Tax exemption for specified income: Kalyan Karnataka Region Development Board exempted for grants and bank interest, subject to conditions.
The Central Government notifies a tax exemption under clause (46) of section 10 of the Income tax Act for Kalyan Karnataka Region Development Board in respect of grants from the State Government of Karnataka and interest on bank deposits, subject to conditions that the Board not engage in commercial activity, that activities and the nature of specified income remain unchanged across financial years, and that the Board file its return of income as required. The notification is made retrospective to the assessment years 2022 2023 and 2023 2024.

Technical Member eligibility relaxed for Uttar Pradesh officers, replacing Group A service with gazetted officer service for a limited period.
Eligibility for officers of Uttar Pradesh for appointment as Technical Member (State) in the State Benches of the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal is relaxed for a limited period. The qualification is changed from completion of twenty-five years of service in Group A, or equivalent, to at least twenty-five years of service in the Government as a gazetted officer, for ten years from publication of the notification. All other conditions of the qualification provision continue to apply.

GST exemption for railway and accommodation services expands with revised nil-rate entries and exclusions for student and hostel stays.
Amendments are made to the West Bengal SGST rate notification to exempt specified Ministry of Railways services, including platform tickets, retiring rooms, waiting rooms, cloak rooms, battery operated car services, inter-zone or inter-division railway services, and certain Special Purpose Vehicle infrastructure and maintenance services. The accommodation-services entry is also revised by removing the Heading 9963 reference, excluding student residences, hostels, camps and paying guest accommodations, and inserting a separate nil-rate entry for accommodation services valued at not more than twenty thousand rupees per person per month for a minimum continuous period of ninety days.

Agricultural farm produce packaging clarification under GST excludes larger packages from pre-packaged and labelled treatment.
The notification amends the West Bengal GST exemption entry to clarify that agricultural farm produce supplied in packages exceeding 25 kilogram or 25 litre is not treated as "pre-packaged and labelled," notwithstanding the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 and the rules made thereunder. The amendment is made under section 11(1) of the West Bengal Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, on the recommendation of the Council, and applies from 15 July 2024.

GST rate amendments for paper packaging, milk cans, solar cookers, and farm produce packaging classification under West Bengal tax rules.
West Bengal GST notification amends the rate schedule to insert concessional and revised entries for cartons, boxes and cases of paper board, milk cans of iron, steel or aluminium, and solar cookers, while making corresponding exclusions in other schedule entries. It also clarifies that agricultural farm produce supplied in packages containing more than 25 kilogram or 25 litre is not to be treated as pre-packaged and labelled notwithstanding the Legal Metrology Act, 2009. The amendments are deemed effective from 15 July 2024.

GST rate amendment reduces the prescribed levy rate under state GST and applies retrospectively from the stated date.
Amendment substitutes the words "half per cent." in Notification No. 1427 F.T., dated 28.09.2018 with the figure and words "0.25 per cent." under powers conferred by sub section (1) of section 52 of the West Bengal GST Act, 2017; the amendment is deemed to have come into force with effect from 10th July, 2024.

GST rule amendments expand GSTR-1A reporting, export refund procedure, appeal filing, and demand payment mechanisms across return forms.
The West Bengal Goods and Services Tax Rules are amended to introduce FORM GSTR-1A for optional amendment or addition of current-period outward-supply details before FORM GSTR-3B, with corresponding updates across recipient credit statements, refund forms, e-way bill enrolment, appeal forms and demand-payment forms. The amendment also revises registration verification requirements, reporting thresholds, return timelines, interest computation, export-related refund procedures, and the application and withdrawal framework before the Appellate Tribunal.

Odisha GST rate amendments revise packaging, milk cans, solar cookers and farm produce labelling exemptions under the tax schedule.
Odisha GST rate entries are amended to add 6% coverage for cartons, boxes and cases of paper or paper board, milk cans of iron, steel or aluminium, solar cookers, and parts of brooders, while revising 9% entries to exclude or include specified goods such as paper packaging, milk cans, solar cookers and domestic purpose goods. A proviso further states that agricultural farm produce supplied in packages exceeding 25 kilogram or 25 litre is not treated as pre-packaged and labelled, and the amendments take effect from 15 July 2024.

Agricultural farm produce packaging clarified under GST, with larger packages excluded from pre-packaged and labelled treatment.
The Odisha Goods and Services Tax notification inserts a proviso clarifying that supply of agricultural farm produce in packages containing more than 25 kilogram or 25 litre is not within the scope of "pre-packaged and labelled", notwithstanding the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 and the rules thereunder. The amendment takes effect from 15 July 2024.

Railway service exemptions and accommodation tax relief expanded under amended Odisha GST notification
The Odisha Goods and Services Tax exemption notification is amended to insert new Nil-rated entries for specified railway services and to revise the scope of accommodation-related exemptions. Services provided by Ministry of Railways to individuals by way of platform ticket sales, retiring room or waiting room facilities, cloak room services, and battery operated car services are brought within the Nil rate, along with services provided by one railway zone or division to another. A Nil-rated entry is also inserted for certain SPV railway infrastructure and maintenance services, and accommodation exemptions are refined with exclusions and a new Nil-rated entry for long-stay accommodation services.

GST rate amendment reduces the prescribed percentage under the Odisha tax notification with retrospective effect.
The Odisha Goods and Services Tax notification amends the earlier rate prescription issued under section 52 of the Odisha Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 by substituting "half per cent." with "0.25 per cent." in the relevant notification. The amendment is made on the recommendation of the Goods and Services Tax Council and operates from 10 July 2024.

GST rate amendment: Goa substitutes the prior rate description with a lower rate, effective from July.
Amendment substitutes the prior phrasing of the tax rate in an earlier Goa GST notification with a new phrasing denoting a reduced rate, enacted under the state's GST statutory authority on the Council's recommendation and issued by the Department of Finance, Revenue & Control Division; the modification takes effect from a specified commencement date in July 2024.

Commencement of Finance Act amendments: government notifies appointed days for specified sections amending the CGST Act.
Under clause (b) of sub section (2) of section 1 of the Finance Act, 2024, the Central Government issues a notification appointing separate commencement dates for provisions of the Finance Act so they take effect as amendments to the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017; one provision is appointed to commence on an earlier appointed day and two other provisions on a later appointed day, effectuating staged commencement of those amendment provisions.

GST rate exemptions for specified railway services and limited duration accommodation supplies now provided under amended notification.
The notification inserts new Nil rate entries exempting specified Indian Railways services to individuals (platform tickets, retiring/waiting rooms, cloakroom and battery operated car services), inter-zone/division services within Railways, and reciprocal arrangements between SPVs and the Ministry of Railways for use of SPV-built infrastructure and maintenance during the concession period. It also revises accommodation entries by excluding student residences and similar accommodations and adds an entry exempting certain low value, minimum-duration accommodation supplies under heading 9963.

Pre-packaged and labelled: agricultural produce in packages above threshold quantities excluded from that classification under amendment.
A proviso is added to the Explanation in the State Tax (Rate) notification clarifying that, notwithstanding the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 and its rules, the supply of agricultural farm produce in packages containing quantities above a specified threshold in kilogram or litre shall not be considered as a supply made within the scope of the expression 'pre-packaged and labelled'.

GST rate changes reclassify cartons, milk cans and solar cookers and exclude large packaged farm produce from pre packaged label scope.
The notification amends the Himachal Pradesh State Tax (Rate) schedules by inserting specific tariff items into Schedule II to cover cartons, boxes and cases of corrugated and non corrugated paper or paperboard, milk cans of iron, steel or aluminium, and solar cookers; it correspondingly revises Schedule III entries to exclude those items and to add or adjust entries for equipment, stoves and solar cookers. It also inserts a proviso in the Explanation to Schedule VII clarifying that supply of agricultural farm produce in packages over 25 kg or 25 litre shall not be treated as 'pre packaged and labelled'. Effective date: 15 July 2024.

SGST rate amendment reduces specified rate under Section 52, with retrospective effect from July 2024.
Amendment substitutes the words "half per cent." in the Karnataka Government Notification (20/2018) with "0.25 per cent," issued under the authority of Sub Section (1) of Section 52 of the Karnataka Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, and declared to be effective from 10 July 2024.

Annual return exemption for small registered persons relieves filing obligation for the 2023-24 financial year.
Exempts registered persons with aggregate turnover up to the specified two crore threshold in FY 2023-24 from filing the annual return for that financial year, under the first proviso to the annual return provision, effected by the Commissioner on the Council's recommendation via notification dated 06.08.2024.

Borrowing limits for alternative investment funds tightened; temporary short-term funding allowed only under strict board conditions.
Category I and Category II AIFs are barred from borrowing or using leverage for investments except for narrowly defined temporary funding and operational needs limited in duration, frequency and proportion of investable funds and subject to Board conditions; both categories may create encumbrance on investee equity in specified infrastructure sub-sectors only for the investee's borrowing and under Board-specified conditions. Large value funds for accredited investors may extend scheme tenure with two-thirds unitholder approval, subject to Board conditions.

Companies adjudication penalties: proceedings must use the e-adjudication platform; notices by post only if email unavailable.
All adjudication proceedings under the Companies (Adjudication of Penalties) Rules, 2014 shall be conducted exclusively in electronic mode via the Central Government e-adjudication platform; where an email address is unavailable the adjudicating officer shall send notices by post to the last intimated or recorded address and preserve a copy in the platform, and where no address exists the notice shall be placed on the e-adjudication platform. The Annexure is substituted to provide a revised Form ADJ (Memorandum of Appeal) and related e-form requirements.