Dioctyl Phthalate imports: safeguard duty recommended (15% first year, 10% second year) to address surge harming domestic producers.
The Directorate General found that imports of Dioctyl Phthalate increased sharply and, after excluding imports by the applicant producers, rose substantially relative to domestic production and consumption. A confluence of unforeseen developments-excess capacities abroad, weakened demand in China/Europe and diversion of exports-led to increased imports that undercut domestic prices. Evaluating all injury factors, the authority concluded that increased imports caused and threatened serious injury to the domestic industry and recommended a non-discriminatory safeguard duty of 15% for the first year and 10% for the second year, excluding imports from developing nations except Malaysia.

Exchange rate determination sets prescribed import and export currency conversion rates for customs valuation, effective mid November.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs, under the Customs Act, prescribed distinct conversion rates for specified foreign currencies for imported and export goods effective 17th November, 2012, superseding the earlier notification. Schedules specify unit rates (and a per 100 unit rate for Japanese Yen) to be used for customs valuation and related purposes, and the notification includes corrigendum adjustments to Kenya Shilling entries.

AEO-linked licence validity: CHA licences remain valid while AEO authorisation persists and renewal fees are waived.
Regulation 11 is amended by inserting provisos: licences granted to Customs House Agents authorised under the Authorised Economic Operator Programme shall remain valid for the duration of the AEO authorisation; and there shall be no fee for renewal of a licence under the cited sub regulation in respect of CHAs authorised under the AEO Programme.

Customs cargo service provider approvals may receive successive ten-year extensions, with authorised providers exempt from financial security requirements.
Handling of Cargo in Customs Areas Regulations, 2009 exempt notified major ports, Central and State Governments and their undertakings, and authorised Customs Cargo Service Providers from furnishing a bank guarantee or cash deposit. Approval granted to a Customs Cargo Service Provider under the Authorised Economic Operator Programme may be extended for successive ten-year periods.

Appointment of Common Adjudicating Authority to centralize adjudication of show cause notices for specified importer.
Designation under section 5(1) of the Customs Act appoints the Additional Commissioner or Joint Commissioner of Customs (Import), Custom House, Kandla as the Common Adjudicating Authority to exercise and discharge the adjudicatory powers and duties otherwise exercisable by the corresponding officers at Custom House, Kandla and Adani Port & SEZ, Mundra, for adjudication of the show cause notice relating to M/s KLJ Resources Ltd.

Common Adjudicating Authority appointment assigns a Customs Import Commissioner to adjudicate a show cause proceeding against KLJ Organic Ltd.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs appoints the Additional Commissioner or Joint Commissioner of Customs (Import), Custom House, Kandla, as the Common Adjudicating Authority to exercise adjudicatory powers in place of two specified import Commissioners for adjudicating the Show Cause Notice issued to M/s KLJ Organic Ltd. arising from a Directorate of Revenue Intelligence investigation.

Common Adjudicating Authority designated to adjudicate a show cause notice issued to M/s Havells India, consolidating adjudicatory powers.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs designates the Joint Commissioner or Additional Commissioner of Customs at Inland Container Depot, Tughlakabad, as the Common Adjudicating Authority empowered to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of two specified customs/central excise officers for adjudicating the show cause notice issued to M/s Havells India Ltd.; the delegation consolidates adjudicatory competence for that notice and identifies the file reference for administrative implementation.

Common Adjudicating Authority appointment centralises adjudication of a show cause notice against Lambda Therapeutic Research Ltd.
Designation under section 5(1) of the Customs Act, 1962 appoints the Joint Commissioner or Additional Commissioner of Customs, Custom House, Ahmedabad as the Common Adjudicating Authority to exercise the adjudicatory powers of both the Custom House, Ahmedabad and the Air Cargo Complex, Sahar, Mumbai officers for adjudication of the show cause notice issued to M/s Lambda Therapeutic Research Ltd. by the Joint Director, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Zonal Unit, Ahmedabad.

Fixation of Tariff Values: Notification amends tariff valuations for specified vegetable oils, brass scrap, poppy seeds, gold and silver.
Amendment replaces TABLE 1 and TABLE 2 of Notification No. 36/2001 Customs (N.T.), prescribing revised tariff values for specified imported goods including various palm oils and derivatives, Brass Scrap (all grades), and Poppy Seeds per metric tonne, and fixing unit tariff values for gold and silver where specified notification benefits are availed, for use in customs valuation under section 14(2) of the Customs Act, 1962.

Safeguard investigation corrects typographical error in preliminary findings regarding imports of stainless steel specified grade.
Corrigendum dated 12 November 2012 corrects a typographical error in the Preliminary Findings of the safeguard investigation into imports of Hot Rolled Flat products of stainless steel of 304 grade from China PR, substituting "6 million MT" with "06 million MT" in the fourth line of paragraph 37.

Common Adjudicating Authority appointment centralises adjudication of customs show cause proceedings for a named importer.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs designates the Additional Commissioner or Joint Commissioner of Customs (Import), Custom House, Kandla, as the Common Adjudicating Authority to exercise and discharge adjudicatory powers and duties in respect of the show cause proceedings concerning M/s KLJ Resources Ltd., consolidating jurisdiction otherwise vested in the Import Commissioners at Kandla and at Adani Port & SEZ, Mundra.

Exchange Rate Determination prescribes conversion rates for foreign currencies to govern valuation of imported and exported goods.
Determination under section 14 of the Customs Act prescribes specified rupee conversion rates for listed foreign currencies, effective 2nd November, 2012, superseding an earlier notification; Schedule I sets separate rates for imported and export goods per currency and Schedule II sets the rate for 100 units of Japanese Yen, with corrigenda noted to correct certain previously published numeric entries.

Tariff value fixation updated: amended customs values for palmolein, brass scrap, poppy seeds, gold and silver notified.
Amendment substitutes revised TABLE-1 and TABLE-2 into Notification No. 36/2001-Customs (N.T.) under section 14(2) of the Customs Act, 1962, fixing tariff values in US dollars per metric tonne for specified imported goods including vegetable oils (palm and soyabean), brass scrap (all grades), poppy seeds, and setting unit tariff values for gold and silver where specified concessional entries are availed.

Anti-dumping duty exclusion expanded to include moulded door skin, narrowing scope for bonded wood fibre boards.
The Duty Table entry for "Resin or other organic substances bonded wood or ligneous fibre boards of thickness below 6mm" is amended to exclude moulded door skin along with insulation boards, laminated fibre boards and boards not bonded by resin or other organic substances. Note I is similarly amended to state that fibre boards of thickness 6mm or above, insulation boards, laminated fibre boards, moulded door skin, and boards not bonded by resin or other organic substances shall not be liable to pay anti-dumping duty.

Rate of exchange determination fixes currency conversion rates for customs import and export valuation from the stated effective date.
Determination under section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962 fixing the rupee equivalents of specified foreign currencies, with distinct rates for imported and export goods as set out in Schedule I and for Japanese Yen in Schedule II, effective from 19th October, 2012, and superseding the earlier October 4, 2012 notification, with corrigendum corrections to the Kenya Shilling entries.

Customs duty exemption for LR SAM programme imports when made by authorised works centres with certified lists confirming authorised use.
Customs duty exemption applies to specified goods imported for the LR-SAM programme when imported by authorised works centres designated by an officer not below Deputy Secretary and when the authorised works centre furnishes, at import, a list certified by the Programme Director confirming the goods are required for the LR-SAM programme, authorised by the Ministry of Defence, and to be used exclusively for that programme.

Corrigendum to customs exemption correcting beneficiary name for Akhakhol GBPP in notified list entry recorded.
The corrigendum amends Para (B), List 32A of the earlier customs exemption notification to replace the named beneficiary for Akhakhol GBPP: the project description and capacity remain the same but the beneficiary is corrected from M/s. Jindal Power Ltd. to M/s. Torrent Power Ltd.

Tariff classification correction updates the customs notification to replace an incorrect subheading for Coumarin imports under anti dumping duty.
Corrigendum corrects the customs tariff classification references in the anti dumping duty notification on imports of Coumarin from the People's Republic of China by substituting the originally published tariff subheading with the corrected subheading at specified pages and lines of Notification No. 12/2012 Customs (ADD). The correction is limited to typographical/classification errors and does not alter other substantive provisions of the original notification.

Tariff value fixation revises customs valuation benchmarks for specified edible oils, metals and scrap under statutory customs powers.
Substitutes TABLE-1 and TABLE-2 in Notification No. 36/2001-Customs (N.T.) to set tariff values for specified imports, including edible oils, brass scrap and poppy seeds (per metric tonne) and unit tariff values for gold and silver where specified notification benefits are availed, under the authority of section 14(2) of the Customs Act, 1962.

Common Adjudicating Authority assignment of a show cause notice to the local Commissioner for adjudication under customs delegation.
The Board assigns the Show Cause Notice issued by the central investigative unit to the Commissioner of Customs, Ahmedabad, directing that the commissionerate undertake adjudication pursuant to the notification-based delegation under the Customs Act and transmitting copies to relevant administrative recipients for service and record.