Free trade zone designation establishes Surat Export Processing Zone as a free trade zone defining area, blocks and boundaries.
The Central Government designates the Surat Export Processing Zone at Sachin, Taluka Choryasi, District Surat, Gujarat, as a free trade zone under the Central Excises and Salt Act, 1944 and Central Excise Rules, 1944, specifying a total area of 4,17,997 square metres, enumerating constituent block numbers, and fixing boundaries-Kakrapar canal (north and west), Diamond Industrial Park (south), Surat-Bombay railway line (east)-along with a 3.7 metre high boundary wall topped with Y shaped barbed wire.

EPZ exemption extended to Surat Export Processing Zone, adding it to exempted zones and defining its boundaries.
The notification amends Annexure II of Notification No. 126/94 Central Excises by inserting "Surat Export Processing Zone" as a new exempted entry and adds an Explanation clause defining the Surat Export Processing Zone as the places bearing the specified block numbers, location, area and enclosed boundaries set out in the Government notification referenced in the amendment.

Exemption under section 35AC: approval of institutions and projects enabling specified deductions for project costs.
The Central Government approves specified institutions and their eligible projects for deduction purposes under the Income-tax Act, listing each institution, the project description, the estimated cost and the maximum amount of that cost allowable as a deduction; selected entries note corpus fund inclusion or subsequent substitutions, and the notification fixes one-, two- or three-year periods of force for particular serial-numbered projects.

Exchange rate amendment updates notified currency rates for export goods, replacing Schedule entries and taking effect in March.
Exchange rate amendment substitutes Schedule I entries of the customs notification by replacing the exchange rates for Deutsche Mark, Dutch Guilder, Swiss Franc, Belgian Franc, French Franc, Japanese Yen, Danish Kroner, Norwegian Kroner and Austrian Shilling with revised rates, effective from 18th March, 1996, under statutory authority for customs and stamp law.

Exchange rate update for import valuation: substituted Schedule I currency rates effective from March 18, 1996.
Central Government amends Schedule I of Notification No.10/96 N.T. Cus by substituting the entries for serial Nos. 2, 4-12 and 14 with revised currency denominations and corresponding exchange rates for import valuation, under powers conferred by section 20(2) of the Indian Stamp Act and section 14(3)(a)(i) of the Customs Act; the substituted rates are effective from 18th March, 1996.

Refinery designation enables specified premises to be treated as refinery for manufacture of petroleum products under central excise rules.
The Central Government, exercising its rule-based power under the Central Excise regulatory framework, formally declares the premises of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited as a refinery for purposes of manufacture of petroleum products under the Central Excise Tariff. The notification identifies the premises by location and registration certificate and effects administrative classification of the site as a refinery for excise regulatory treatment.

Currency classified as perishable or hazardous goods under customs law, altering handling and regulatory treatment.
The Central Government, exercising powers under Section 110(1A) of the Customs Act, amends a prior customs notification by inserting the entry "Currency, Indian & Foreign" into the schedule, thereby including both Indian and foreign currency within the regulatory list of goods treated as perishable or hazardous for customs administration and handling.

Assessment status change for mineral oil contractors: parties taxed individually in their contractual status from assessment year 1993-94.
Persons entering agreements with the Central Government for participation in prospecting, extraction or production of mineral oil on or after 1 April 1992 shall not be assessed as an Association of Persons or Body of Individuals; each person shall be assessed separately for his or its share of income in the same status as in the agreement, with meanings of "status" and "mineral oil" as in the Explanation to section 293A, effective from 1 April 1993 for the assessment year 1993-94 onward.

Rebate on materials used in manufacture of export goods: commissioner may grant permission after inspection and claims must be filed locally.
The amendment authorises the Commissioner of Central Excise, after enquiry and inspection, to permit manufacture and export under a rebate claim when satisfied there is no likelihood of duty evasion, requires rebate claims to be lodged only with the Assistant Commissioner having jurisdiction over the approved place of manufacture, and substitutes the Table wording with "Materials used in the manufacture of export goods."

Export under bond now covers all export goods, allowing bond-based export without payment of duty under amended notification.
The Central Government, under rule 13 of the Central Excise Rules, 1944, amends Notification No. 47/94 by substituting in the Table, column (2), the words referring to excisable goods under the Central Excise Tariff Act with the words "All export goods," thereby extending the notification's scope to cover all goods exported under bond without payment of duty.

Anti-dumping investigation opened for 8 Hydroxyquinoline imports from China after prima facie evidence of dumping and injury.
The Designated Authority has initiated an anti-dumping investigation into imports of 8 Hydroxyquinoline from the People's Republic of China after a sole domestic producer alleged exports are priced below estimated normal value and Chinese production cost, causing a rapid increase in imports, loss of market share, price suppression below cost, and declines in sales, production and capacity utilisation; interested parties are invited to submit representations within 40 days to the Ministry of Commerce address.

Extension of customs exemption: expiry date in the applicable notification amended to extend the exemption period.
The Central Government, invoking section 25(1) of the Customs Act, 1962 and acting in the public interest, amends Notification No. 85/95-Customs by substituting the expiry provision in paragraph 2 with a later date, thereby extending the period of the exemption specified in the original notification.

Exemption scope narrowed: denim and certain multicolour three- or four-thread twill fabrics excluded from relief.
The exemption is clarified to exclude fabrics commonly known as denim and fabrics of yarns of different colours woven as three- or four-thread twill (including broken twill and warp-faced types) where the warp yarns are of one colour and the weft yarns are unbleached, bleached, dyed grey, or dyed a lighter shade of the warp colour.

Extension of attachment-sale time limit expands permissible sale window after an order creating a conclusive tax demand.
The Central Government amends rule 68B of Schedule II to extend the time limit for sale of attached immovable property, specifying a longer period measured from the end of the financial year in which the order giving rise to a demand becomes conclusive under the conclusive-order mechanism or final under the appellate/finality provisions, and thereby updates the temporal window for recovery by sale.

Exchange rate determination for export goods fixes specified foreign currency conversion rates, effective from March, superseding earlier notification.
The Central Government determines the rate of exchange for specified foreign currencies for export goods, effective from 1 March 1996, superseding the earlier notification; Schedule I lists rupee equivalents for one unit of certain currencies and Schedule II lists rupee equivalents for 100 units of other currencies, thereby prescribing the conversion rates to be used for export-related customs purposes.

Exchange rate determination: prescribed conversion rates govern valuation of imported goods and stamp duty under relevant Acts.
The Central Government prescribes exchange rates for specified foreign currencies for purposes of calculating stamp duty under the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 and for valuation of imported goods under the Customs Act, 1962, superseding the prior notification; the rates set forth in Schedule I and Schedule II shall apply to conversions into or from Indian currency with effect from 1st March, 1996.

Drawback entitlement on specified Chapter 58 and 63 goods permitted from prescribed effective date under Customs Act allowing notified rates.
The Central Government, under section 75(3) of the Customs Act and rule 5(2) of the Drawback Rules, 1995, designates 16th June, 1995 as the effective date from which drawback is allowed on goods at Sub Serial No. 5803 of Chapter 58 and Sub Serial No. 6309 of Chapter 63 in the Table annexed to Public Notice DRAWBACK/PN-5/95, at the rates specified in those Sub Serials.

Tax exemption under section 10(23) granted to Tamil Nadu Tennis Association, subject to income application and investment limits.
Notification under clause (23) of section 10 grants tax exemption to the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association, Madras for assessment years 1995-96 to 1997-98, subject to conditions: apply or accumulate income exclusively to its objects consistent with section 11; restrict investments and deposits to permitted forms and modes (with specified exceptions for certain articles); prohibit distribution of income to members except grants to affiliated institutions; and exclude business profits from exemption unless incidental to its objects with separate books maintained.

Customs exemption extended to Research Centre Imarat for missile development imports under amended tariff notification.
Notification No. 16/96-Cus dated 23 February 1996 amends Notification No. 257/92-Cus by inserting Item No. 70 in the Table to add Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad, thereby extending the miscellaneous customs exemption for imports associated with the Missile Development Programme to that institution.

Certification and importer undertaking required for customs exemptions on power plant modernisation imports.
Amendment requires departmental certification of techno economic clearance and a recommendation for customs exemption: for non nuclear plants a senior Central Electricity Authority officer certifies clearance and a Deputy Secretary in the Department of Power recommends exemption; for nuclear plants a Deputy Secretary in the Department of Atomic Energy certifies and recommends. The importer must give an undertaking to the Assistant Commissioner of Customs to use the goods as specified and to be liable to pay duty if the goods are not used accordingly.