Service tax exemption for telegraph and general insurance services to UN and declared international organisations, removing tax liability.
Exempts taxable services provided by the telegraph authority and insurers carrying on general insurance business to the United Nations or an international organisation from the whole of service tax leviable under the service tax law, exercised by the Central Government in the public interest. "International organisation" means an organisation declared by the Central Government under the legislation concerning United Nations privileges and immunities to which the Schedule to that legislation applies.

Service tax exemption for Jan Arogya Bima Policy: insurer services to policyholders relieved from service tax, later rescinded.
Exempts taxable services provided by insurers carrying on general insurance business to policyholders of the Jan Arogya Bima Policy from the whole of service tax leviable under the service tax levy, granted by the Central Government under its executive power in the public interest; the exemption was subsequently rescinded by a later notification.

Tax-exempt notification for charitable trust under section 10(23C)(v) conditions restrict investments and business income accounting.
Notification grants tax-exempt status to Church of North India Trust Association subject to conditions: the trust must apply or accumulate its income wholly and exclusively for its objects; restrict investments or deposits to permitted modes except for certain voluntary contributions retained as jewelry or furniture; and any business income is excluded from the notification unless the business is incidental to the trust's objectives with separate books of account maintained for such business.

Foreign Institutional Investor rules broadened to include proprietary funds and treat related government securities as debt.
Amendments expressly recognise proprietary funds by inserting "and its proprietary funds, if any" into specified sub clauses of Regulation 6 and adding "or proprietary fund" to Regulation 13(1)(b), thereby extending classification and eligibility references from broad based funds to proprietary funds. An Explanation appended to Regulation 15(2) clarifies that the term "debt securities" for the provisos includes related Government securities. The regulations are cited as the SEBI (Foreign Institutional Investors) Amendment Regulations, 1997 and commence on publication in the Official Gazette.

Delegation of appeals powers: Commissioner (Appeals), Mumbai authorized to exercise Pune Commissioner's powers under Central Excise Act.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs has vested the powers exercisable by the Commissioner of Central Excise (Appeals), Pune in the Commissioner of Central Excise (Appeals), Mumbai, authorizing the Mumbai Commissioner (Appeals) to perform all functions and exercise all powers under the Central Excise Act and the Central Excise Rules.

Eligible project designation under Section 35AC extended for Integrated Rural Development Programme, covering irrigation, agriculture, health and conservation activities.
The Central Government, invoking the powers under Section 35AC, specifies the Ambuja Cement Foundation's Integrated Rural Development Programme at Kodinar Taluka, Amreli District, Gujarat, covering irrigation, agriculture, animal husbandry, mobile dispensary, environment conservation, non-conventional energy, soil conservation and desalination, as an eligible project or scheme for a further two assessment years commencing from assessment year 1997-98, following a National Committee recommendation and prior two-year specification.

Eligible project designation under Section 35AC extended with mandated free and concessional treatment eligibility conditions.
Designation of the construction of a 200 bedded charitable cancer hospital at Azampur, Mathura is extended as an eligible project under section 35AC for two additional assessment years on the National Committee's recommendation; the hospital must provide free treatment to patients below a prescribed income threshold and fifty per cent concessional treatment to patients in a higher income band, with the notification recording the estimated project cost and trust details.

Section 35AC eligible project extension preserves tax benefit for training and rehabilitation of disabled soldiers.
The Central Government specifies the training and rehabilitation scheme for disabled soldiers at Queen Mary's Technical Institute, Kirkee Range Hills, Pune, as an eligible project or scheme for tax incentive purposes for a further two assessment years commencing from assessment year 1997-98, following a National Committee recommendation that the project is being properly executed and noting an estimated project cost.

Tax deduction under section 35AC approves specified corporate projects for eligible deductions subject to prescribed durations.
Approval under section 35AC is granted to specified companies and projects, specifying eligible project costs and the maximum portion allowable as a deduction. The notification describes project purposes (construction, furnishing, health, sanitation, drinking water, family planning, renewable energy, income-generating activities) and links each approved project's deduction entitlement to a defined force period of one year for one entry and three assessment years for the other, on the recommendation of the National Committee.

Section 35AC approvals permit specified institutions' project costs to be deducted subject to notified eligibility, limits and durations.
Notification under section 35AC approves specified non-profit institutions and lists eligible projects, estimated costs, and the maximum portion of such costs allowable as deductions; it also prescribes the assessment years during which those deductions may be claimed.

Section 35AC designation extended for Dalmia Shiksha Samiti school infrastructure scheme for a further period of assessment years.
Specification under section 35AC designates construction of two school buildings and associated facilities of Dalmia Shiksha Samiti, Chirawa, Jhunjhunu-including an indoor stadium-cum-gymnastic hall, hostel, games facilities, library, vocational rooms, workshops and staff quarters-at the stated estimated cost as an eligible project, extended for a further period of two assessment years pursuant to a National Committee recommendation and the powers under sub-section (1) read with the Explanation to section 35AC.

Exemption for writing and printing paper supplied under specified textbook purchase orders permits duty-free use when declared for educational textbook printing.
Exemption applies where writing and printing paper supplied directly from the manufacturer is delivered against a purchase order placed by a State textbook publication corporation/board, a designated senior State officer, or the National Council for Educational Research and Training, and the purchase order declares the paper will be used for printing educational textbooks; waste not further usable in such printing may be used for other purposes without payment of duty.

Long-term specified securities designation applies to certain bonds and debentures, enabling tax treatment under income-tax rules.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes, under section 54EA, specifies certain bonds and non-convertible debentures as long-term specified securities where the instruments are redeemable after a period of three years, listing particular issuers whose bonds and debentures satisfy this redemption requirement.

Double taxation avoidance treaty principles allocate taxing rights by residence, permanent establishment and specified source rules.
The Agreement between India and Turkey, given effect under section 90 of the Income-tax Act, applies to residents of one or both Contracting States and to taxes on income (including specified existing and substantially similar future taxes). It defines residency and permanent establishment rules (including tie-breakers for dual residence), allocates taxation rights primarily to the State of residence with source-State taxation where nexus exists (immovable property, permanent establishments, shipping/air transport, dividends, interest, royalties, capital gains), prescribes withholding limitations and exemptions, and provides for elimination of double taxation, non-discrimination, exchange of information and a mutual agreement procedure. A Protocol further clarifies definitional and attribution rules and limits on head-office deductions for permanent establishments in India.

Salary parity ensures senior judicial appointees serving as Chairmen receive equivalent pay and benefits while retired judges' pensions cap salary.
New sub-rule (5) to rule 9 entitles a serving High Court Judge appointed as Chairman to salary, allowances and perquisites at the same rate as admissible to him as a High Court Judge. A retired High Court Judge appointed as Chairman shall be paid, during his service as Chairman, a salary which combined with his pension and other retirement benefits does not exceed his last pay drawn before retirement, and shall be entitled to allowances and perquisites equivalent to those of a serving High Court Judge.

Anti-dumping duty on acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber imposes provisional import measures on specified country-origin consignments until notified otherwise.
The Central Government imposes a anti-dumping duty on imports of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) under sub-heading 4002.59 when originating in or exported from specified countries at specified duty rates per metric tonne, exercised under powers conferred by the Customs Tariff Act and implementing anti-dumping rules, with the levy based on preliminary findings of the designated authority and limited to a stated temporal scope.

Pension fund designation: Kothari Pioneer Pension Plan declared a specified pension fund for tax purposes under central notification.
The Central Government has specified the Kothari Pioneer Pension Plan, set up by the Kothari Pioneer Mutual Fund, as a pension fund for tax purposes by a formal notification, linking that designation to the Mutual Fund's prior governmental recognition as a notified mutual fund.

Reduction or waiver of interest: eligibility expanded where no court decision in assessee's own case and timing condition removed.
The Board broadened eligibility for discretionary reduction or waiver of interest under sections 234A, 234B and 234C by removing the requirement that a favorable court decision be in the assessee's own case and by withdrawing the timing requirement that retrospective amendments or appellate decisions occur after the relevant year; past petitions rejected for lack of this modification must be reconsidered under the revised criteria.

Central excise notification amendment adds Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) to the list of notified locations under clause.
Amendment to a Central Excise notification inserts Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) as item (zzz) in paragraph 2, clause (i) of Notification No. 266/67-C.E., thereby adding it to the list of notified localities under the applicable Central Excise Rules.

Exchange rate determination for export goods established, setting specified currency conversion rates and superseding prior notification.
Determination under section 14(3)(a)(i) of the Customs Act, 1962 prescribing that the exchange rates listed in Schedule I (per one unit) and Schedule II (per 100 units) shall, from the stated commencement date, be the rates for converting the specified foreign currencies into Indian rupees for purposes relating to export goods, and superseding the prior notification cited.