, excluding GST and specified exempt items; turnover excludes exports and must be linked to tax and GST data, with temporary self-declaration allowed for entities without PAN until a specified date. Transitional rules preserve existing status for defined post-change periods and the circular supersedes earlier guidance except delayed-payment provisions.

Paperless Customs enables electronic Shipping Bill and e-Gatepass transmission, replacing printed export documents and physical dockets.
Paperless Customs requires electronic transmission of the digitally signed PDF of the Shipping Bill bearing the Final LEO and an e-Gatepass PDF to registered exporters and customs brokers, replacing routine printing and physical dockets; PDFs include encrypted QR codes with key shipment data and a version number for authenticity verification, and custodians must integrate with ICEGATE for electronic LEO receipt while all supporting documents must be uploaded to e-Sanchit.

Enforcement wing reorganisation reshapes GST inspection and search jurisdiction, consolidating district coverage and staff deployment for revenue protection.
Enforcement Wings under Tripura SGST are reorganised into two merged units for inspection, search, seizure of goods in movement, and access to business premises, godowns and other premises within jurisdiction to safeguard revenue. The Agartala Enforcement Wing covers West Tripura, Sepahijala, Gomati and South Tripura districts, while the Churaibari Enforcement Wing covers North Tripura, Unakoti, Dhalai and Khowai districts. Personnel posted at Udaipur and Ambassa are directed to join the respective merged wings, and the earlier arrangement is superseded.

GST return delay relief grants reduced interest and conditional late-fee waiver for eligible COVID-19 period filings.
COVID-19 GST relief revises interest and late-fee treatment for delayed GSTR-3B and GSTR-1 filings. Taxpayers above the prescribed turnover threshold receive nil interest for an initial delayed period, reduced interest up to the specified cut-off, and normal interest thereafter. Eligible smaller taxpayers receive nil interest until specified filing dates, reduced interest until 30 September 2020, and normal interest thereafter. Late-fee waiver is conditional on filing GSTR-3B by the prescribed extended dates; otherwise, late fee runs from the original due date until filing.

Disablement of trading member: immediate freeze of accounts and expedited forensic audit to protect non-defaulting clients.
On triggering early warning signals or specified criteria indicating likely default by a Trading Member/Clearing Member, the initiating Stock Exchange shall seek explanations, conduct a limited-purpose joint inspection, and may direct disablement of the trading terminal. Exchanges shall notify clearing corporations, depositories and banks; depositories shall freeze demat accounts and suspend POAs; banks shall freeze member bank accounts on exchange instruction. CMs/CCs shall square off or liquidate open positions, encash collateral and invoke guarantees, while a forensic audit and asset-liability assessment are conducted to enable interim settlement of client claims and subsequent default proceedings under bye-laws.

Compliance deadline extension for REITs and InvITs grants an additional month for regulatory filings and compliances.
SEBI amended earlier relief to grant REITs and InvITs an additional one-month extension for regulatory filings and compliances for the period ending March 31, 2020 beyond previously extended timelines, effective immediately, and directed stock exchanges to notify and disseminate the circular.

Customs port designation: ICD Sonepat permitted for import and export under export promotion schemes subject to scheme conditions.
Operations through ICD Sonepat (INBDM6) are permitted for imports and exports under the listed export promotion schemes, subject to fulfillment of conditions in the referenced notifications and the Handbook of Procedure/Foreign Trade Policy and departmental instructions, and the Commissioner's powers to notify additional ports remain applicable.

Relaxation of compliance timelines extended for depository participants and RTAs, allowing backlog clearance after exclusion period.
The circular extends regulatory timelines for DPs and RTAs by treating the period from March 23, 2020 to July 31, 2020 as a period of exclusion for specified compliance activities and allows a 15 day period after July 31, 2020 to clear backlogs. Extended activities include processing demat request forms by issuers/RTAs and participants, submission of half yearly Internal Audit Reports for the half year ended March 31, 2020, redressal of investor grievances, transmission of securities, and closure of demat accounts. Reporting deadlines for AI/ML disclosures by Trading Members and Clearing Members are likewise extended, with all other prior conditions remaining in force.

Collection of stamp duty on AIF units: RTAs to collect for non-exchange transactions; AIFs must appoint RTAs and safeguard funds.
Registrars to an Issue and/or Share Transfer Agents are designated as collecting agents for stamp duty under the Indian Stamp Act for AIF unit transactions outside recognised exchanges or depositories; RTAs already appointed must collect stamp duty, and AIFs without RTAs must appoint them promptly. Until appointment, AIFs shall hold applicable stamp duty in a designated bank account for transfer to RTAs for onward remittance; dematerialised transactions through exchanges or depositories continue to be subject to collection by those entities.