Rescission of anti-dumping duty on EPDM removes the standing duty, subject to prior actions preserved.
The Central Government, under sub-sections (1) and (5) of section 9A of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 and rule 23 of the relevant Anti dumping Rules, rescinds the earlier notification imposing anti-dumping duty on ethylene-propylene-non-conjugated diene rubber (EPDM), while excepting actions done or omitted before such rescission.

Exemption for commercial samples unit threshold raised, expanding duty free import eligibility for export promotion under customs notification amendment.
Substitution of the figure and word "15 units" with "50 units" in notification No. 154/1994 Customs: the change applies in the TABLE against S. No. 3 to condition (iv) and its proviso, and to condition (v), clause (A), sub clause (b), thereby increasing the unit threshold for the exemption on commercial samples, advertising materials and price lists imported under the International Convention and for samples for executing or securing export orders.

Exemption under section 10(23C)(iv) granted subject to application, investment, business-incidental, dissolution and return-filing conditions.
Notification designates Help Society, Rajsamand as a notified charitable institution under the exemption, subject to conditions requiring exclusive application or accumulation of income for charitable objects, permitted modes of investment for funds, separate accounting for any incidental business, regular filing of income-tax returns, and transfer of surplus and assets to a similar charitable organization on dissolution; the notification applies only to income received on behalf of the assessee and separate taxability of the assessee's income will be determined under the Income-tax Act.

Exemption for manufacture-or-processing service of alcoholic beverages reduces taxable value by inputs' value where no Cenvat credit is taken.
Exempts the taxable service of manufacture or processing of alcoholic beverages by allowing deduction from taxable value equal to the value of inputs (excluding capital goods), subject to conditions: no Cenvat credit taken, documentary proof specifying input value, and maintenance of separate accounts where the provider also manufactures on own account.

Amendment to Export of Services Rules expands bracketed service entries, updating enumerations and rule 3 references.
Amendment expands specified bracketed lists in rule 3(1) of the Export of Services Rules: clause (i) is substituted to add an additional bracketed entry, clause (ii) is substituted to expand its bracketed list by two entries, and clause (iii)(b) is substituted to include an additional bracketed item, thereby revising the enumerations in the three identified clauses.

Rule 3 amendment expands enumerated service entries by substituting additional bracketed identifiers, broadening covered service descriptions.
Amendment expands the scope of entries within rule 3 of the Taxation of Services (Provided from outside India and Received in India) Rules, 2006 by substituting specified bracketed letter references in clause (i), clause (ii), and clause (iii)(b), thereby adding further referenced entries to the enumerations that determine which service descriptions are included under the rule.

Import policy for electrical energy now requires an import licence; SEZ-origin imports remain exempt.
Import of electrical energy (ITC(HS) 2716 00 00) is made Restricted, requiring an import licence issued by the central licensing authority in consultation with external affairs, power and commerce departments; imports from SEZ are Free. Notification No. 9/2009-2014 is withdrawn and the amendment is effective from 8th September, 2009 under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act and Foreign Trade Policy 2009-14.

Customs tariff amendment applies a uniform concession rate to specified imports, implementing SAFTA concessions under statutory authority.
The Central Government, exercising power under section 25(1) of the Customs Act, 1962, amends the principal customs notification by substituting the tariff-rate column entries for a specified range of serials in the notification's schedule with a uniform concession rate, thereby implementing SAFTA concessions for the listed import items.

Customs duty differential: amended notification sets higher rates for Appendix I imports and nil duty for Appendix II imports.
Substitutes the Table in Notification No.67/2006-Customs to prescribe differential customs duty rates for imports from APPENDIX I versus APPENDIX II: numerous chapters and tariff items are assigned specified duty rates for APPENDIX I imports while imports from APPENDIX II attract nil duty. The substituted table contains itemised chapter/heading/subheading entries, specific unit duties for certain agricultural products, conditional rates for particular import forms, and an explanatory definition of "crude palm oil" for exemption purposes.

Qualifications of e-Return Intermediary: eligibility, digital signature requirement, data confidentiality and archival obligations enforced.
Amendment specifies qualifications for an e-Return Intermediary: eligible entities include public sector and other companies with public interest and subsidiaries, Indian incorporated companies (including banks) meeting a net worth requirement, firms or individuals of Chartered Accountants, Company Secretaries, Advocates or Tax Return Preparers with a permanent account number, and Government Drawing or Disbursing Officers. It requires possession of a Class II digital signature certificate, security procedures approved by the e-Return Administrator to protect confidentiality, archival and retrieval policies for e-Returns, and bars intermediaries or their Principal Officers from convictions for professional misconduct, fraud, embezzlement or criminal offences.

Non violation and no pending investigation requirement limits eligibility for borrowing or lending in foreign exchange under FEMA.
The amendment inserts identical provisos after clauses (a), (b) and (c) of paragraph (1), sub paragraph (i) of Schedule I to the Regulations, conditioning applicability on the entity having not at any time violated any provision of these regulations and on there being no investigation pending against them for contravention of these regulations under the Act; the amendment is made under Section 6(3)(d) and Section 47(2) of the Act and comes into force from June 30, 2009.

Safeguard investigation deadline extended for Soda Ash imports under Transitional Product Specific Safeguard Duty rules.
Pursuant to sub rule (1) of rule 11 of the Customs Tariff (Transitional Product Specific Safeguard Duty) Rules, 2002, the Central Government has extended the period for submission of final findings in the safeguard investigation concerning import of Soda Ash into India, identifying the extension as a procedural adjustment within the safeguard investigation framework and referencing the principal Rules as published in the Gazette of India.

Export classification amendment: Lanolin added to animal fats and oils item description, altering export schedule immediately.
The export classification at Chapter 15, Schedule II, Sl. No. 67 is amended to read: 'Tallow, fat and / or oils of any animal origin excluding fish oil and Lanolin.' This substitution to the ITC(HS) item description is issued under the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act and the Foreign Trade Policy and takes immediate effect as a regulatory amendment to the export schedule.

Special Economic Zone expansion adds remaining land at Kurebaga and Brundamal to the aluminium SEZ notified under the SEZ Act
The Central Government, invoking powers under the Special Economic Zones Act and Rules, notifies inclusion of the remaining land at Kurebaga and Brundamal villages into the existing sector specific aluminium SEZ proposed by M/s. Vedanta Aluminium Limited, listing specific survey plots and areas in the annexed table to effect that addition.

Approval under section 35(1)(ii) allows research funding recognition if separate accounts and audited reports are furnished.
Sastra University, Chennai is approved under section 35(1)(ii) as an "other Institution" partly engaged in scientific research from assessment year 2009-2010, conditional on using received sums for scientific research conducted by faculty or students, maintaining separate books for research receipts and expenditure, obtaining an audit by a qualified accountant and furnishing the auditor's report by the return due date, and providing a certified statement of donations applied to research; approval is withdrawable for specified noncompliances or cessation of genuine research activity.

Research-deduction approval: donations deductible if used for social science research, subject to audit and reporting.
Sri Aurobindo Society, Kolkata is approved as an institution partly engaged in research under clause (iii) of sub-section (1) of section 35 read with Rules 5C and 5E from assessment year 2009-2010, subject to use of received sums for social science research conducted by faculty or enrolled students, maintenance of separate books for such sums, audit by a specified accountant with submission of the audit report by the income-tax return due date, and an auditor-certified statement of donations and application of funds.

Fixation of tariff values updated for specified edible oils, brass scrap and poppy seeds; notification substitutes revised tariff value table.
Substitutes the Table in Notification No. 36/2001-Cus (N.T.) with a revised schedule fixing tariff values in US dollars per metric tonne for specified headings, including crude and refined palm oil and palmolein, crude soyabean oil, brass scrap (all grades) and poppy seeds; most edible oil entries remain unchanged.

Advance Ruling Authority authorisation allows an income-tax authority to issue customs advance rulings, subject to statutory conditions.
Authorises the Advance Ruling Authority constituted under the Income Tax law to act as the Authority under Chapter VB of the Customs Act, pursuant to the Customs Act delegation power and subject to the proviso that conditions such authorisations.

Approval Committee amendment revises SEZ committee locality reference for a multi-product SEZ to reflect a substituted place name.
Amendment to the constituting notification for the Approval Committee of a multi-product Special Economic Zone substitutes one locality name for another in the specified table entry, effected under Section 13 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, for the SEZ developed by M/s. Sterling SEZ Private Limited.

Service terms aligned with central government pay and benefits govern Commission staff, deputation options and pension arrangements.
The rules set the salary, allowances, recruitment method and sanctioned strength of the Secretary, officers and employees as per Schedule I, align service conditions (leave, joining time, superannuation, travel allowances) with comparable Central Government rules, specify entitlement to accommodation, HRA and medical facilities (Schedule II), govern provident fund and group insurance treatment for deputationists and non-deputationists, allow deputationists an option on pay or deputation allowance, require prior approval for official visits abroad, and empower referral of unprovided matters and limited relaxation by the Central Government.