SCOMET export controls require licences for listed strategic items; Category 0 nuclear exports are regulated under Atomic Energy law.
Amendment to ITC(HS) Schedule 2 Appendix 3 updates the SCOMET list and establishes that export of listed SCOMET items is regulated and permitted only against an export licence except where explicitly prohibited or permitted without licence subject to conditions. Controls are organised by categories (nuclear; toxic chemicals; micro-organisms and toxins; materials and processing equipment; nuclear related equipment not in Category 0; aerospace and UAV systems; electronics, computers and information security) with technical thresholds, functional definitions, licensing authorities and notification and end use reporting obligations specified. Category 0 nuclear items are regulated under the Atomic Energy Act with licensing by the Department of Atomic Energy.

Export of Cut & Polished Diamonds for Certification: amendment adds AGS Laboratories as an approved grading destination.
Amendment to the export framework for cut and polished diamonds substitutes the previously specified Central Gem Laboratory address in Tokyo with an expanded designation that expressly includes the American Gem Society Laboratories in Las Vegas as an additional approved recipient for grading and certification services under the existing policy paragraph governing such exports.

Sanitary import permit requirement for meat and animal products now mandatory, controlling imports under the amended import policy.
Importation of all meat and animal-origin products specified (meat, tissues, organs, eggs, milk and milk products, embryos, ova, semen, and pet food of animal origin) shall be subject to a sanitary import permit issued pursuant to the amended Live-stock Importation framework incorporated into the ITC (HS) Classification of Export and Import Items.

Import restriction on arms, while small-bore air guns and pistols are exempt for registered shooters with authorization.
Exim Code 93040000 is designated restricted for other arms (spring, air or gas guns and pistols, truncheons) excluding heading 9307, but imports of small bore air guns and air pistols are exempt when intended for shooters registered with rifle clubs or district/state/national rifles associations. Import Licensing Note now permits arms import under license to renowned shooters/rifle clubs for their own use on recommendation of the relevant youth and sports authority, maintaining licensing as the control mechanism while establishing the registration based exemption.

High sea sale permission: State Trading Enterprises may sell goods on high sea sale to Advance Licence holders.
Amendment permits State Trading Enterprises to sell goods on high sea sale basis to holders of Advance Licences by inserting a sentence in paragraph 4.1.13 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2004-2009; the change is made under statutory authority and stated to be in the public interest.

DTA sale exclusion: goods with nil basic duty and CVD may be non excisable, but books are excluded.
The amendment deletes "books" from sub paragraph 6.8(a) and revises 6.8(j) to state that goods manufactured by EOU/EHTP/STP/BTP with nil basic duty and CVD may be treated as non excisable for duty payment, expressly excluding DTA sales of books from that non excisable treatment.

Export liberalisation of de-oiled rice bran permitted retrospectively by deleting its HS classification to enable free export.
The notification deletes H.S. Code 23022010 for De-oiled Rice Bran from Schedule 2, Chapter 23 of the ITC(HS) Classifications, thereby making De-oiled Rice Bran freely exportable; the amendment is made under Section 5 of the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992 and paragraph 1.3 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2004-2009, and is stated to operate retrospectively from 01/09/2004 in the public interest.

DTA sale restrictions: concessional duty barred for specified items and units performing packaging and processing activities.
The Notification amends policy to prohibit No DTA sale at concessional duty for certain specified items and to bar concessional DTA sales to units engaged in packaging, labeling, segregation, refrigeration, compacting, micronisation, pulverization, granulation or conversion between monohydrate and anhydrous chemical forms.

FOB value requirement: export FOB in current licensing year must not be lower than prior licensing year for licensing.
An amendment to Para 3.7.2 of the Foreign Trade Policy requires that the FOB value of exports during the licensing year 2004-05 not be lower than the FOB value of exports in the previous licensing year, expressly including exports covered under the related export category referenced in Para 3.7.5, as a condition of licensing.

CENVAT/Drawback entitlement adjustment permitted as CENVAT credit or duty drawback, subject to export FOB parity requirement.
Additional customs or excise duty paid in cash or debited under DFCE entitlement certificates shall be adjusted as CENVAT credit or Duty Drawback in accordance with rules framed by the Department of Revenue. A condition requires that the FOB value of exports during the licensing year not fall below the FOB value of exports in the previous licensing year, with the amendment made under powers to amend the Foreign Trade Policy.

Power to exclude products from Advance Licence permits DGFT to remove items from duty free input scheme by public notice.
The amendment authorises the Director General of Foreign Trade to exclude any product or products from the purview of Advance Licence by Public Notice, while restating that Advance Licences permit duty free import of inputs physically incorporated in export products and consumables used in production, allow mandatory spares up to a specified proportion of licence value, may be issued on SION, adhoc or self declared norms, and can be granted to manufacturer or merchant exporters for exports, intermediate supplies, specified contractor/subcontractor supplies, and to multilateral organisations paid in free foreign exchange.

Easing of documentation requirements allows inter-departmental acceptance of export documents, streamlining export-import formalities.
Government departments will accept export documents issued by other departments (shipping bill, bank realisation certificate, packing list, bill of lading) pending a Single Common Document, avoiding fresh submissions. Advance Licences permit duty-free import of inputs under the actual user condition and are exempt from basic and additional customs duties, education cess and, generally, anti-dumping and safeguard duties, with specified exceptions where anti-dumping or safeguard duties remain applicable.

Licence supply from SEZ and notified units: suppliers retain eligibility for policy benefits under advance licence/DFRC.
The policy is amended to permit supplies against licences from EOU/EHTP/BTP/STP/SEZ units without conversion into ARO; para 8.3(a) is specified as "Advance licence/DFRC"; BOA will fix sector wise investment criteria; and suppliers against such licences shall be eligible for benefits listed in paragraphs 8.3(a) and (b), as applicable.

DTA sale entitlement limited: export units may sell certain finished products domestically subject to positive NFE and duty.
DTA sale entitlement permits export units (other than gems and jewellery) to sell products in DTA subject to achievement of positive NFE and payment of concessional duties, with exclusions including motor cars, alcoholic liquors, books, tea (except instant tea), pepper and pepper products and specified processing activities. Sales to SEZ units may count towards FOB export value if paid from an EEFC account, and pharmaceutical products require mandatory registration. EOU/EHTP/STP/BTP units may sell finished products (except freely importable pepper and pepper products) in DTA after achieving positive NFE and on payment of full duties, with intimation to the Development Commissioner.

Foreign Trade Policy notification: Annual Supplement incorporated under statutory power, bringing the updated policy into force.
The Central Government, exercising its statutory power under the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act and the Foreign Trade Policy framework, notifies the Foreign Trade Policy, 2004-2009 incorporating the Annual Supplement updated on 8 April 2005, and declares the consolidated policy effective from 1 April 2005, issued in the public interest.

Target Plus scheme amendment clarifies retrospective applicability to eligible exports under the Foreign Trade Policy.
An amendment inserts a Note to paragraph 3.7.5(f) of the Foreign Trade Policy clarifying that the Target Plus scheme modification applies to exports made on or after the start of the relevant policy year, and the change is issued under the executive powers conferred by the foreign trade statute.

ITC(HS) classification amendment replaces plant import order and sets free import policy for cobalt powders.
The ITC(HS) Classification is amended to replace the reference to the Plants, Fruits and Seeds (Regulation of Imports into India) Order, 1989 with the Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Imports into India) Order, 2003, and the Import Policy for Exim code 81052030 (cobalt powders) is set to Free, with a policy condition stating the amendment is issued in the public interest.

Prevention of Food Adulteration law: imports of edible products must meet statutory quality and packaging requirements before customs clearance.
Amendment to Condition 8 requires that importation of edible/food products, including tea, be governed by the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954. Imports must comply with the Act's quality and packaging requirements, and such compliance must be ensured before customs clearance of the consignment.

Import quantity revision for construction aggregates under the foreign trade policy adjusts authorised supply limits.
Under powers of the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992 and paras 2.1 and 2.29 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2004-2009, the Central Government amends a prior notification to revise authorised quantities for Stone Aggregate and River Sand, stating the amendment is issued in the public interest and effected by formal notification under the FTP framework.

Duty drawback for furnace oil announced for supplies to EOU and SEZ units under FTP schemes until further orders.
Announcement of an All Industry Rate of Duty Drawback fixing the rate at Rs. 1300 per metric tonne for furnace oil supplied by domestic oil companies to EOU and SEZ units under the schemes contained in the Foreign Trade Policy; operative until further orders under paragraph 2.1 of the FTP.