Digital signature requirement: higher assurance certificates required for electronic invoices, with prior notification and multi year record retention.
Assessees must use Class 2 or Class 3 Digital Signature Certificates issued in India and notify jurisdictional officers of designated users and certificate details; maintain separate electronic records by factory or registration; produce electronically readable records and invoices on official request; provide verified printouts during enquiries or audits; and preserve backups with retention for a multi year period after the relevant financial year.

Exchange rate determination fixes import and export conversion rates for use in customs valuation and procedures.
Determination under Section 14 of the Customs Act fixing specified rupee equivalents for conversion of listed foreign currencies into Indian rupees (and vice versa) for customs purposes, with separate rates for imported goods and export goods. The notification supersedes the earlier exchange-rate notification for future application and lists the operative rates in two schedules: per unit rates for major currencies and per 100 unit rates where applicable, effective from the stated date for use in customs valuation and related procedures.

Fair market value rules for undisclosed foreign assets set valuation, conversion, declaration and appeal procedures under the Act.
Rules prescribe valuation methods and procedures under the Black Money Act, specifying that fair market value for categories of foreign assets (bullion, jewellery, artistic works, quoted and unquoted shares, immovable property, bank accounts, partnership interests and other assets) will be the higher of cost of acquisition or open-market price, subject to adjustments for transfers before valuation date and offsets where consideration is reinvested; set currency conversion rules using Reserve Bank reference rates or specified central bank rates; and establish forms, fees and conditions for declaration, notice of demand, appeals and recovery, with detailed annexures for disclosures.

Designation of Special Court under securities and depository laws establishes the forum to hear offences and enforcement proceedings.
The Central Government, invoking section 26A of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, section 26A of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act and section 22C of the Depositories Act, designates Principal District and Sessions Court, Chennai as the Special Court to exercise jurisdiction and adjudicatory functions under those statutes.

Minimum invoice value requirement imposed on Embassy purchases, altering VAT treatment and compliance conditions for listed missions.
A condition prescribing a minimum invoice value per purchase for the Embassy of Portugal has been added to its entry in the Sixth Schedule under the Delhi Value Added Tax Act, 2004; this insertion operates as a precondition affecting VAT treatment while the remainder of the original notification remains unchanged and the amendment is given effect from the stated commencement date.

Merger filing procedure updated-new Form I, mandatory non-confidential summary and tightened confidentiality affidavit requirements for notifications.
Amendments require parties to notify combinations using Form I or Form II as per Commission notes, replace and expand Form I with detailed information requirements, mandate a non-confidential summary (up to 500 words) for publication, reduce physical copy requirements to one, broaden authorized signatories, tighten confidentiality by requiring an affidavit under the General Regulations, permit the Commission to invalidate invalid notices with a seven-day communication obligation, and convert key timelines to working days while adding a schedule category for purchaser acquisitions under Commission orders.

Declaration deadline for undisclosed foreign assets established; subsequent mandatory tax and penalty payment deadline specified under the Act.
Appointment of statutory deadlines under the Black Money Act prescribes a final date by which a person may declare an undisclosed asset located outside India and a subsequent final date by which the declarant must pay the tax and penalty due in respect of that declared undisclosed foreign asset.

Commencement date change for black money law advances operation of declaration and tax chargeability provisions.
The Order substitutes the Act's stated commencement date with an earlier date by amending the commencement clause, clarifying that the declaration mechanism for undisclosed foreign assets, the valuation date for declared assets, and the chargeability rules operate from that substituted commencement date to remove interpretive difficulty about the meaning of 'date of commencement of the Act'.

Extension of online filing deadline for Form DP-1 requires all dealers to submit the form online by revised date.
The Commissioner of Value Added Tax notifies an extension of the online filing deadline for Form DP-1, mandating that all dealers submit the form through the Department's online portal by 31/08/2015; this partial modification leaves other terms of the earlier notification unchanged and directs departmental units to publicise and implement the change.

Digitization of SEZ approvals: mandatory online filing for additional developer and unit applications, eliminating manual interface.
The Department of Commerce mandates expansion of SEZ Online System to accept specified developer and unit applications-such as sector change, land addition/deletion, de notification, Form I for CST exemption, issuance of IEC/RCMC, approval of services, area changes, final exit, certificates, broad banding, capacity enhancement, diversification, and changes in entrepreneur/name/shareholding-developed and deployed by NSDL for online submission.

Fixation of tariff values: amendment substitutes tariff-value tables to set reference values for specified imported commodities.
The Board amends the principal Customs tariff-value notification by substituting three tables that fix tariff values in US dollars for specified commodities, including edible oils, brass scrap, poppy seeds, areca nuts, and gold and silver where specified notification benefits are availed, thereby establishing reference values and units of measure for customs valuation.

Customs amendment: substitutes permitted imports at Muldwarka, listing coal, petroleum coke, furnace oil, gypsum, limestone and fly ash.
Amendment replaces the entry at item (a)(i) for Muldwarka Port in Notification No. 62/94 Customs (N.T.) by substituting the permitted imported goods with: imported coal, petroleum coke, furnace oil, gypsum, limestone and fly ash.

Agricultural extension project notification permits tax deduction under section 35CCC, subject to strict compliance and conditions.
The notification approves the Avanti Aqua Culture Training and Development Centre as a section 35CCC agricultural extension project, making wholly and exclusively attributable expenditures on farmer training, education and guidance (excluding land or building costs and reimbursed amounts) eligible for deduction. The approved entity must maintain separate books, obtain an auditor's report on genuineness and compliance, file audited accounts and a Ministry of Agriculture certificate with returns, and observe prohibitions on charging beneficiaries, creating permanent infrastructure or branding the project. Specific conditions apply to foreign training and approval may be withdrawn for noncompliance.

Prohibition on trade with ISIL and affiliated groups bans oil, refinery-related goods and cultural items under export policy.
The Foreign Trade Policy heading after paragraph 2.15 is revised and paragraph 2.16A is inserted to prohibit trade with ISIL, Al Nusrah Front and entities associated with Al Qaida. Pursuant to the FT(D&R) Act and FTP provisions and in compliance with UNSC Resolution 2199, trade in oil and refined oil products, modular refineries and related materials, and items of cultural, scientific and religious importance with those groups and associated entities is prohibited.

E commerce platforms must enrol and file quarterly VAT returns (Forms EC II/EC III) with digital signature or face penalties.
E commerce platforms must enrol online using Form EC I to obtain a unique ID and password, and file quarterly returns (Forms EC II and EC III) by the 10th day following each quarter, uploading them to the department portal with a digital signature; returns must report net sale turnover (net of returns) and may be revised by the end of the next quarter for post quarter returns, while non compliance or suppression of dealer information is treated as violation and such turnover can be deemed as sales by the e commerce entity.

Deduction under section 35CCC: approval of an agricultural extension project with strict audit, reporting and non reimbursement conditions.
Notification approves M/s Aditya Birla Nuvo Limited's agricultural extension project as eligible for deduction under section 35CCC, authorising deduction for project expenses (excluding cost of land or building) incurred wholly and exclusively for the project, provided such expenses are not reimbursed or claimed elsewhere. The entity must maintain separate audited books for the project, furnish audited accounts, project notes and a Ministry of Agriculture certificate with the return, share beneficiary and soil health data, prohibit charging beneficiaries, limit training to product neutral content, and is subject to withdrawal of approval for cessation, lack of genuineness or non compliance.

Deduction under section 35CCC: notified agricultural extension projects qualify for expense deduction subject to audit and compliance.
Approval under section 35CCC permits deduction for M/s Marico Limited's Safflower Agricultural Extension Project subject to conditions: separate project books audited with auditor's comments on genuineness and compliance; submission of audited accounts, project note and Ministry of Agriculture certificate to tax authorities by return due date; eligible deduction limited to non-salary and non-land/building expenses not reimbursed or charged to beneficiaries; prohibition on beneficiary charges, branding, and deriving indirect benefits; and withdrawal of approval for cessation, non-genuineness or non-compliance.

Deduction under section 35CCC enables notified agricultural extension projects to claim expenditure deduction subject to audit and compliance conditions.
Notification approves M/s DCM Shriram Consolidated Limited's agricultural extension project for sugarcane productivity and ties entitlement to a statutory deduction to the date of formal notification. Eligible deduction covers expenses (excluding land or building) incurred wholly and exclusively for the project, reduced by amounts received from beneficiaries and excluding reimbursed expenditures. Compliance requirements include separate project accounts, annual audit with auditor commentary, submission of audited statements and a project note by return due date, and certification of genuineness by the Ministry of Agriculture; approval may be withdrawn for non-genuine or non-compliant activities.

Minimum Export Price requirement for onion exports now enforced with Letter of Credit obligation for specified ITC(HS) items.
The Department of Commerce amended the Foreign Trade Policy to require that export of onions at Serial Numbers 51 & 52 of Chapter 7 of Schedule 2 of the ITC (HS) classification be permitted only on Letter of Credit and be subject to a Minimum Export Price (MEP) at a specified F.O.B. rate per metric ton, to operate until further orders; the notification records that exports of the described varieties will be subject to that MEP.

No deduction of tax on specified investment fund payments under Chapter XVII, exempting certain investment fund income from withholding.
No deduction of tax at source shall be made under Chapter XVII on payments of the nature specified in clause (23FBA) of section 10 when received by an investment fund as defined in clause (a) of Explanation 1 to section 115UB; the exemption excludes income chargeable under "Profits and gains of business or profession" and takes effect from publication in the Official Gazette.