Import licensing requirement enforced: authorities seized unauthorised Chinese firecrackers to curb smuggling and protect public safety.
Import of firecrackers is subject to a licensing requirement under the Foreign Trade Policy and no import licenses have been issued; enforcement authorities, acting on intelligence of concealment and mis declaration, conducted coordinated raids on over one hundred premises on 28 October 2015, recovered and seized various Chinese made firecrackers under the Customs Act, 1962, and have ongoing investigations to prevent smuggling of substandard, hazardous goods.

Export incentive expansion under MEIS increases product coverage and raises support for exporters via transferable duty credit scrip.
The Government expanded the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) by adding 110 tariff lines and revising rates or country coverage for 2,228 existing tariff lines; MEIS rewards remain payable as a percentage of realized FOB value by transferable duty credit scrips usable for specified duty payments. The revision extends global support to specified product categories, increases support for many MSME-manufactured items, broadens country coverage for selected base-metal and leather products, raises support for certain agricultural and textile products, and adds new product lines including bulk containers, medical instruments, sports goods and value-added rubber, chemical and plastic products.

Central Excise certainty and uniformity in assessment to reduce litigation and improve ease of doing business.
The conference resolved numerous issues to promote certainty in assessment, uniformity of practice across jurisdictions, and clearer understanding of legal questions affecting manufacturers; these resolutions are intended to reduce litigation and improve ease of doing business, and the meeting identified areas where further business-process simplification is needed.

Duty Free Tariff Preferences expand market access for least developed countries, urging African firms to use India's scheme.
Duty Free Tariff Preferences (DFTP) provide extensive duty-free market access for least developed countries and should be actively promoted by African and Indian stakeholders to expand bilateral trade and investment. Complementary measures include services cooperation, capacity building in Tourism, Healthcare, Hospitality and ICT, the Pan-Africa E-Network, and potential cost-effective credit facilities to strengthen African partners' ability to utilise preferential market access.

Arrest and prosecution thresholds raised for tax and customs offences, with no-lower-limit exceptions for high-risk smuggling.
Central Board of Excise and Customs consolidated and rescinded earlier instructions to raise monetary thresholds for arrest and prosecution in tax evasion, wrongful utilisation of input tax credit, and customs evasion by wrongful availment of exemption or duty drawback, and increased value benchmarks for appraisement-related import/export offences; it preserved no-lower-limit treatment for smuggling of fake currency, arms, explosives and endangered species, and specified procedural safeguards requiring strong prima facie evidence before invoking criminal powers.

Exemption for wind turbine components clarified: parts of wind operated generators are eligible for central excise relief.
Circular from the Central Board of Excise and Customs interprets Notification No. 12/2012 to confirm that parts and components of Wind Operated Electricity Generators-including tower, nacelle, rotor, blades and wind turbine controller-are eligible for Central Excise duty exemption, aiming to reduce litigation and facilitate ease of doing business in the non-conventional energy sector.

Duty Free Tariff Preference expansion frames India-Africa trade cooperation, enhancing market access and services support for LDCs.
India positioned Africa as a strategic partner and expanded the Duty Free Tariff Preference scheme, providing duty free access on the vast majority of tariff lines for Least Developed Countries, alongside a services package and visa fee waivers for LDC business visitors. The meeting reviewed prior commitments and prioritized cooperation in agriculture, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, emphasized value addition, and addressed cotton technical assistance and WTO issues to translate market access into jobs and livelihood improvements.

Customs duty increase on wheat and excise exemptions for biodiesel inputs change import and manufacturing tax treatment.
Basic customs duty on imported wheat is increased to 25% until 31.03.2016 by Notification No.51/2015-Customs to counter import pressure. Central excise duty is exempted on RBD Palm Stearin, Methanol and Sodium Methoxide when used by actual users in manufacture of specified biodiesel, preventing CENVAT credit accumulation, under Notification No.42/2015-Central Excise until 31.03.2016.

Price stabilization for onions via public stocking, storage expansion and market intelligence to curb extreme volatility.
The note recommends a multi pronged framework to manage onion price volatility: dilute geographic concentration by promoting onion cultivation in additional states and kharif production with improved varieties and extension; institute public stockholding by central and state agencies to prevent market manipulation and provide supply cover; expand specialized storage infrastructure; and develop continuous monitoring, price forecast models and an early warning system to enable pre emptive procurement, export regulation and import actions.

Trade contraction in merchandise and services signals lower exports and imports, narrowing the trade deficit for the period.
Merchandise trade recorded substantial year on year declines in exports and imports for September 2015 and cumulatively for April-September 2015-16, yielding a reduced trade deficit. Oil imports fell sharply while non oil imports were broadly stable cumulatively, and services continued to show a positive net export position in August 2015.

Exchange rate notification sets customs conversion rates for imported and export goods effective mid October, replacing prior notification.
Determination under section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962 prescribing the rate of exchange for specified foreign currencies for customs conversion, superseding the prior notification and differentiating rates for imported and export goods. The notification, effective 16 October 2015, annexes Schedule I (per unit rupee rates for major currencies with separate import and export figures) and Schedule II (rupee equivalents per 100 units for specified currencies), and applies prospectively except as to prior completed matters.

MSME cooperation enables trade fair exchanges and delegation visits without creating any financial or legal commitment.
An MoU between the India-Taipei Association and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center provides a structured framework for MSME cooperation, enabling mutual understanding of markets, technologies and policies, participation in each other's trade fairs and reciprocal business delegation exchanges to pursue joint ventures, tie-ups and technology collaboration. The MoU is non binding and expressly imposes no financial obligations or liabilities on either Party.

Opium poppy licensing: government sets yield thresholds and prioritizes traditional cultivators under transparent policy.
Notification sets general conditions for opium poppy cultivation licences for the crop year, prescribing specific yield thresholds and a Minimum Quantity Yield requirement as eligibility criteria. Licence issuance will be considered based on past performance, compliance with licensing conditions, augmented government processing capacity, and domestic and export demand, with objective, transparent allocation and priority to traditional cultivators.

GST refund processes: standardized electronic claims, GSTN-Customs verification, ITC blocking, unjust enrichment checks, and timed interest rules.
The report prescribes a unified electronic refund framework under GST covering triggers (excess payments, exports, provisional assessments, appeals, investigations, diplomatic purchases, credit accumulation, inverted duties, rebates, tourist refunds), mandatory system linkages (GSTN-ICEGATE), automatic blocking of claimed ITC on application, CA or threshold-based self-certification to address unjust enrichment, defined relevant dates and a one-year filing limit, a 90-day sanctioning period with interest for delay, invoice/ITC matching to minimize manual verification, pre-audit/post-audit thresholds, and statutory provisions for adjustment and recovery.

Trade facilitation and supply chain security prioritized; coordinated customs actions and information sharing to enhance compliance and flow.
Directors General and Commissioners of customs committed to a ten point action agenda prioritising Trade Facilitation and Supply Chain Security, supporting Authorized Economic Operator programmes and mutual recognition, improving compliance and paperless processes, sharing Passenger Name Record practices, conducting joint operations on targeted commodities, updating IPR enforcement best practices, and strengthening customs business dialogue, communication and monitoring to operationalise coordinated customs cooperation.

Indirect tax revenue growth boosts provisional collections and advances mid year budget estimate achievement for 2015-16.
Provisional indirect tax collections in September 2015 rose 32.6% year on year, with year to date growth of 35.8% compared to the previous year. Central Excise led monthly growth at 68.4%, Service Tax increased 35.1%, and Customs rose 3.4%. The release reports each tax head's monthly collections, cumulative receipts up to September, and percentage of Budget Estimate achievement for BE 2015-16, with cess excluded where administered by other departments.

Export Promotion consultations seek MEIS adjustments and faster duty drawback refunds to boost exporter competitiveness.
Consultations with around 27 Export Promotion Councils focused on expedited duty drawback refunds, crediting of interest subvention, expansion and increase of incentives under the MEIS, governance delays in clearances, and requests for new trade agreements; the Commerce Secretary announced increased allocations for export incentive schemes, urged timely submission of claims, stressed limited frequent amendments to the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20, encouraged exporter flexibility in market access, and flagged SEZs as strategic for Make in India while committing to convert suggestions into concrete Ministry actions.

Customs and excise duty exemption on bunker fuels reduces coastal shipping costs to promote modal shift and fuel efficiency.
The Department of Revenue granted an exemption from customs and central excise duty on IFO 180 CST and IFO 380 CST when used by Indian-flag vessels transporting EXIM, empty, and subsequently mixed EXIM, empty and domestic containers between domestic ports, removing duties that increased bunker fuel costs for coastal shipping.

Medical Value Travel promotion boosts India's healthcare services exports through an international summit fostering collaborations and market access.
Promotion of medical value travel and expansion of healthcare services exports is pursued through an international summit designed to catalyse collaboration, capacity building and market access for Indian providers. The summit showcases India's strengths and uses exhibitions, reverse buyer-seller meets, B to B meetings, conferences, regional forums, knowledge sharing and organised hospital visits to enable streamlined services exports and strategic partnerships.

Exchange rate determination sets notified foreign currency conversion rates for import and export valuation, with distinct import and export rates.
The Central Board of Excise & Customs, exercising powers under Section 14 of the Customs Act, has notified specific foreign currency conversion rates for valuation of imported and export goods, with separate import and export rates listed in Schedule I and per hundred unit rates in Schedule II, effective from the operative date and superseding the prior notification except as to earlier actions.