Service Tax amendment adds cord blood stem cell preservation and rice handling services to specified service descriptions.
Amendment to the Service Tax notification inserts two new entries: services by cord blood banks for preservation of stem cells or related services; and services by way of loading, unloading, packing, storage or warehousing of rice, thereby including these activities within the notification's specified service descriptions.

Service tax non-recovery on authorised person and sub-broker services to exchange members relating to forward contracts.
The Central Government directed that service tax payable on services provided by an authorised person or sub-broker to a member of a recognised association or a registered association, in relation to a forward contract, shall not be required to be paid in respect of such taxable service on which the service tax was not being levied during the specified historical period in accordance with the prevailing practice.

Definition of governmental authority broadened to include entities with substantial government equity or control performing municipal functions.
Substitutes clause (s) to define governmental authority as an authority, board or other body set up by primary legislation or established by government with substantial government participation by equity or control, when formed to carry out functions entrusted to a municipality under the constitutional municipal-functions provision; effected by Notification No. 02/2014 amending Notification No. 25/2012.

Service tax amendment broadens territorial language to include country, expanding the notification's territorial scope.
Amendment substitutes the phrase "district, State or zone" with "district, State, zone or Country" in entry 11, item (a) of the opening paragraph of Notification No.25/2012, thereby broadening the notification's territorial descriptor under the service tax framework.