Storage under Section 49: importers may de stuff containers and keep goods in CFS/ICD under customs supervision for clearance.
Importers may avail the Section 49 facility to store goods in customs warehouses when clearance within a reasonable time is not possible; alternatively they may de stuff foreign containers on arrival and keep goods in CFS/ICD, including in empty domestic containers, under customs supervision for subsequent clearance, as a means to promote import cost efficiency.

ICD Mathilakam EDI operations commence: electronic filing, registration requirements, bonds, duty payment and clearance procedures.
ICES/ICEGATE EDI operations at ICD Mathilakam commence 21/01/2013, requiring electronic filing of IGMs, Bills of Entry and Shipping Bills with prior registration of IE Codes, CHAs, shipping agents and DGFT licences. The system validates declarations, applies exchange rates and tariff directories, assigns Bills to Appraising Groups, and supports System/First/Second Check appraisement, concurrent audit, reassessment, and Section 48 approvals. Bond and licence ledgers are maintained centrally; bonds, licences and permitted certificates must be registered and debited in the system prior to goods registration and out of charge. Export processing, drawback, and ancillary valuation modules are integrated with designated bank payment and service centre procedures.

Transfers and postings ordered in Commissioner grade, immediate relief and joining deadlines with compliance reporting requirement to Board.
An Office Order directs transfers and postings of officers in the grade of Commissioner of Customs and Central Excise, listing individual reassignments effective immediately and until further orders. The order mandates immediate relieving and joining at new stations by the stipulated deadline, prohibits representations before joining, and requires Chief Commissioners/Director Generals to submit compliance reports on relieving and joining to the Board with a copy to the DG, HRD.

ECB limit increase for NBFC IFCs: higher automatic borrowing cap with approvals required beyond the cap and reduced hedging.
The circular raises the permitted ECB ceiling for NBFC IFCs under the automatic route as a proportion of owned funds while borrowings beyond that ceiling require Reserve Bank approval under the approval route. End use remains confined to on lending to infrastructure and other ECB conditions are unchanged. The currency risk hedging obligation for NBFC IFCs is reduced to a lower specified proportion of exposure. Authorised Dealer Category I banks must certify compliance and continue to certify leverage ratios for approval route proposals. The amendments are effective immediately under FEMA authority.

Custodian appointment for imported bulk cargo requires compliance with cargo handling regulations and customs clearance procedures.
Appointment of a private entity as Custodian for imported bulk cargo assigns responsibility for custody and oversight of cargo discharged at specified coal berths until customs clearance, warehousing, or transshipment occurs, and requires compliance with the handling-of-cargo regulations and general customs compliance regime.

PAN verification online permitted when intermediaries accept alternate proof of identity, easing investor onboarding and compliance.
Intermediaries may verify investors' PAN electronically at the Income Tax website without requiring the original PAN card, provided the investor presents an alternative document serving as Proof of Identity; this operational flexibility applies to exchanges, brokers, depository participants, mutual funds, KRAs, AIFs and CIS and is issued under Section 11(1) to promote investor protection and regulatory compliance.

Price sensitive information must be disclosed to stock exchanges first to prevent selective disclosures to trade bodies and false markets.
Under Clause 36 of the Listing Agreement, all events or material information that could affect company performance or be price sensitive must be disclosed to stock exchanges immediately and before disclosure to other parties; the circular addresses instances of companies sharing monthly sales/production figures with trade bodies without informing exchanges and directs exchanges to ensure compliance and provide or request further information as needed.

Revalidation of export authorizations allows cotton exporters to obtain a one-time extension or penalty-free surrender.
Holders of Registration Certificates (RC) for cotton exports to Pakistan may obtain a one-time extension of RC validity for up to thirty days or surrender un-utilized or partially utilized RCs without penalty, provided the request for revalidation or surrender is made to the concerned Regional Authority within the RC validity period; Regional Authorities must report weekly to Headquarters the numbers and quantities of RCs revalidated and surrendered.

Withdrawal of mandatory basmati rice export sampling removes requirement for customs-drawn variety testing, ending designated testing centre obligation.
The circular withdraws prior instructions requiring customs to draw samples of basmati (including PUSA 1121) for variety identification and rescinds designation of authorised testing centres. With immediate effect, the procedural obligation on customs and exporters to facilitate sampling and specified centre analysis for variety identification is removed as an amendment to the earlier policy circulars.

Service tax accounting codes restored; taxpayers must select appropriate service descriptions or amend registrations online in ACES.
The notice restores service-specific accounting codes for payment of service tax and directs that registrations under the positive list remain valid; new taxpayers must select relevant descriptions from the 120-item Annexure. Taxpayers registered as "OTHER THAN THE NEGATIVE LIST" should file an online amendment in ACES to opt for appropriate description(s); pending ST-1 amendments listing "all taxable services" may not require change and field officers should guide taxpayers. DG Systems will display the 120 descriptions and corresponding accounting codes in Form ST-1 and ST-2.

ASBA facility requirements: banks must use a separate demarcated account with another SCSB for self applications.
Banks applying on their own account through ASBA must not use an account held with themselves; SCSBs must maintain a separate account in their own name with another registered SCSB exclusively for ASBA public-issue applications, with clearly demarcated funds. Other circular provisions remain unchanged and the clarification is immediately applicable under the regulator's statutory powers.

KYC address verification eased: identity document with matching address accepted as proof of identity and address for money changing.
Where the address on a prospective customer's identity document matches the customer's declared current address, the document may serve as proof of both identity and address; otherwise a separate proof of address must be obtained. The instruction eases customer compliance, leaves other KYC/AML requirements unchanged, applies to agents and franchisees with franchisers responsible for their compliance, and requires Principal Officer acknowledgement.

Know Your Customer norms allow an identity document to serve as both ID and address proof for money transfers when addresses match.
Where the identity document submitted by a prospective customer under the Money Transfer Service Scheme shows the same address as the customer's declared current address, that document may be accepted as proof of both identity and address; if the address differs, a separate proof of address must be obtained. These instructions supplement existing KYC/AML/CFT requirements, apply equally to Sub Agents with Indian Agents responsible for compliance, and require Principal Officer acknowledgment of the circular.

Inclusion of FIEO Chapter Offices under Foreign Trade Policy expands recognized chapter listings and contact points.
The Director General of Foreign Trade has notified the inclusion of the Rajasthan, Kerala and Jharkhand Chapter Offices of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations in Column 4 of Sl. No. 12 of Appendix-2 of the Handbook of Procedures, Volume 1, thereby updating the official roster of recognized chapter offices and their contact details for administrative and procedural use under the Handbook.

Uniform allowance of unwrought silver as permissible import input standardises acceptable silver forms for specified export items.
Amendment harmonises import-item descriptions in specified SIONs to permit unwrought silver of purity 99.9% and above, silver ingots and silver bullion of equivalent purity (and where listed, scrap/used targets or discs) as acceptable inputs for the named export products, without changing export item descriptions or quantities or other input specifications.

Video conferencing hearings permitted for tax appeals enabling remote E Bench proceedings with specified notice, filing and record requirements.
Hearing of income tax appeals may be conducted by video conferencing (E Court) with Members nominated to sit at E Benches; the Original Bench (OB) remains the bench of record and the remote forum is the E Bench (EB). Notices will specify OB and EB and enclose a registry note; parties may opt out within one week by prescribed intimation. Files are duplicated and sent to EB with a copy retained at OB; paper books must be filed in advance, loose documents are not permitted without bench permission, Bench Clerks will make simultaneous order entries, and orders signed by Members will be uploaded the same day.

Debt re-investment cap: annual reinvestment limited to half of prior year-end debt holdings, with transitional relief for new entrants.
SEBI prescribes a uniform mechanism for FII debt re-investment: FIIs holding debt as of the prior December 31 follow the November 07, 2012 rule permitting annual reinvestment up to fifty percent of prior year-end debt holdings; FIIs that acquired debt limits after January 03, 2012 are granted a cumulative reinvestment facility for calendar year 2013 equal to fifty percent of their maximum debt holding during 2013. Reinvestment periods remain five working days for Government Debt and fifteen working days for Corporate Debt.

Recovery of confirmed demand: directions permit recovery despite appeals unless a stay is granted, with specified timelines.
The circular rescinds prior instructions and sets a uniform scheme for initiating recovery of confirmed excise demands by reference to appeal stage and stay status: recovery after statutory appeal periods when no appeal is filed; recovery on filing of appeals without stay in specified forums; recovery 30 days after filing where a stay application accompanies the appeal if no stay is granted or upon disposal of the stay petition in accordance with stay conditions; immediate recovery where appellate or court orders confirm demand and no stay operates. Prior contrary guidance is superseded.

Softex procedure revision allows eligible software exporters to submit consolidated electronic statements under revised compliance rules.
The revised Softex procedure, extended with immediate effect to SEZs, EPZs, 100% EOUs and DTAs, aligns these units with the earlier STPI process and allows exporters meeting specified turnover or filing-volume eligibility to submit consolidated export declarations in prescribed excel formats (Annexures A & B). Authorised Dealer Banks are to inform constituents; the directions are issued under the Foreign Exchange Management Act and do not affect other statutory permissions.

Transportation of milk: classified as foodstuff, thus covered by exemption for rail and vessel transport services.
The term foodstuff in Notification No.25/2012 ST includes milk; therefore transportation of milk by rail or vessel from one place in India to another is covered by that Notification, and field formations and taxpayers should be informed accordingly.