Temporary suspension of pre-shipment inspection agencies: certificates from listed firms not accepted pending investigation and full inspection.
Temporary suspension of specified Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI) agencies is imposed because reports indicate issuance of false certificates and recovery of ammunition in some imported metal scrap consignments. Certificates from those agencies will not be accepted by Customs pending a thorough investigation and conclusions through due process. Existing consignments with certificates from the listed agencies meeting the bill of lading condition will be cleared only after full physical inspection under applicable Customs procedure.

Excisability of coal ash: prior circular withdrawn and related disputes to be decided in light of appellate judgment.
The Board accepts the appellate judgment on the excisability of coal ash and withdraws its earlier circular that treated coal ash as an excisable commodity; that circular is no longer valid and pending disputes and assessments are to be decided in accordance with the appellate judgment, with trade and field formations to be informed.

Advance licence tie-up agreements allow intermediate supply applications; e commerce exports accepted from EDI file with hard copy deadline.
Applications for grant of an advance licence or DFRC for intermediate supply may be made based on a tie-up agreement with an exporter or deemed exporter holding an advance licence or DFRC, and the licensing authority shall consider such requests. For e-commerce applications, exports or supplies made from the date of the EDI-generated file number for an advance licence may be accepted provided the hard copy is submitted within three months.

Certificate of Origin authorization expanded to add specified agencies for non preferential issuance, including tea export inspectors.
The Director General of Foreign Trade amends the Handbook of Procedures (Vol. I) to add specified entities to the list of agencies authorised to issue Certificate of Origin - Non Preferential, including two Maharashtra trade associations for general certification and multiple laboratories, research bodies and inspection firms authorised specifically to issue non preferential origin certificates for export of tea in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and West Bengal.

Foreign investment cap in FM broadcasting permits limited foreign and diaspora equity under regulatory terms.
Policy permits foreign investment, including FDI, NRI, PIO and portfolio investments, up to 20% equity in terrestrial FM radio broadcasting, subject to terms and conditions specified by the licensing authority for grant of permission to set up FM radio stations.

EDI filing requirements require specific software and drivers to be installed for successful application submission.
Filing through EDI requires installing Microsoft Data Access Components to create MSADO15.DLL in the System\ado directory, installing the latest Java Virtual Machine, placing NCODEFS.DLL and CAPICOM.DLL in the Exim folder, and optionally updating digital signature token drivers; a system restart is recommended. Exporters should follow these steps and may contact the NIC officer at JDGFT Pune for assistance if problems continue.

Disclaimer clause requirement added to issue advertisements; regulatory observations do not constitute approval of the offer.
Amendment inserts a mandatory disclaimer clause into Part A, Part B and Part C of the issue advertisement schedule after the heading "proposed listing", specifying that the regulator's observations on offer documents do not constitute approval of the issue or the offer document; the amendment is effective immediately and the revised guidelines and wording are published on the regulator's website.

Foreign direct investment in asset reconstruction companies allowed under FDI route, with ownership limits and SARFAESI compliance required.
Permits foreign direct investment in Asset Reconstruction Companies registered with RBI via the FDI route while excluding FIIs from ARC equity; FIPB will consider applications subject to an overall foreign equity ceiling and additional SARFAESI compliance where an individual investor's stake crosses the specified threshold. Separately, grants general permission to SEBI registered FIIs to invest in Security Receipts issued by ARCs subject to limits on each tranche and per FII participation, with both policies subject to periodic review and FEMA regulatory amendments to follow.

Document requirement change for Vishesh Krishi Upaj Yojana: Bill of Export accepted for land exports instead of Shipping Bill
Amendment to Sl. No. 2 of Sub-Section VIII of the Aayaat Niryat Form modifies the documentary requirement for Vishesh Krishi Upaj Yojana: the Export Promotion (EP) copy of Shipping Bill(s) remains required, but a Bill of Export may now be accepted in lieu of a Shipping Bill for exports through land Customs generally, broadening acceptable documentation for land-based shipments when claiming scheme benefits.

Dematerialisation transfer charges removed where Beneficiary Owner transfers all securities to identical account, enabling free inter-depository transfers.
SEBI requires that no charges be levied by a depository on DPs, nor by DPs on BOs, when a BO transfers all securities to another branch of the same DP, another DP of the same depository, or to another depository, provided the BO accounts at transferor and transferee are identical, including identical joint-account ownership sequence where applicable. Depositories must implement systems to distinguish such account-transfer transactions from normal debits and amend bye-laws, notify DPs, and report implementation status.

Import licensing requirement for second-hand photocopiers: clearance must comply with foreign trade policy; provisional assessment discontinued.
Importation of used photocopier machines must be allowed only against a licence under the amended Foreign Trade Policy; the earlier interim allowance of provisional assessment on a simple ITC bond without bank guarantee is to be discontinued and field formations directed to clear second-hand photocopiers strictly as per the Foreign Trade Policy, 2004-2009.

Transfer of jurisdiction to a Special Zone reallocates filing and assessment responsibility for works-contract and right-to-use dealers.
Directive transferring administration of specified dealers' tax returns and files to a designated Special Zone for handling works contract transactions and transfer of right to use goods; officers in that zone will monitor tax payments, handle proceedings from those returns and related sale/purchase transactions, and the existing VATOs/AVATOs will cease jurisdiction over those matters with assessment responsibility for the earlier year also assigned to the Special Zone.

Desk review by chartered/cost accountants used to validate complex audit information and identify issues for audit plans.
The Board authorises engagement of Chartered/Cost Accountants from institute panels in an advisory capacity for desk review under EA 2000 to assist in validating and interpreting ER 4/ER 5/ER 6 returns, scrutinising financial statements and audit reports, deriving unit-wise financials from consolidated accounts, and identifying issues for inclusion in the departmental Audit Plan, subject to avoidance of any conflict of interest and compliance with prescribed selection criteria and reporting requirements.

External Commercial Borrowings expanded to treat infrastructure SPVs as financial institutions and permit bank guarantees for textile ECBs under approval.
The ECB policy clarifies that Special Purpose Vehicles and Reserve Bank notified entities set up exclusively to finance infrastructure projects will be treated as financial institutions, with their ECB proposals considered under the Approval Route on a case by case basis. Banks are permitted to issue guarantees, standby letters of credit, letters of undertaking or letters of comfort for ECBs by textile companies for modernisation or expansion, subject to prudential norms and Approval Route consideration; the changes take immediate effect and corresponding regulatory amendments will follow.

Foreign investment limits in telecom revised to allow greater foreign ownership subject to Indian board control and strict security safeguards.
The policy raises the permitted composite foreign holding in specified telecom services subject to an overall cap counted across direct and indirect instruments, with half yearly disclosure and FIPB approval where applicable; majority of board and key executive positions must be resident Indian citizens enforced through licence and shareholders' agreements; company constitutional documents must require compliance with licence conditions, and state security safeguards restrict transfer of subscriber and user data abroad, limit remote access, permit monitoring and confer cancellation powers for breaches.

Delegation of powers under the DVAT framework enables subordinate officers to administer registration, assessment, inspection and refunds.
The Commissioner delegates specified DVAT Act powers to subordinate officers by rank to operationalise registration, security requirements, assessment and reassessment, refunds and withholding, inspections, searches, seizures, custody and release of records and goods, special and statutory audit functions, recovery and imposition of penalties, and supervisory review. Specific units and officers are authorised for distinct functions and larger refunds or withholding actions require prior approval from higher officials.

Export profit deduction under section 80HHC: abeyance of assessments and recoveries extended, administrative instruction issued.
The Board directs an extension of the administrative moratorium on assessments, recovery proceedings and related enforcement in respect of claims under the export-profit deduction provision in section 80HHC, maintaining suspension of action for an additional specified period and instructs Chief Commissioners/Directors General to notify all officers in their regions to implement the extension.

Office relocation suspends public dealing; electronic filings allowed and hard copies accepted after reopening.
Office relocation requires dismantling and reinstallation of V-SAT and LAN, causing an operational interruption; public dealing will be closed for four days. Electronic filing of applications may continue during the shutdown while hard copy submissions are suspended until the office reopens at the new premises, with new telephone numbers to be published subsequently.

Digital filing incentives: fee deductions encourage digitally signed applications and electronic fund transfers for fee payment.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade offers fee deductions to encourage electronic filing: applications signed with a digital signature and applications with fees paid by Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) qualify for reduced application fees, and combined use of both electronic signature and EFT yields a larger aggregate deduction. The measure aims to promote automated filing, standardized document exchange, and greater use of information technology in trade procedures.

Duty drawback eligibility expanded to include additional customs duty paid through DEPB debit, aligning with CENVAT adjustment.
Additional customs duty paid by debit under the DEPB scheme shall be allowed as part of the brand rate of duty drawback, aligning with the Foreign Trade Policy provision permitting adjustment of additional customs duty/excise duty paid in cash or through DEPB as CENVAT credit or Duty Drawback, and thereby modifying the earlier circular that limited allowance to cash-paid duty.