Tax incentive eligibility expanded to include designated food, agro, mineral and gas-based industries in the North-Eastern Region.
Central Government notifies a list of industries in the North-Eastern Region for the purposes of the second proviso to 80-IB, enumerating food-processing and allied sectors (fruit and vegetable processing; meat and poultry; cereal-based products; food and beverages; milk-based products; food packaging), paper, jute and mesta, feed products, edible oil processing, essential oils and fragrances, plantation crop processing, agro forestry, horticulture, floriculture, mineral and other agro-based industries, and specified gas-based intermediate products industries.

Notification of eligible industries under section 80-IB: North-Eastern Region industries listed for tax incentive designation.
Central Government notifies specific industries in the North-Eastern Region as eligible under the second proviso to sub-section (4) of section 80-IB, listing detailed categories and specified products to define the scope, including food and milk processing, food packaging, paper, jute, feed, edible oil, essential oils, plantation crops, gas-based intermediate products, agro-forestry, horticulture, mineral-based, floriculture and other agro-based industries.

Customs exemption expansion: extends petroleum operations goods relief to mining leases and state granted licences, broadening eligibility.
The notification amends the customs exemption to extend duty-free treatment to goods for petroleum operations by replacing references to petroleum exploration licences with petroleum exploration licences or mining leases and by recognising instruments granted by the Central Government or any State Government; it also revises Annexure conditions, removes a qualifying phrase in one sub-clause, and substitutes "licenses"/"licensee" with "licenses or leases, as the case may be"/"licensee or lessee, as the case may be".

Deemed Processing Without Power: specified powered operations on cotton fabrics are treated as non-powered for excise exemption.
Notification substitutes the Explanation to the cotton fabrics exemption entry, providing that cotton fabrics subjected to any one or more specified processes with the aid of power shall be deemed to have been processed without the aid of power or steam. The specified processes include lifting to or emptying in tanks and handling certain chemicals; mixing and stirring of dyes, kerosene, caustic soda, gum paste and emulsions by stirrer; and colour fixation by passing steam or applying sodium silicate.

Free export of iron ore rejects allowed subject to quantity and size conditions limiting exported fines.
Amendment adds item 2601(f) to the ITC(HS) export schedule permitting free export of rejects of iron ore chips and like generated from the manufacturing process when imported pellets were used, subject to conditions: exported quantity may not exceed a proportion of the imported raw material, and rejected pellet chips (fines) must be smaller than the prescribed maximum particle size.

Approval under section 10(23C)(vi): trust exemption granted subject to compliance with investment modes and statutory conditions.
Approval is granted to Birla Education Trust under section 10(23C)(vi) for assessment years 1999-2000 to 2001-2002, subject to conformity with sub-clause (vi) of clause (23C) read with rule 2CA of the Income-tax Rules. The trust must ensure that, by the stated deadline, all investments conform to the modes prescribed by sub-section (5) of section 11 of the Income-tax Act; failure to comply would affect the approval.

Approval under section 10(23C)(vi) confirms tax-exempt recognition for an educational institute, subject to statutory compliance.
Approval under section 10(23C)(vi) grants tax-exempt recognition to Birla Institute of Technology, Calcutta for specified assessment years by Central Board notification, conditional on the society's conformity with the substantive requirements of sub clause (vi) of clause (23C) of section 10 and compliance with the procedural obligations prescribed in the Income tax Rules.

Import policy for zinc ash and skimmings: free for registered actual users, restricted for lower grade hazardous material.
Amendment specifies import classifications for zinc ash and zinc skimmings: grades with zinc 65% and lead and cadmium 1.25% and 0.1% are Free for units registered with the Ministry of Environment & Forest on Actual User basis subject to annual quantity limits; grades with lower zinc and higher lead/cadmium are Restricted and importable only against licence for processing or re use under Import Licensing Note 1 on Hazardous Waste.

Tax exemption under section 10(23C)(iv) for Indian Parliamentary Group conditioned on application of income, investment limits, and compliance.
Designation grants the Indian Parliamentary Group exemption under section 10(23C)(iv) for assessment years 1999-2000 to 2001-2002 provided the group applies income wholly and exclusively to its objects, limits investments to modes permitted for charitable status (excluding certain voluntary contributions held as movable property), treats business income as non qualifying unless incidental with separate accounts, and files income tax returns regularly in accordance with the Act.

Approval under section 10(23C)(vi) granted with compliance and prescribed investment modes required by section 11(5) deadline.
Approval is granted to Birla Education Trust, Calcutta under 10(23C)(vi) for specified assessment years, conditional on conformity with the provisions of that clause and applicable rules; additionally the trust must ensure that all investments conform to the modes specified under section 11(5) of the Income tax Act by the prescribed deadline.

Tax exemption approval under section 10(23C)(vi) conditioned on ongoing compliance with rule 2CA and prescribed conditions.
Approval is granted to the Birla Institute of Technology, Calcutta under section 10(23C)(vi) of the Income tax Act for specified assessment years, subject to the institution's conformity with the provisions of sub clause (vi) of clause (23C) of section 10 and the requirements of rule 2CA of the Income tax Rules; the approval is limited to the assessment years specified in the notification and contingent on ongoing compliance.

Exemption under section 10(23C)(iv) granted to educational centre subject to application, investment and business conditions.
Notification grants the William Carey Study and Research Centre, Calcutta recognition under section 10(23C)(iv) for assessment years 1999-2000 to 2001-2002, conditional on applying or accumulating income wholly for its objects; restricting investments and deposits (aside from certain voluntary contributions retained in tangible form) to permitted forms or modes; and excluding business profits unless the business is incidental and accounted for in separate books.

Tax exemption notification permits income application subject to statutory investment limits and separate accounting for incidental business.
Notification confers tax exemption status on the Federation of Indian Export Organisation, New Delhi, for specified assessment years subject to conditions: the assessee must apply or accumulate income wholly and exclusively for its objects; may invest funds only in modes specified by law (excluding certain voluntary contributions in kind); and the notification excludes business income except where the business is incidental to objectives and is maintained in separate books.

Tax exemption under section 10(23C)(v) granted, subject to exclusive application of income and prescribed investment and business conditions.
Notification under section 10(23C)(v) notifies Dohnavur Fellowship for specified assessment years subject to conditions: income must be applied or accumulated exclusively for its objects; funds may be invested only in forms permitted by sub-section (5) of section 11 except voluntary contributions retained as jewellery or furniture; and profits and gains of business are excluded unless the business is incidental to the objectives and maintained in separate books of account.

Charitable tax exemption requires notified institution to apply income exclusively and follow prescribed investment modes and incidental business rules.
Notification grants charitable tax exemption to Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Vivekananda Kendra, Chennai for the assessment years 1999-2000 to 2001-2002, subject to conditions: income must be applied wholly and exclusively to institutional objects; investments restricted to prescribed legal modes except certain voluntary contributions in kind; business profits excluded unless incidental and maintained in separate books; and realisation and reinvestment of share sale proceeds must be completed in prescribed modes by the compliance deadline.

Tax exemption under section 10(23C)(iv): trust notified subject to income application, permitted investments and business-incidence conditions.
Notification under section 10(23C)(iv) notifies Sri Kailash Ashram Mahasamasthana Trust, Bangalore as entitled to the sub-clause benefits for the specified assessment years, subject to conditions that the trust apply or accumulate its income wholly and exclusively to its objects, restrict investments to modes specified in section 11(5) (except certain voluntary contributions held as jewellery or furniture), and exclude business profits unless incidental and maintained in separate books.

Charitable recognition under section 10(23C)(iv) grants tax notification for Shri Ram Chandra Mission subject to specified compliance.
Notification grants charitable recognition to Shri Ram Chandra Mission subject to conditions: income must be applied or accumulated wholly and exclusively for its objects; investments or deposits of funds during the relevant previous years are restricted to permitted modes except for voluntary contributions maintained as tangible items; and income that is profits and gains of business is excluded unless the business is incidental to objectives and separate books of account are maintained.

Imports against special imprest licence now cover supply of goods to Sasaram HVDC East North Interconnector Project under specified public notice.
The Central Government amends Notification No. 36/97-Cus by inserting sub-clause (j) in the Explanation to clause (iii), declaring that the supply of goods to Sasaram HVDC East-North Interconnector Project in terms of the Ministry of Commerce Public Notice No. 25 (RE : 99)/1997-2002 dated 28th July, 1999 is included within the scope of imports against special imprest licence under the notification.

Project import amendment updates eligible capacity and adds thermal projects to notification, changing exemption coverage.
The Central Government, under sub-section (1) of section 25 of the Customs Act, amends Notification No. 20/99-Cus by substituting "1000 MW" for "1500 MW" against serial number 288A and by inserting additional named thermal power projects with specified capacities into List 33 under the heading "Thermal Projects", thereby altering the projects and capacity thresholds covered by the exemption.

Exchange rate determination for export goods takes effect, prescribing conversion rates and superseding the earlier notification.
A notification under section 14(3)(a) of the Customs Act supersedes Notification No. 42/99-NT-Customs and determines that, for export goods, the rate of exchange for conversion between each foreign currency listed in Schedule I and Schedule II and Indian rupees shall be the rate shown opposite that currency; the conversion applies in both directions and the prescribed rates take effect from 1st August, 1999.