Market-determined exchange rate: RBI manages volatility without fixed targets, exporters advised to use available hedging tools.
The authority operates a market-determined exchange rate regime with intervention limited to managing excessive volatility and no fixed targets or pre-announced bands; recent rupee movements are linked to capital flow moderation and a stronger US dollar. Exporter requests for a fixed exchange rate, interest on EEFC balances and concessional rupee export credit were received, but the authority highlighted the availability of OTC and exchange-traded hedging instruments-forwards, options, swaps and futures-to manage foreign exchange risk.

Electronic clearance for express cargo pilot launched; access via designated online portal and on-site service centre for users.
A pilot electronic clearance mechanism for express cargo is operational at the New Courier Terminal (NCT), IGI Airport, New Delhi from 28 October 2010, accessible to bona fide users via a specified online portal or the on-site service centre, with designated customs and vendor contacts available for support.

SEZ land contiguity requests paused as tax-evasion concerns delay approval for infrastructure through non-processing areas.
Requests to relax SEZ land contiguity rules for Vedanta Group and Raheja Developers were placed on hold after Revenue Department representatives raised tax evasion concerns about permitting a railway track through non processing areas to transport coal to an adjacent group power plant, preserving further procedural review of infrastructure exceptions and affiliated energy supply arrangements.

Customs duty collections and excise revenue increased year on year, while service tax rose marginally during the current fiscal period.
Customs duty receipts in the Indore range increased year on year for the first seven months of the current fiscal, excise duty receipts rose substantially constituting a significant revenue increase, and service tax collections showed only a marginal rise. The statement attributes lower apparent local collections to taxpayer registration outside the range and to the merger of a regional bank with a larger bank impacting reported receipts.

Revenue growth from indirect taxes signals stronger collections in the April-October period compared with the prior year.
Revenue collections from indirect taxes rose 42.4% in April-October 2010 versus the same period in 2009, totaling Rs. 1,80,261 crore and amounting to 57.5% of the 2010-11 Budget Estimates. Customs led with Rs. 75,349 crore (up 65.9%), Central Excise contributed Rs. 71,078 crore (up 36.2%), and Service Tax accounted for Rs. 33,833 crore (up 16.9%).

Minimum export price raised for onions; cooperative to intervene in domestic wholesale and retail markets.
The cooperative exporter increased the Minimum Export Price for onions for the month in response to unprecedented retail price rises and announced coordinated market intervention in wholesale and retail channels, including retail sales through cooperative stores at the reference retail price to stabilise domestic availability and prices.

Tariff value notification sets imported edible oils, brass scrap and poppy seeds valuation for customs assessment.
Notification No.97/2010 by the Central Board of Excise and Customs notifies tariff values (US$ per metric tonne) for specified imported goods to be used in customs valuation, listing unchanged benchmark values for multiple edible oil categories and fixed benchmark values for brass scrap (all grades) and poppy seeds as set out in the notification table.

Full foreign direct investment on automatic route allowed for cold storage, facilitating private investment and cold-chain development.
The policy permits full foreign direct investment on the automatic route in cold storage facilities to encourage expansion of perishable agricultural storage capacity, complemented by government assistance through horticulture and food-processing schemes and the establishment of the National Centre for Cold Chain Development with proposed public funding support.