Tax exemption under section 35AC extended for a charitable project running a girls' home, school, training and clinic.
The Central Government specified that the project of construction, furnishing, supply of equipment/materials and running of a girls' home with a primary school, vocational training centre and health clinic at Kora Chandigarh by Pranab Kanya Sangha qualifies as an eligible project under section 35AC; following a National Committee recommendation, the Government extended specification of the project for a further three assessment years commencing from the stated assessment year.

Exemption under section 35AC: eligibility for construction of Kai Mohan Thuse Netra Rugnalaya extended for a further assessment period.
The Central Government specifies that the construction of Kai Mohan Thuse Netra Rugnalaya at Narayangaon, Pune, qualifies as an eligible project under section 35AC. Following a recommendation by the National Committee under sub rule (5) of rule 11M that the project is being executed properly, the Government, under sub section (1) read with the Explanation to section 35AC, specifies the project for a further three assessment years commencing from the assessment year 1999 2000, and records the estimated project cost.

Exemption under section 35AC: Residential training centre project specified eligible for three further assessment years.
The Central Government specifies the Sahyog Kushthayagna Trust project for equipping, furnishing and running a Residential Training Centre for mentally retarded persons in Sabarkantha, Gujarat as an eligible scheme at an increased estimated cost of thirty five lakhs seventy thousand and extends its eligibility for a further three assessment years commencing with assessment year 1999 2000, following the National Committee's recommendation that the project is being executed properly.

Exemption under section 35AC: free medical aid project's specification extended with enhanced approved cost and continued eligibility.
The Central Government, under section 35AC, specifies Kailash Charitable Trust's free medical aid services at NOIDA as an eligible project or scheme for exemption, extending its specification for three further assessment years from 1999-2000 following the National Committee's recommendation and approving an enhanced estimated project cost of seventy-five lakhs.

Exemption under Section 35AC extended for construction of sports facilities, eligible for tax benefit for three assessment years.
The Central Government specified the construction of a multi-purpose gymnasium hall and other sports facilities at Narayangaon as an eligible project under Section 35AC, extending the specification for a further three assessment years commencing from the assessment year 1998-99 at an estimated cost of forty lakhs.

Exemption under section 35AC extended for construction of Bhagwan Mahaveer Cancer Hospital phase I for further assessment years.
The Central Government specifies the Construction of Phase I of Bhagwan Mahaveer Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Jaipur, as an eligible project for tax exemption and, following the National Committee's recommendation, extends that eligibility for a further period of two assessment years commencing from the assessment year 1999 2000 at an estimated project cost of rupees thirteen crore eighty lakhs.

Appointment of adjudicating authority: Chennai Customs Commissioner designated to adjudicate specified Trichy customs cases.
The Central Government designates the Commissioner of Customs, Chennai to act as Commissioner of Customs, Trichy for adjudication of customs cases concerning M/s. K. Kamalabai, pursuant to its appointment powers under the Customs Act, in respect of matters arising from show cause notice C. No. VIII/10/2/95-Cus. Adj., dated 24th February, 1996.

Notification correction: corrigendum changes cited year in Gazette reference, replacing the earlier erroneous year with the correct one.
Corrigendum corrects a citation error in Notification No. S.O. 34(E) dated 12 February 1998 by directing that the year reference in line 24 of the cited 229 ITR (St.) be read as 1997 instead of 1989, formalised by Notification No. S.O. 201(E) dated 12 March 1998.

Exemption under section 35AC extended: construction of Maharaja Agrasen Hospital specified as eligible for a further three assessment years.
Pursuant to statutory authority and a recommendation from the National Committee that the project is being properly executed, the Central Government specifies the construction of Maharaja Agrasen Hospital at Agroha by Maharaja Agrasen Medical Education and Scientific Research Society, New Delhi, at the revised estimated cost as an eligible project or scheme for a further period of three assessment years commencing from the assessment year 1999-2000.

Tax exemption under section 35AC extended to community care and research centre, eligibility renewed with increased approved cost.
The Central Government has re specified the construction of a community care and research centre at Miraj by Sanjeevan Medical Foundation as an eligible project for tax deduction purposes, following the National Committee's recommendation to extend eligibility for three assessment years and to enhance the approved project cost to seven hundred lakhs, with the renewed specification commencing from the assessment year 1999 2000.

Exemption under section 35AC: approved charitable projects qualify for capped tax deduction under notified limits.
Exemption under section 35AC approves specified charitable institutions and their named projects as eligible for deduction, prescribing for each the eligible activity (construction, equipment, running services), estimated project cost and the maximum cost amount allowable as a deduction, sometimes with an additional specified corpus fund component; the approval is time-limited to a defined three-year assessment window and issued on recommendation of the National Committee.

Anti-dumping investigation: provisional duties recommended to address dumped Vitamin C imports and material injury to domestic industry.
The Authority investigated alleged dumping of Vitamin C from China PR and Japan, treated domestic product as a like article, sought exporter data, and where cooperation was incomplete constructed normal value. Comparing constructed normal value with weighted export prices, the Authority found significant dumping margins, assessed cumulative effects, concluded dumped imports caused material injury through volume increases and price undercutting, and recommended provisional anti-dumping duties to remove the injury while inviting interested parties to comment.

Failure to pay excise duty triggers interest and penalties, plus confiscation and enhanced penalties for unauthorized removals.
The Fourth Amendment prescribes that failure to pay total excise duty by 31 March renders the manufacturer liable to pay the outstanding duty with interest at eighteen per cent per annum from 1 April until payment, and a penalty equal to the outstanding amount or five thousand rupees, whichever is greater. Monthly defaults attract similar interest from the day after the due date and the same penalty. Unauthorized removal of specified non alloy steel ingots, billets or hot rolled products attracts confiscation and a penalty up to three times the value of the goods or five thousand rupees, whichever is greater.

Petroleum import exemption conditions require DGHC certificates and contractor/sub-contractor undertakings for compliance.
Amendment adds S. No. 154A to the Table and substitutes condition 36 with conditions 36 and 36A, conditioning duty-free import of List 12 goods for petroleum operations on importer status and documentary proof: a Directorate General of Hydro Carbons certificate confirming necessity and contractual importation, a no-foreign-exchange-remittance certificate for contracts involving foreign companies, and for sub-contractors an additional affidavit and contractor undertaking; the no-foreign-exchange requirement does not apply to Indian company sub-contractors. The List 12 heading is revised to cite both S. Nos. 154 and 154A.

Payment instruments for Modvat credit expanded to include bank drafts and bankers' cheques, widening permitted payment modes.
The Explanation to Notification No. 58/97-Central Excise is amended to substitute the phrase "by cheque drawn on his own bank account" with "by cheque drawn on his own bank account or by bank draft or by bankers' cheque," thereby widening permitted payment instruments for claiming Modvat credit for the goods notified.

Exchange rate determination for imported goods prescribed for stamp duty and customs purposes, replacing prior exchange-rate notification.
The Central Government prescribes exchange rates for specified foreign currencies for calculating stamp duty under the Indian Stamp Act and for purposes of section 14 of the Customs Act in relation to imported goods, superseding the earlier notification and fixing the rates set out in two appended schedules, with an operative commencement of the fifth day of March, 1998.

Amendment to customs appointment rules clarifies admissible watch industry goods for specified-purpose importation.
The Central Government, under clause (a) of section 7 of the Customs Act, 1962, by Notification No. 16/98-Cus. (N.T.) dated 2 March 1998, substitutes sub-item (iv) in the Table to Notification No. 61/94 (N.T.)-Customs (serial number 14, Rajasthan, column (4), item (a)) to specify: parts of wrist watches and clocks, machinery parts, tools, dyes, moulds, jigs and fixtures, lacquers, varnishes and chemicals and all other items or articles meant for the watch industry.

General bond for EOUs/FTZ secures duty-free procurement and export, imposing accounting, performance and liability obligations on obligors.
The amendment introduces Form B-17, a General Bond for EOUs/FTZ/STP/EHTP obligors and sureties to secure duty free procurement, provisional assessment and export of excisable goods. It requires furnishing of cash or securities, joint and several liability to the President of India, compliance with Customs and Central Excise Acts and rules, payment on demand of duties and penalties, maintenance of records, proof of arrival, responsibility for pilferage, provision of officer amenities and fulfilment of export and policy conditions, with recovery permitted under statutory recovery provisions.

Definition of inputs clarified as limited to those specified by notification, affecting central excise compliance.
The amendment inserts an Explanation into rule 57B clarifying that the term "inputs" for the purposes of that sub rule refers only to inputs specified by notification issued under rule 57A.

Exemption from advice book delivery permits coastal goods vessels to omit submission at arrival, subject to inspection on demand.
Exemption from advice book delivery exempts vessels carrying exclusively coastal goods from delivering the advice book to the proper officer on arrival at each port, while preserving the proper officer's power to call for or inspect the advice book on board whenever necessary.