Exchange rate notification updated for imported goods; revised currency equivalents take effect from early December.
Amendment to Notification No. 62/97 Cus. (N.T.) substitutes entries in Schedule I to prescribe revised official rupee equivalents for the specified foreign currencies for customs assessment of imported goods; the substitution is declared effective from the stated commencement date and operates as the notified exchange rate table for import valuation.

Customs law extension to continental shelf and exclusive economic zone expands applicability of customs and tariff Acts with immediate effect.
Extension of the Customs Act, 1962 and the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 to designated areas of the Continental Shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone is effected under the territorial provisions of the Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and other Maritime Zone Act, 1976, relying on executive powers to declare the reach of customs legislation; the application follows the Government's maritime notification and takes immediate effect.

DEPB scheme exemption expanded to add Kakinada and broaden listed import locations under amended customs notification
Notification No. 87/97 Cus amends condition (iv) of Notification No. 34/97 Customs by substituting place names: "Tuticorin and Vishakhapatnam" becomes "Tuticorin, Vishakhapatnam and Kakinada", and "Ludhiana and Hyderabad" becomes "Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Agra, Faridabad, Jaipur, Guntur and Varanasi", thereby altering the designated import locations under the DEPB exemption.

Exchange rate determination for export goods establishes prescribed currency conversion rates and supersedes the prior notification.
The Central Government, exercising its customs statutory power, supersedes the earlier notification and prescribes fixed conversion rates for specified foreign currencies into Indian rupees for export transactions, effective 28th November 1997. The prescribed rates are set out in two schedules: Schedule I lists per unit rupee equivalents and Schedule II lists rupee equivalents for specified quantities, thereby fixing the exchange rates applicable for customs valuation and export procedures.

Exchange rate determination: government prescribes official conversion rates for foreign currencies for customs and stamp duty purposes.
Notification prescribes official exchange rates for specified foreign currencies for calculating stamp duty under the Indian Stamp Act and for purposes of section 14 of the Customs Act in relation to imported goods, superseding the earlier notification, and declares that the rates set out in Schedules I and II are the conversion rates to apply from the stated effective date.

Import duty exemption for EPZ/FTZ/EHTP goods where items used for training, destroyed in unit, or reimported for repair.
The notifications substitute "Commissioner of Customs" with "Assistant Commissioner of Customs", add a condition exempting duty-subject to Assistant Commissioner satisfaction-where goods are used for training, destroyed within the unit/complex, or where scrap or waste arising in production is destroyed within the unit/complex, and amend the goods table to include "re-conditioning or re-engineering" plus entries for goods re-imported due to buyer failure and goods imported for repair/re-conditioning/re-engineering and exported within three years.

Entry requirements for courier imports expanded to mandate prescribed bill of entry forms for specified restricted consignments and schemes.
The amendment narrows courier clearance by excluding heavier individual packages and replaces the entry rule: authorised couriers must present bills of entry in courier Forms III, IV or V, while certain categories (duty exemption claims, imports under exemption or entitlement schemes, end use conditioned imports, imports under foreign trade licences, related party consignments, consignments above a CIF value threshold, or as directed by the Assistant Commissioner) must use the standard bill of entry under the Bill of Entry (Forms) Regulations, 1976; some exempted goods may be cleared on courier forms on payment of duty.

Exchange rate amendment updates statutory conversion values for specified foreign currencies affecting export valuation and customs procedures.
The Central Government amends earlier Customs notifications by substituting Schedule entries for four specified foreign currencies with revised rupee-equivalent exchange rates, and declares those revised rates effective from the stated effective date; the amendment is issued under provisions of the Indian Stamp Act and the Customs Act and operates to alter the statutory conversion values applicable to export goods.

Exchange rate determination for customs updated; four foreign currencies assigned revised rupee conversion rates effective immediately.
Amendment to prior customs notifications substitutes Schedule-I entries to fix revised rupee conversion rates for Deutsche Mark, Pound Sterling, Swiss Franc and U.S. Dollar as the operative exchange factors for customs valuation, with the revised rates becoming effective on the prescribed implementation date.

Appointment of Commissioners of Customs redefines territorial jurisdiction and assigns commissioners to specified excise and customs areas.
Exercising powers under the Customs Act, the Central Government appoints the officers listed in the table to be Commissioners of Customs for areas falling within the jurisdiction of the corresponding Commissioners of Central Excise or Commissioners of Customs, superseding the earlier notification and thereby reallocating territorial jurisdiction and administrative control among Chief Commissioners and named Customs and Central Excise Commissionerates.

Anti-dumping duty on Purified Terephthalic Acid: country- and exporter-specific tariffs applied to imports under preliminary findings.
Imposition of anti-dumping duty on Purified Terephthalic Acid applies country- and exporter-specific rates for imports from the Republic of Korea, Thailand and Indonesia under the Customs Tariff and anti-dumping rules; the notification prescribes named-exporter and residual rates for Korea, specified and residual rates for Thailand, and a rate for all exporters from Indonesia, and is provisional in effect for the period ending 20 May 1998 based on the designated authority's preliminary findings.

Exchange rate amendment updates foreign currency conversion rates for export goods, replacing prior schedule and fixing new rates.
Amendment substitutes Schedule I entries for serial numbers 5, 7, 11, 13 and 14 of the prior customs notification by replacing the exchange rates for Deutsche Mark, French Franc, Pound Sterling, Swiss Franc and U.S. Dollar with newly specified rupee equivalents per unit; the substituted schedule is declared operative from the stated effective date for customs calculations relating to export goods.

Exchange rate notification amended: specified foreign currency conversion rates for imports established and implemented under statutory authority.
The Central Government amended Notification No. 54/97-NT-Cus by substituting specified entries in Schedule-I to set new exchange rates for certain foreign currencies to be used in customs valuation of imports; the revised rates for Deutsche Mark, French Franc, Pound Sterling, Swiss Franc and U.S. Dollar are prescribed and are effective from 20th November, 1997.

Exemption for project imports: goods for government approved UN or international organisation projects exempt from customs duty with required certificates.
Goods imported into India for execution of projects financed by the United Nations or specified international organisations and approved by the Government of India are exempt from customs duty and special duty, subject to production at clearance of prescribed certificates from the importing organisation or designated Government authorities; projects financed by other international lenders require certification by the Project Implementing Authority and countersignature by an authorised Government officer. For goods imported before 1 March 2008, transfer to a new project, re export, or payment of duty on a depreciated value are permitted under stated conditions.

Anti-dumping investigation initiated into fused magnesia imports from China PR after prima facie findings of dumping and injury.
The Designated Authority has initiated an anti-dumping investigation into fused magnesia from China PR after the petitioner, claiming standing as the sole domestic producer and asserting its sea water magnesia is a like article, submitted constructed normal value and export price data showing prima facie dumping. The petitioner alleges increased imports have materially retarded its establishment and threaten material injury. Known exporters and importers must submit prescribed information within the time limit; the Authority permits inspection of a non-confidential public file and may rely on facts available where parties fail to cooperate.

Exemption to goods for export of gem and jewellery expanded to include Visakhapatnam EPZ and specified airport export points.
The notification amends Annexure II of Notification No. 177/94 Cus. by inserting S. No. 7 to extend the customs exemption for goods used in exports of gem and jewellery to the Visakhapatnam Export Processing Zone and by specifying the authorized airport export points as Visakhapatnam, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.

Exemption from special customs duty extended to gold and silver imports covered by a specified customs notification by amendment.
Amendment adds clause (iii) to S. No. 3 of Notification No. 12/97 Customs to extend the exemption from special duty of Customs to imports made in terms of Notification No. 80/97 Customs, thereby clarifying that those gold and silver imports fall within the existing exemption.

Exchange Rate Determination sets official conversion rates for export goods, replacing prior notification and applying from notified date.
Central Government determination under section 14(3)(a)(i) of the Customs Act prescribes official foreign currency conversion rates for export goods in two schedules (per one unit and per one hundred units) and supersedes the earlier notification, the prescribed rates applying from the notified commencement date for customs and export-related purposes.

Exchange rate determination for customs and stamp duty: prescribed schedule of currency conversions now governs imported goods conversions.
Prescribes foreign currency exchange rates for converting specified currencies into Indian rupees for calculating stamp duty under the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 and for purposes of section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962 in relation to imported goods, superseding the earlier notification and fixing the applicable rates by reference to two appended schedules listing currencies and their rupee equivalents to be applied from the stated commencement date.

Anti-dumping duty on acrylic fibre imposed for imports from specified countries, with differentiated rates and exporter exemption.
Central Government imposed anti-dumping duty on acrylic fibre from the United States, Thailand and the Republic of Korea after a final finding of dumping and material injury; duties are specified by country and exporter, include an express exemption for 1.7 denier colour acrylic fibre from Cytec Industries Inc., USA, and are levied with effect from the date provisional duty was imposed under the Customs Tariff Act and the 1995 anti-dumping rules.