Anti-dumping duty suspension: ADD on flat-rolled aluminium zinc coated steel imports paused for a specified period under Customs rules.
The amendment inserts a proviso in paragraph 2 of Notification No. 16/2020 Customs (ADD) specifying that the anti dumping duty on imports of flat rolled product of steel plated or coated with alloy of aluminium and zinc, originating in or exported from the subject countries, shall not be levied for the period commencing 2nd February, 2021 to 30th September, 2021, thereby temporarily revoking the operation of the principal notification for that period.

Road and Infrastructure Cess exemption for ethanol-blended petrol permitted when composition, standards and tax payments comply.
Exempts 20% ethanol blended petrol from the additional duty of excise (Road and Infrastructure Cess) where the blend conforms to Bureau of Indian Standards specification 17021 and the appropriate excise duties and applicable central, state, union territory or integrated taxes have been paid; clarifies that appropriate duties include specified excise duties and cess provisions subject to existing exemption notifications and defines applicable indirect taxes under GST law. The notification takes effect on 2 February 2021.

Health Cess exemption for medical devices imported by international organizations and diplomatic missions comes into effect.
Amendment adds two notifications as items (vii) and (viii) to the table entry against Sl. No. 2, column (2) of Notification No. 08/2020-Customs, thereby extending exemption from Health Cess to medical devices imported by international organizations and diplomatic missions; made under Customs Act and Finance Act powers and effective from the commencement date specified in the notification.

Temporary suspension of anti-dumping duty on high-speed non-cobalt steel creates a non-levy period for affected imports.
The Central Government temporarily suspends the levy of definitive anti-dumping duty on High-Speed Steel of Non-Cobalt Grade imported from Brazil, the People's Republic of China and Germany by inserting a proviso in the operative paragraph of the principal notification, creating a non-levy period under the Customs Tariff anti-dumping rules.

Anti-dumping duty suspension temporarily revokes levy on alloy steel bars from specified country, restoring duty-free imports for a limited period.
The Central Government amends the earlier notification imposing definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of Straight Length Bars and Rods of Alloy Steel from the specified country by inserting a proviso that the anti-dumping duty shall not be levied for the period commencing from the 2nd day of February, 2021 to the 30th day of September, 2021, thereby temporarily suspending the levy while retaining the remainder of the original notification.

Customs exemption scope clarified to include MIMO and LTE products under the specified notification entry, altering eligible items.
The Central Government substitutes the existing item (i) in the TABLE opposite the relevant notification entry with two specified items: MIMO products and LTE products, thereby clarifying that those product categories fall within the exemption entry's coverage under Notification No. 24/2005-Customs.

Exemption of Road and Infrastructure Cess for M-15 methanol blended petrol where excise and GST taxes are paid.
Exempts 15% methanol blended petrol (M-15) from the Road and Infrastructure Cess under section 112 of the Finance Act, 2018 where constituent motor spirit and methanol/co-solvents have had applicable excise and GST taxes paid and the blend conforms to BIS specification 17076; defines appropriate duties of excise and relevant Central/State/UT/Integrated taxes by reference to specified statutes and exemption notifications.

Excise exemption for specified blended petrol: targeted ethanol and methanol blends exempted subject to tax and standard conditions.
Amends Notification No. 28/2002-Central Excise by substituting Explanation 1 to redefine appropriate duties of excise to include duties under the Fourth Schedule, specified additional excise duties and the Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess, read with relevant exemption notifications. Inserts two entries exempting specified ethanol- and methanol-blended petrols from excise duty subject to conformity with Bureau of Indian Standards specifications and payment of the defined excise duties on the motor spirit component and the applicable Central/State/Union territory/Integrated taxes on the alcohol or co-solvent components. Effective 2 February 2021.

Withdrawal of basic customs duty exemption on specified transformer parts alters tariff concessions and exemption schedules.
Amendment withdraws the basic customs duty (BCD) exemption on specified transformer parts by omitting S. No. 198 from List A of notification No. 25/99 Customs; the Central Government effectuates this change under its powers under the Customs Act and specifies the operative commencement date for the omission.

Basic customs duty change on IT and electronics parts increases import duties for listed components and assemblies.
Further amendment to Notification No. 57/2017 revises TABLE entries to add "metal shield", insert a proviso excluding "camera lens", omit multiple listed items and substitute column (4) entries for several serial numbers with an updated Basic Customs Duty entry effective from the first day of April, 2021. It inserts a new tariff line 13A distinguishing all goods except charger or power adapter and solar inverter and specifically listing Printed Circuit Board Assembly of charger or power adapter and Moulded Plastic of charger or power adapter under the newly prescribed duty. The notification also redefines certain wireless product items to include MIMO and LTE products and omits several serial entries.

Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess exemption applies to specified ethanol, methanol and biodiesel blended fuels.
Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess is exempted, to the extent of the excess over the specified rate, on defined blended fuels under Chapter 2710. The exemption applies to ethanol-blended petrol at multiple blend levels, 15% methanol blended petrol, and high speed diesel oil blended with bio-diesel up to 20% by volume, subject to prescribed composition requirements and Bureau of Indian Standards specifications. The notification also defines the relevant excise and GST tax expressions and takes effect from 2 February 2021.

Countervailing duty suspension on certain stainless steel flat imports temporarily halts levy for a specified period.
The Central Government inserted a proviso to the principal notification establishing that the countervailing duty on certain hot rolled and cold rolled stainless steel flat products originating in or exported from the People's Republic of China shall not be levied for the period commencing 2nd February, 2021 to 30th September, 2021, thereby temporarily suspending the duty while retaining the underlying findings and statutory basis for the original notification.

Tariff amendment updates excise rates for specified petroleum products, effective with non retroactivity for prior manufactured goods.
The amendment substitutes revised per litre excise tariff entries for the items at serial numbers one and two in the Table of the principal notification, takes effect from the second day of February, two thousand twenty one, and expressly excludes application to goods manufactured on or before the first day of February, two thousand twenty one even if cleared on or after the effective date.

Basic Customs Duty revisions prescribe new duty rates and reshape import exemptions for specified tariff items and conditional grants.
Notification 2/2021-Customs amends Notification No.50/2017 by substituting, inserting and omitting numerous Table entries to revise Basic Customs Duty rates and reclassify tariff items, notably for pulses, specified chapters and industrial inputs, lithium-ion cells and batteries, PCBA inputs, aircraft components, and selected metal and paper goods; it replaces Condition 60 to create R&D and manufacture-for-export compliance tracks (installation within six months and seven-year non-transfer), adds Conditions imposing bonded obligations and Defence certification routes, adjusts provisos and an Explanation for completion of pending customs action, omits List 2, and brings the amendments into force from 2nd February 2021.

Countervailing duty rescission withdraws prior CVD notification while preserving actions taken before rescission.
The Central Government, invoking sub-section (2) of section 9 of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975, rescinds Notification No. 02/2020-Customs (CVD), subject to a savings proviso preserving actions done or omitted before rescission, and fixes an effective commencement date for the rescission.

Excise exemption for specified ethanol, methanol and biodiesel blends grants nil central excise on compliant blends.
Amends Notification No. 11/2017 by substituting tariff table entries to define and classify specified ethanol, methanol and biodiesel blends that conform to Bureau of Indian Standards, prescribing nil central excise for those tariff entries; inserts Explanation 2 defining "appropriate duties of excise" and "appropriate Central tax, State tax, Union territory tax and Integrated tax"; comes into force on 2 February 2021 and excludes goods manufactured on or before 1 February 2021.

Deadline extension under Vivad se Vishwas Act: compliance window moved to 28th February 2021 for the specified notification.
Amendment to Notification No. 85/2020 under the Direct Tax Vivad se Vishwas Act substitutes in clause (a) the date "31st day of January, 2021" with "28th day of February, 2021", issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes and published in the Gazette.

Anti-dumping duty continuation on steering knuckles imposes producer- and origin-specific import levies to address dumped imports.
Continuation of anti-dumping duty is imposed on imports of Steering Knuckles for medium and heavy commercial vehicles originating in or exported from the People's Republic of China, with producer- and origin-specific duty rates, applied by tariff headings 8708 94 00 and 8708 99 00. The measure follows a review finding of dumping and injury for steering knuckles and a likelihood of recurrence of injury generally; the duty applies for thirty months from Gazette publication, payable in Indian currency with exchange rates as notified for bill of entry date.

HSN Code requirement: registered persons must state eight digit HSN codes for specified chemical supplies in tax invoices.
The state notification amends the GST rules to require that registered persons mention eight digits of HSN Codes in tax invoices for the specified chemical supplies listed in the Table, each identified by chemical name and HSN Code or marked as applicable; the requirement is introduced as an additional proviso to the existing rule and is made effective from the stated commencement date.

Penalty waiver for QR code invoice non compliance granted for a specified period, conditional on compliance from April first.
Waiver of penalty is granted to registered persons for non compliance with the obligation to issue invoices containing a Dynamic QR code for the period from 1 December, 2020 to 31 March, 2021, conditional on the person complying with the QR code invoicing requirement from 1 April, 2021, and made effective retrospectively from 29 November, 2020.