Controlled export of Chemical Weapons Convention Schedules 2 and 3 permitted under specified licensing and compliance conditions.
Amendment permits controlled export of chemicals listed in Schedules 2 and 3 of the Chemical Weapons Convention per ITC(HS) classifications, replacing S.No.28 of Paragraph 16.2, Part II, Chapter 16. Exports of Schedule 3 chemicals to State Parties are allowed only subject to the conditions specified in Schedule 2 Appendix 1 of the ITC(HS) book. The change is made under section 5 of the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992 and paragraph 1.3 of the Export and Import Policy, 1997-2002.

Renewal of recognition under the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act granted to a regional stock exchange for a limited term.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India renewed recognition of Saurashtra Kutch Stock Exchange Limited for contracts in securities, having accepted the exchange's application and being satisfied that renewal served the interests of trade and the public; the grant was made under the Board's statutory recognition power for a limited one year term and is expressly subject to conditions that may be prescribed or imposed under the Act.

Safeguard duty proposed after finding increased imports of acetylene black caused serious injury to domestic industry.
The DG investigated whether increased imports of Acetylene Black (including commercially substitutable Conductive Carbon) caused serious injury to the domestic industry by analysing import volumes, prices, production, sales, capacity utilisation, inventories and adjustment plans. Finding that imports rose sharply and displaced domestic sales and profitability beyond what could be explained by operational disruptions alone, the DG treated imported Conductive Carbon as a like article and recommended a two year Safeguard Duty, calibrated by weighted average domestic costs and CIF import prices to enable industry restructuring.

Exemption for air travel agents removes service tax on bookings for travel to listed diplomatic missions.
The Notification exempts taxable services provided by an air travel agent for booking passage for air travel to the diplomatic missions listed in the annexed schedule from the whole of service tax leviable under the service tax provision, exercised under powers conferred by the Finance Act; the exemption was subsequently rescinded by a later notification.

Service tax exemption for tour operators serving specified diplomatic missions, later rescinded under subsequent notification.
Service tax exemption granted by Notification No. 50/98-S.T. dated 15-6-1998 exempted the whole of service tax leviable on tour operator services provided to the diplomatic missions enumerated in the attached Schedule, removing service tax liability for those specified missions; the exemption was subsequently rescinded by a later notification.

Limitation on special additional customs duty: excess over prescribed rate exempted for First Schedule imports.
Exemption limits the special additional customs duty on imports classified in the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff to an effective ad valorem rate of four percent by exempting any portion of that duty in excess of the prescribed rate, enacted under customs and finance legislation as a public interest measure and applied by notification to all First Schedule goods on importation.

Exemption from special additional customs duty to specified imported goods, subject to notified conditions and declaration requirements on sale.
Notification exempts specified imported goods from the whole of the special additional customs duty under the cited Finance Bill provision when falling within the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act, subject to the conditions in the notification and any conditions attaching to related customs exemptions; listed categories include baggage-rule exemptions, specified gold and silver imports, goods already exempt under the First Schedule, items with free duty rates that are exempt from additional duty, certain fuel and paper headings, and goods imported "for sale as such" where a prescribed declaration is required.

Approval under section 36(1)(viii) for corporate deduction granted for specified assessment years, subject to statutory compliance.
The Central Government approved M/s. Tamilnadu Power Finance and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd., Chennai, for purposes of section 36(1)(viii) of the Income-tax Act, 1961 for the assessment years 1998-99 and 1999-2000, by public notification. The approval is subject to the condition that the company shall conform to and comply with the provisions of section 36(1)(viii) of the Income-tax Act.

Tax approval under section 36(1)(viii) recognizes the company for deduction purposes, subject to statutory compliance.
Approval was granted to the company for specified assessment years recognizing it for purposes of the deduction provision in section 36(1)(viii) of the Income-tax Act, subject to the condition that the company conform to and comply with the statutory requirements of that provision.

Import of edible oils now requires importer intimation within 15 days and a monthly return by the 7th.
The Import Licensing Note is amended to require importers of edible oils to intimate within 15 days of import specified details (type of oil; contract and import dates; quantity; price; origin) to the Directorate for vanaspati, vegetable oils and fats, and to submit a prescribed monthly statement by the 7th of the next month detailing contract number and date, type, quantity, price per metric ton, total value, source country, Indian port and other information.

Customs port appointment amended to permit unloading of petroleum products and loading of export goods at specified ports.
The Central Government amends the annexed Table of the earlier customs notification to substitute the port entry, expressly authorizing unloading of petroleum products and loading of export goods or any class of such goods as the specified purposes for the port.

Coastal trade port designation: Dahej added to the customs notification list, updating recognized ports for coastal movement.
The Central Government amended Notification No. 64/94 (NT)-Customs by inserting an additional entry in the annexed table for Gujarat, adding "(23) Dahej", thereby designating Dahej as a port specified for coastal trade under the Customs Act authority.

Customs appointment amendments expand specified import goods categories by substituting and inserting additional item lists for Gujarat ports.
The Central Government, under clause (a) of section 7 of the Customs Act, 1962, amends Notification No. 62/94 (NT)-Customs by substituting the existing sub-item (ii) in item (a) for Gujarat with a revised list of commodities including fertilizers, rock phosphate, sulphur, ethylene, vinyl chloride monomer, propylene, coal, coke and naphtha, and by inserting a new sub-item (iii) in item (b) adding caustic soda lye, polyvinyl chloride, chlorine, low density polyethylene and polypropylene.

Deemed compliance for EPCG import minimums now recognizes minor shortfalls within prescribed tolerance, amending prior notification references.
The amendments delete the brackets and letter "(e)" from the Explanation to Notifications 28/97-Cus. and 29/97-Cus., and substitute a new third proviso to condition 5 of Notification 29/97-Cus. under which the condition of minimum value of import (expressed in specified rupee thresholds) shall be deemed to have been complied with where the shortfall in import is within 10% of the prescribed limits.

Appointment of Adjudicating Authority: transfer of adjudication responsibility to a different customs commissioner for specific import cases.
The Central Government designates the Commissioner of Customs (Imports), Mumbai to act as the Commissioner of Customs, Chennai for adjudicating cases relating to imports by M/s. Cauvery Software Engineering Systems Ltd., Mumbai, limited to proceedings arising from a specified show cause notice issued by the Assistant Commissioner of Customs, Chennai, pursuant to statutory authority under the Customs Act.

Exchange rate amendment updates customs valuation rates for several foreign currencies, affecting import valuation and duty calculations.
The Central Government amends the customs notification to substitute specified entries in Schedule I and Schedule II, revising the rupee equivalences for listed foreign currencies (Canadian Dollar, Deutsche Mark, Dutch Guilder, French Franc, Pound Sterling, Swiss Franc, U.S. Dollar, Belgian Francs). The substituted exchange rates govern customs import valuation and take effect from 8th June, 1998.

Restriction on transfer of imported materials where central excise or additional customs duty credit claimed; applies to manufacturer-exporters only.
The substituted condition bars sale or transfer of materials or transfer of an advance licence where credit of Central Excise duty or Additional Customs duty has been availed under rule 56A or rule 57A of the Central Excise Rules, 1944; this restriction applies only to a manufacturer-exporter or an exporter who has declared a supporting manufacturer whose name appears on the licence.

Registration exemption for manufacturers of wholly exempted goods: declaration required until clearances reach the full exemption limit.
The notification exempts manufacturers of goods listed in the Central Excise Tariff Schedule from registration under rule 174 while those goods are chargeable to nil rate or fully exempt, subject to conditions where exemption depends on value, manufacturing process, duty paid on raw materials, clearance value/quantity, or specified conditions. Manufacturers must file the prescribed declaration and undertaking unless their aggregate clearances are below the full exemption limit; deemed registration applies to licensed hundred percent export oriented units and Free Trade Zone units. The Form requires undertakings to apply for registration once clearances reach the full exemption limit or goods become dutiable and to maintain records.

Approval under section 36(1)(viii) grants conditional recognition to a housing finance company for specified assessment years.
Approval under section 36(1)(viii) of the Income tax Act has been granted to M/s. Transcrop Housing Finance Ltd., Jaipur for specified assessment years, subject to the company's conformity and compliance with the provisions of section 36(1)(viii) of the Income tax Act.

Approval under section 36(1)(viii): company authorised for tax recognition, subject to compliance with the provision.
The Central Government approved M/s India Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd., New Delhi, for the purposes of section 36(1)(viii) of the Income tax Act, 1961, for specified assessment years; the approval is conditional on the company conforming to and complying with the provisions of section 36(1)(viii).