Common Adjudicating Authority appointed to consolidate adjudication of a revenue intelligence show cause notice against M/s Surgiplus.
A Common Adjudicating Authority is designated to consolidate adjudication of a show cause notice relating to M/s Surgiplus; the Joint Commissioner or Additional Commissioner of Customs (Port Import), Chennai is authorised to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of the listed customs adjudicators for that specific matter.

Tariff value fixation: revised import values for vegetable oils and metals under customs notification, affecting valuation.
The Central Board of Excise & Customs, exercising powers under the Customs Act, has substituted TABLE 1 and TABLE 2 of Notification No. 36/2001 Customs (N.T.) to fix tariff values in US dollars for specified imports. TABLE 1 sets per metric tonne tariff values for crude palm oil, RBD palm oil, palmolein variants, crude soyabean oil, brass scrap and poppy seeds; TABLE 2 sets tariff values for gold and silver where certain notification benefits apply. The amendment is effected by Notification No. 08/2013 Cus. (N.T.), dated January 23, 2013.

Increase in basic customs duty on crude edible oils implemented by substituting specified tariff entries with higher duty rates.
Amends Notification No. 12/2012 Customs by substituting revised entries in column (4) of the tariff table for S.No.51 (clauses (A),(B),(C) of item II), S.No.55, S.No.57, S.No.62 and S.No.65, thereby increasing the basic customs duty applicable to specified crude edible oils as effected by Notification No. 02/2013 Customs dated 23 January 2013.

Assignment of adjudication: Show cause notice by revenue intelligence assigned to Commissioner of Central Excise for adjudication.
The Board assigns the Show Cause Notice issued by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in the matter of M/s. Allanasons Limited and others to the Commissioner of Central Excise (Adjudication), New Delhi, under the customs notification empowering reassignment, thereby transferring adjudicatory responsibility to that adjudicating authority for disposition of the customs non-tariff proceedings.

Appreciation Certificate for specially distinguished service awarded under the departmental awards scheme to listed customs officers.
An administrative notification grants Appreciation Certificates for a "Specially distinguished record of service" to specified officers across the Customs & Central Excise Department and the Directorate of Enforcement, listing recipients by grade and posting. The awards are conferred pursuant to clause (a)(ii) of Para 1 of the Scheme governing the grant of awards to departmental officers and staff, as published in the Gazette and amended.

Effective rate of duty revised: notification substitutes specified tariff entries to impose 4% and 6% duties on listed items.
The Central Government amends the principal customs notification to revise the effective rate of duty for specified tariff items by substituting new percentage entries: S. Nos. 116 and 318 (column (5)) replaced with 4%, S. No. 321 item (i) (column (4)) replaced with 6%, and S. Nos. 323 and 328 (column (4)) replaced with 6%.

Customs amendment removes Namkhana from Land Frontiers of Bangladesh list, altering designated ICD/LCS port entries.
Amendment removes the entry for Namkhana from the Table in notification No. 63/1994 Customs (N.T.) for the Land Frontiers of Bangladesh by omitting serial number (38) in columns (3) and (4) against serial number 2, thereby altering the list of designated border points.

Exchange rate determination sets prescribed foreign currency conversion rates for import and export customs valuation effective mid-January.
Determination of rate of exchange for specified foreign currencies into Indian rupees for customs purposes, effective 18th January 2013 under section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962, superseding the earlier notification of 3rd January 2013. The notification prescribes distinct conversion rates for imported and export goods in Schedule I (per unit) and Schedule II (per 100 units) for use in customs valuation, and records substitution and corrigendum entries for the Japanese Yen.

Duty drawback amendment for ceramic refractory tariff items updates tariff entries and fixes drawback rates per metric tonne.
Notification substitutes tariff entries in Chapter 69 (CERAMIC PRODUCTS) for heading 6902, replacing existing Schedule entries with new tariff item codes 690201-690213 and 690299 and assigning specific duty drawback percentages and unit measures per metric tonne for each listed refractory ceramic product, including high alumina, magnesia, magnesite, alumina carbon, chrome magnesite, fused cast refractories and an "Others" category, thereby amending the Schedule to Notification No. 92/2012-Customs (N.T.).

Tariff value fixation updates import valuation tables to set fixed dollar values for specified oils, brass scrap and precious metals.
Central Board of Excise & Customs, exercising powers under sub section (2) of Section 14 of the Customs Act, substitutes TABLE 1 and TABLE 2 of Notification No. 36/2001-Customs (N.T.) to fix tariff values in US dollars per metric tonne for specified vegetable oils, brass scrap, and poppy seeds, and to fix valuation units for gold and silver when certain notification benefits are availed, thereby updating the import valuation framework for those commodities.

Cap on Appreciation Certificates limited annually, with presidential discretion to increase where special circumstances justify.
The amendment replaces Paragraph 4 to impose an annual ceiling on the award of Appreciation Certificates, while providing that the President may, when special circumstances justify it, authorise awards in excess of that ceiling, subject to an upper limit.

Safeguard duty imposed on imports of 304 grade stainless steel from China to address market disruption for a limited period.
The Central Government, acting on the Director General (Safeguard)'s preliminary findings that increased imports of Hot Rolled Flat Products of Stainless Steel - 304 grade and related austenitic grades caused and threatened market disruption to domestic industry, has imposed a provisional safeguard duty on those goods when imported from the People's Republic of China. The measure, taken under the Customs Tariff Act and the Transitional Product Specific Safeguard Duty Rules, applies to specified tariff items in the First Schedule and remains effective for a limited short-term period from publication unless earlier revoked or amended.

Exchange rate determination sets statutory conversion rates for foreign currencies for import and export valuation.
Determination under section 14 of the Customs Act prescribing the rates of exchange for conversion between specified foreign currencies and Indian rupees, effective 4 January 2013, superseding the earlier notification; rates are set in Schedule I (imported/export goods) and Schedule II (Japanese Yen), with corrigenda correcting two Yen entries.