Customs amendment inserts tariff entries for satellites and launch vehicle inputs, adjusting customs duty treatment accordingly
The Government amends Notification No.50/2017 Customs by inserting serial 539 to cover satellites, payloads and ground testing equipment with Nil entries in the duty columns subject to condition 78, and by inserting serial 539A to cover scientific and technical instruments, parts, consumables and related items required for launch vehicles and satellites with the concessional duty entries indicated in the table, also subject to condition 78.

Presidential Appreciation Certificates awarded to customs and central excise officers recognising distinguished public service on Republic Day.
Grant of Presidential Appreciation Certificate to specified officers of the Department of Revenue and CBEC and its field formations recognising a "Specially Distinguished Record of Service". Awards are conferred across hierarchical categories-Principal Commissioners/Commissioners; Directors and Additional Commissioners; Deputy and Assistant Commissioners; Superintendents and Senior Intelligence Officers; Ministerial Officers; Inspectors; Drivers; and Head Havaldar-with individual recipients identified by office and post. The awards are made under clause (a)(ii) of Para 1 of the Scheme governing departmental awards as published in Notification No. 12/139/59-Ad.III (B).

Anti-dumping duty on toluene diisocyanate imports from specified countries imposed to remove injury to domestic industry.
The Central Government imposes definitive anti dumping duty on Toluene Di Isocyanate (tariff item 2929 10 20) from China PR, Japan and Korea RP, based on final findings that dumped imports caused material injury; the notification prescribes country and producer/exporter specific duty rates per kilogram in US dollars, sets the effective period tied to the provisional duty date with recorded amendments and supersessions, and directs use of Government specified exchange rates for duty calculation based on the bill of entry date.

Duty drawback rates updated by notification; substituted rates and entry removals alter rebate entitlements for listed tariff items.
The notification, issued under the Customs Act and Central Excise Act read with the Drawback Rules, 2017, substitutes specified entries in column (4) (drawback rates) and column (5) (relief amounts) for numerous tariff items across multiple chapters of the Tariff Schedule and omits one tariff entry, thereby amending the schedule of the principal notification.

Limit on Appreciation Certificates: annual cap instituted with presidential discretion to permit additional awards in special cases.
The amendment substitutes Paragraph 4 to fix a default annual maximum number of "Appreciation Certificates" that may be awarded and authorises the President to permit additional awards in special circumstances, subject to an upper bound on such exceptional grants.

Exchange rate determination under the Customs Act sets official conversion rates for import and export goods effective immediately.
Determines official foreign exchange conversion rates for customs valuation and related purposes, effective from 19th January, 2018, with separate import and export rupee-equivalent rates listed in Schedule I (unit rates) and Schedule II (rates per 100 units); the notification supersedes the earlier board notification except as respects prior actions and is intended to provide administratively revised exchange rates for application by customs authorities.

Temporary exemption under A.T.A. Carnet for specified equipment and sports goods, subject to re export and FICCI guarantee.
Exemption applies to specified professional, broadcasting, television, testing and sports goods temporarily imported under an A.T.A. Carnet guaranteed by FICCI, provided the goods are owned and imported by persons or entities resident or established abroad, conform to the Carnet's certified description and are identifiable on re export, and are re exported within two months (extendable once for up to two months). Failure to re export renders FICCI and the importer jointly and severally liable for duties and interest, with FICCI's liability limited to ten percent above duties; exclusion for postal imports.

Anti dumping duty rescission: prior ADD notification revoked and refunds directed to actual payers for recent payments
The Government rescinds Notification No. 40/2012 Customs (ADD) dated 30 August 2012 under section 9A(1) and (5) of the Customs Tariff Act read with rules 18, 20 and 23 of the 1995 Rules, subject to prior actions. Antidumping duty paid on or after 29 August 2017 under that notification shall be refunded to the person who in fact paid and did not pass on the burden, in accordance with law.

Fixation of Tariff Values updated for specified imports, revising customs valuation benchmarks for key commodities and metals.
The Central Board of Excise & Customs, invoking section 14(2) of the Customs Act, 1962, amends the principal customs notification by substituting three tables that fix updated tariff values in US dollars for specified imported goods, including edible oils, brass scrap, poppy seeds, areca nuts, and unit values for gold and silver where certain notification entry benefits apply.

Inclusion of ports expands eligible ports under export promotion schemes, adding Dhamra and Dighi to listed ports.
Notification No. 3/2018 amends multiple customs exemption notifications by substituting the word "Dharamtar" with "Dhamra, Dharamtar, Dighi" in specified conditions, paragraphs and Table 2 entries of the listed principal notifications, thereby adding Dhamra and Dighi to the ports referenced in those instruments under the export promotion framework.

Anti-dumping duty notification effect restored after final court order; government withdraws abeyance and enforces the notification.
The Central Government, under Section 9A of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 read with relevant Customs Tariff Rules, substitutes para 3 of Notification No. 30/2017 Customs (ADD) to record a final court order dismissing related writ petitions and directing implementation; accordingly, the administrative abeyance of the notification is withdrawn and the notification is given effect to forthwith.

Customs administrative reorganisation updates Commissioner designations, altering listed adjudicating authority postings under existing statutory powers.
Amendment reorganises specified Common Adjudicating Authority and Commissioner of Customs designations by substituting certain items and inserting an additional Commissioner post in the Table of the principal notification, thereby revising which Commissioner-level posts are listed for particular serial entries under the existing statutory authority.

Customs jurisdiction reallocation updates designated officers, renumbers allocations and extends continental shelf and EEZ inclusions to specified areas.
Amendment revises Tables 1 and 2 of Notification No. 82/2017-Customs (N.T.) to renumber serials, substitute and insert Commissioner and Principal Commissioner postings, and expand territorial descriptions to expressly include ports, airports, inland container depots, municipal and taluk areas and the Continental Shelf and Exclusive Economic Zone facing each state baseline where the Customs Act has been extended, thereby specifying the officers responsible for the updated jurisdictions.

Customs notification amendment adds Viramgam ICD as authorised unloading and loading point under the Customs Act.
Amendment to the central customs notification inserts Viramgam, Village Bhojwa, Taluka Viramgam, District Ahmedabad into the Table for Gujarat, authorising unloading of imported goods and loading of export goods at that site under the powers conferred by clause (aa) of sub section (1) of section 7 of the Customs Act, 1962 as a modification to Notification No. 12/97 CUSTOMS (N.T.).

Customs duty concession exclusion: petroleum coke removed from concessional basic customs duty schedule, altering tariff coverage.
Amendment to Notification No. 50/2017-Customs substitutes the Table entry at Serial No. 147 to exclude petroleum coke from the concessions; petroleum coke falling under the specified tariff classifications is removed from the list of goods eligible for the concessional Basic Customs Duty described at that table entry.

Customs duty rate amendment: tariff item now attracts the higher of an ad valorem rate or a per unit levy.
The Central Government amends Notification No. 82/2017-Customs by substituting the entry in column (4) against S. No. 157 so that the applicable charge for the specified tariff item is the higher of a stated ad valorem rate or a stated per unit levy per kilogram, exercised under the statutory power to act in the public interest.

Exchange Rate Determination: Revised foreign currency-to-rupee rates effective in January for import and export valuation.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs determines the rate of exchange for specified foreign currencies into Indian rupees for valuation of imported and export goods, superseding the prior notification and taking effect from 5th January, 2018; annexed schedules set separate rates for imported goods and for export goods for each listed currency.