Exchange rate amendment substitutes specified foreign currency rates under Customs Act, effective from 8 December 1986.
Central Government amends Notification No. 435 Customs under sub clause (i) of clause (a) of sub section (3) of section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962, substituting Schedule entries to set revised rates of exchange for Danish Kroners, Deutsche Marks, Dutch Guilders, French Francs and Italian Lira, the revised rates being effective from 8th December, 1986.

Rate of exchange fixed for conversion of Russian Rouble into Indian currency, superseding prior notification and setting effectiveness.
The Central Government, under the Customs Act, determines the rate of exchange for conversion of one Russian Rouble into Indian currency at rupees 14.3049 for customs purposes, superseding the earlier notification and making the new rate effective from the specified commencement date.

Auxiliary duty amendments: government amends customs exemption notifications to insert specified entries and omit certain prior entries.
The Central Government, under section 25(1) of the Customs Act read with section 49(4) of the Finance Act, 1986, directs amendments to specified customs exemption notifications: inserting additional notification entries into the Schedule of Notification No. 312/86-Customs and omitting Sl. No. 8 from the Table to 313/86-Customs and Sl. Nos. 46 and 62 from the Schedule to 314/86-Customs, as necessary in the public interest.

Customs exemption for sponge iron for electric arc furnace: duty capped and additional duty waived subject to officer verification.
The Central Government exempts sponge iron imported for use in electric arc furnace from customs duty in excess of a prescribed ad valorem cap and from the additional duty under section 3 of the Customs Tariff Act, conditional on satisfaction by the proper officer that the imports are actually used in electric arc furnaces; the notification supersedes the earlier cited notification and is limited to a specified period of operation.

Customs exemption for heavy melting scrap permits reduced duty where imported for electric arc or induction furnace use.
The Central Government exempts heavy melting scrap of iron or steel (other than stainless or heat resisting steel) in Chapter 72 from customs duty insofar as the duty exceeds the amount calculated at the rate of 20 per cent ad valorem when imported for use in electric arc furnace or induction furnace, provided the proper officer is satisfied that the scrap is so used; the notification is in force up to and inclusive of 31 May 1987.

Exemption for melting scrap imported for electric arc furnace use reduces customs duty above statutory rate.
Exempts melting scrap (other than heavy melting scrap) of iron or steel (excluding stainless or heat resisting steel) under Chapter 72, when imported for use in an electric arc furnace, from customs duty insofar as it exceeds the amount calculated at the rate of 20 per cent ad valorem, subject to satisfaction by the proper officer that the scrap is used in an electric arc furnace; notified under section 25(1) of the Customs Act and effective until 31 May 1987.

Customs exemption amendments change usage conditions, extend expiry dates and increase ad valorem duty rates.
Central Government, under sub-section (1) of section 25 of the Customs Act, 1962, directs amendments to three customs exemption notifications: the 1977 notification omits its Proviso, deletes Sl. No. 1 in the Table and narrows Sl. No. 2's permitted use wording; the 1979 notification extends the expiry date in paragraph 2; and the 1986 notification increases the specified ad valorem duty in the opening paragraph and extends the expiry date in paragraph 2.

Auxiliary duty on crude petroleum substituted to impose a specified per tonne charge under customs notification.
Amendment substitutes Sl. No. 1 in the Table to Notification No. 310/86-Customs: Crude Petroleum falling under heading 27.09 of the First Schedule is made subject to an auxiliary duty charged on a per tonne basis by way of substitution of the prior entry.

Customs valuation rule replaces ad valorem excess threshold with a fixed per tonne rate for goods under Heading 27.09.
Amendment to Notification No. 56/85 Customs replaces the prior excess calculation phrasing based on an ad valorem threshold with wording providing calculation on a fixed per tonne rate for goods classified under Heading 27.09, effected under the powers of section 25(1) of the Customs Act, 1962.

Customs notification amendment expands proviso to include loss, use or return for further processing of petroleum inputs.
The Central Government, exercising powers under the Customs Act, substitutes in the second proviso of Notification No. 158 Customs (2 August 1976) the words "have been lost during such process" with "have been lost or used during such process or returned to any other refinery for further processing of petroleum products," thereby broadening the proviso to include loss, use during processing, and return to another refinery for further processing.

Rates of exchange revised: Australian dollar fixed at a specified rate, effective early December, affecting customs valuation.
Amendment to the customs exchange rate schedule substitutes the serial entry for the Australian dollar with a newly prescribed rate and declares that this rate is effective from 5 12 1986, pursuant to Section 14(3)(a)(i) of the Customs Act, 1962.

Effective rate of duty for dead burnt magnesite limited to a specified ad valorem rate where strict compositional criteria are met.
Exemption limits customs duty on imported dead burnt magnesite to the amount calculated at 55% ad valorem where the magnesite has silica under 4% by weight, magnesium oxide not less than 90% by weight, bulk density not less than 3.20 gm/cc, and falls within Chapter 25 of the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act; the Central Government issued the notification under section 25(1) of the Customs Act and made it effective for a specified temporary period, superseding an earlier notification.

Customs duty on black pepper set by tariff amendment, establishing a specified per kilogram export duty under the Tariff Act.
The Central Government, under sub section (1) of section 8 of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975, substitutes Heading No. 2 in the Second Schedule to identify "Black pepper" and prescribes the rate of duty applicable per kilogram by replacing the prior entry with the new heading and duty specification.

Customs amendment narrows fuel-efficient motor car exemption by adding an engine capacity qualification and deleting specified clauses.
The Central Government amends Notification No. 254/84 Customs to limit the exemption for fuel-efficient motor cars to vehicles "of engine capacity not exceeding 1000 cubic centimetres" and omits clauses (ii) and (iii) in the Explanation and sub clauses (ii) and (iii) in clause (a).

Auxiliary duty amendment: Schedule entries removed from earlier customs notification, eliminating specified serial entries and adjusting exemption schedule.
The Central Government amends Notification No. 314/86-Customs by omitting Sl. Nos. 27 and 55 and their entries from the Schedule, exercising powers under sub-section (1) of section 25 of the Customs Act, 1962 read with sub-section (4) of section 49 of the Finance Act, 1986 on grounds of public interest.

Rescission of Customs exemption notifications: government withdraws specified prior notifications under statutory rescission power provision.
Rescission of specified Customs exemption notifications under the executive power to withdraw subordinate instruments in the public interest; the Central Government has expressly withdrawn two prior exemption notifications issued by the Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue), removing the exemptions previously conferred by those instruments.

Customs tariff amendment substitutes specified drug intermediate entries in exemption notification under statutory powers.
Central Government amends a customs exemption notification under the Customs Act by substituting specified serial entries in the annexed Table with updated descriptions of drug intermediate chemicals, thereby revising the list of exempted tariff items for those intermediates.

Customs exemption for specified copper imports caps duty at prescribed rates, reducing assessable import liability across defined product categories.
The Central Government exempts specified copper goods falling within Chapter 74 from customs duty to the extent that duty exceeds amounts calculated at the prescribed rates set out in the annexed Table. The notification, issued under the Customs Act and superseding an earlier notification, lists categories such as copper matte and master alloys, unwrought copper, copper waste and scrap, wrought bars and sections, wires and rods, plates and foil, tubes and fittings, and other copper articles, and fixes corresponding duty-rate caps for imported goods.

Additional baggage allowance: duty-free import for returning workers upon mission certification and declaration, subject to exclusions and limits.
Provision grants a duty-free baggage allowance to returnees who worked abroad for a minimum period and produce an Indian Mission certificate; goods must have been in the passenger's or family's possession and use abroad for a minimum period, be imported in the name on the certificate, and be supported by a declaration not contradicted by examination. The allowance is subject to a frequency limitation and excludes specified items including motor vehicles, major appliances, firearms and certain tobacco and alcohol quantities; it cannot be availed simultaneously with the alternate baggage concession.

Auxiliary duty imposed on stepper motors for clocks, adding an additional per piece customs charge under the tariff.
Amendment to Notification No. 310/86 Customs inserts an entry imposing an auxiliary duty on stepper motors for clocks/alarm clocks under heading 85.01 of the First Schedule, specifying a per piece levy and thereby adding that charge to the Table of the original notification.