Export allocation of onions permits designated agencies to export allocated quantities under prior terms, subject to a revised shipment deadline.
Amendment to the Foreign Trade Policy authorises additional export allocations of onions (excluding Bangalore Rose and Krishnapuram) under ITC(HS) Code 0703(1), assigning specified quantities to named state and cooperative agencies to export directly or through registered exporters on prior terms except for a revised shipment timeframe; all allocated quantities must be exported by the deadline stated in the notification and the change is issued in the public interest under the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992.

Land-based courier clearance procedures extend import and export filing requirements, prescribed forms, declarations, valuation disclosures, and compliance controls.
Courier import and export clearance procedures are extended to goods carried through land customs stations by modes other than aircraft. New forms are prescribed for land-based courier import manifests, bills of entry for documents, samples, gifts and dutiable goods, and bills of export for documents and qualifying export consignments. Authorised couriers must confirm consignee or consignor authorisation, provide consignment and valuation particulars, submit supporting records, and declare accuracy and compliance with import or export prohibitions and restrictions. Dutiable import declarations also require disclosure of assessable-value charges and later-received discrepant information.

Payment deadline amendment extends end-of-March due date for second-fortnight central excise payments under the rules.
The amendment substitutes sub clause (iii) in clause (a) of sub rule (1) of Rule 49 and of Rule 173G of the Central Excise Rules, 1944, so that duty payable during the second fortnight of March is to be paid by the 31st day of March; the rules are promulgated as the Central Excise (Fourth Amendment) Rules, 2001 and brought into force on the date of notification under the statute's rulemaking authority.

Customs amendment expands listed ports and adds a land customs station for specified exemption notifications.
Under the authority of section 25(1) of the Customs Act, 1962, specified customs exemption notifications are amended by substituting "Dahej and Nagapattinam" with "Dahej, Nagapattinma, Okha and Mundhra" and by replacing references to the Land Customs Station at Ranaghat with references to the land Customs Stations at Ranaghat and Singhabad, such substitutions applying to the notifications listed in the table.

Anti-dumping duty on potassium permanganate imposed to counter dumping and protect domestic industry in imports.
Provisional anti-dumping duty is imposed on Potassium Permanganate (sub heading 2841.61) originating in or exported from the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan following a designated authority finding of export below normal value, material injury to the domestic industry, and causation by those imports. The Central Government specifies per kilogram duty rates applicable to all exporters, makes the duty payable in Indian currency, limits the duty's effective period, and requires use of the finance ministry's notified exchange rate with the bill of entry date as the relevant date.

Anti-dumping duty on sodium hydrosulphite: imports from China subject to provisional import duty and exchange-rate conversion rules.
Imposition of anti-dumping duty on sodium hydrosulphite imports from the People's Republic of China, based on a designated authority finding of dumping, material injury, and causal link. The duty is levied per metric tonne and payable in Indian currency, with an administratively specified rate of exchange and the bill of entry date used for conversion. The measure is time-limited under the Customs Tariff Act and the Anti-dumping Rules for assessment and collection.

Differential voting rights: issuance permitted subject to eligibility, shareholder approval and disclosure requirements.
Companies may issue shares with differential voting rights if they satisfy conditions including distributable profits for the preceding three financial years, timely filing of annual accounts and returns, discharge of deposit, debenture and dividend obligations, absence of specified statutory convictions, no defaults on investor grievance redressal, authorization in the Articles of Association, and shareholder approval (postal ballot for listed companies); notices must disclose voting rates, conversion prohibitions, entitlement to bonus and rights shares, and that such shares shall not exceed a 25% limit of issued capital, and a statutory register of differential rights must be maintained.

Small Shareholders' Director election enables limited shareholder representation on boards through prescribed nomination, consent and vacancy rules.
These rules prescribe the mechanism for election and tenure of a small shareholders' director in qualifying public companies, defining eligible companies and small shareholders, specifying nomination and consent procedures, requiring postal ballot for listed companies and majority recommendation for unlisted companies, fixing a limited non rotational term with possible re election, enumerating statutory disqualifications and vacation events, and limiting concurrent service to two companies.

Approval under section 10(23G) grants specified infrastructure undertakings tax-exempt status subject to compliance and audit conditions.
Approval is granted to specified enterprises as infrastructure undertakings for the purposes of section 10(23G) of the Income-tax Act, 1961, read with rule 2E of the Income-tax Rules, 1962, for assessment years 2001-2002 through 2003-2004, subject to conformity with those provisions. The Central Government may withdraw approval if the enterprise ceases to provide infrastructure, fails to maintain and audit books of account per sub-rule (7) of rule 2E, or fails to furnish the required audit report.

Tax exemption approval under section 10(23G) granted subject to strict infrastructure, accounting and audit compliance requirements.
Approval is granted to specified enterprises as tax-exempt industrial undertakings under section 10(23G), conditional on conformity with statutory provisions and rule-based requirements. The approval applies to the listed telephone service and power projects for the stated assessment years. The Central Government may withdraw approval if an enterprise ceases to provide the infrastructure facility, fails to maintain books and have them audited by an accountant as required by the rule, or fails to furnish the required audit report.

Customs exemption for rough diamonds: duty-free imports allowed subject to licence, bond, bank guarantee and export compliance.
Rough diamonds and other precious or semi-precious stones, unset and uncut under Chapter 71, are exempt from customs duty and additional duty when imported, provided imports are under specified licences; certain licence routes require execution of a bond and a bank guarantee equivalent to duty, with an undertaking to meet export obligations, and importers must maintain and submit accounts of import, consumption, utilization and exports as specified by customs.

Depository receipt conversion rules expanded to allow broker purchases and company-sponsored issues, with compliance and repatriation conditions.
The amendment authorises registered brokers to buy shares on recognised exchanges on behalf of non-residents for conversion into ADRs/GDRs, conditioned on Custodian permission and deposit, compliance with the 1993 Depository Receipt Scheme and sectoral caps, and limits on shares purchased to match ADRs/GDRs converted. It also permits Indian companies to sponsor ADR/GDR issues through overseas depositories with lead-manager pricing, repatriation of proceeds within one month, compliance with the 1993 Scheme and notification to the Reserve Bank within thirty days. The foreign ownership ceiling in Schedule 2 is raised to a higher threshold.

Foreign investment ceilings altered; revised limits and permissions enable additional overseas investment subject to Reserve Bank approval.
Amendments restate and modify foreign investment ceilings and conditions, substitute and delete specified sub-regulatory provisions, permit acquisitions of foreign company shares by Indian parties in exchange for ADRs/GDRs subject to listing, investment caps tied to a benchmark or export earnings, fresh equity backing, sectoral holding limits and prescribed valuation methods, authorize Reserve Bank block allocations of foreign exchange when limits are exhausted, and introduce permissions and limited prior-approval-exempt investment rules for registered partnership firms with reporting obligations.

Excise Duty Concession: list of industrial estates in Assam amended to substitute and add specified estates for concession eligibility.
The Government, under powers conferred by the Central Excise Act and related additional duties statutes, substitutes the "Industrial Estates" sub-heading in the Annexure to the principal notification to provide a revised list of named industrial estates in Assam with corresponding dag numbers and mouza/police station entries, and inserts an additional industrial area entry for Bamunimaidan; a corrigendum later amends a listed serial entry.

National Savings Scheme interest rates amended: transitional 10.5% then 9%, with monthly accrual and annual credit.
The amendment to rule 6(1) substitutes the 15 September 1992 date with 1 October 1992 and replaces clause (ii) with two interest provisions: 10.5% per annum for the period commencing 15 January 2000 up to but before 1 March 2001, and 9% per annum on and from 1 March 2001; interest is allowed for each calendar month on the lowest balance between the close of the tenth day and month-end and is calculated and credited annually. The rules commence on Gazette publication.

Post Office Monthly Income Account: specified interest rates established for deposits according to deposit date ranges, effective on publication.
The Central Government substitutes sub rule (1) of rule 8 of the Post Office (Monthly Income Account) Rules, 1987, prescribing tiered annual interest rates for deposits tied to specified deposit date ranges, with the schedule culminating in 9.5% per annum for deposits made on or after 1 March 2001; the amendment takes effect on publication in the Official Gazette.

Section 10(23C)(iv) exemption granted to Institute of Company Secretaries, subject to application, investment and dissolution conditions.
Notification under Section 10(23C)(iv) designates the Institute of Company Secretaries of India, New Delhi for exemption for assessment years 2001-02 to 2003-04, conditional on applying income wholly and exclusively to its objects, restricting investments to modes permitted by section 11(5) (except specified tangible voluntary contributions), filing income-tax returns regularly, treating business income as excluded unless incidental with separate books, and transferring surplus and assets on dissolution to a charitable organisation with similar objects.

Tax exemption under section 10(23G): approval for infrastructure project subject to compliance and audit conditions.
Approval under section 10(23G) was granted to Suraj Agro Products (P.) Ltd. for developing, maintaining and operating bulk liquid storage terminals at Chennai Port, conditional on compliance with section 10(23G) read with rule 2E. The Central Government may withdraw approval if the enterprise ceases the infrastructure activity, fails to maintain books and obtain the audit required by sub rule (7) of rule 2E, or fails to furnish the required audit report.

Approval under section 35(1)(ii): associations entitled to research exemption subject to specified accounting, reporting and audit conditions.
Notification approves specified organisations as association under clause (ii) of sub-section (1) of section 35 of the Income-tax Act for listed periods, subject to conditions: maintain separate research books of account; furnish annual return of scientific research activities to the Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research by 31 May; and submit audited annual accounts and audited income-and-expenditure accounts for research activities to the Director-General of Income-tax (Exemptions), the Secretary, DSIR, and the relevant Commissioner by 31 October, in addition to filing the return of income.

Research institution approval under s35(1)(iii) requires separate research accounts and specified annual audited filings.
Specified organisations are approved as institutions under clause (iii) of sub section (1) of section 35 read with rule 6, subject to conditions: maintain separate books for research activities; furnish an annual return of scientific research activities to the Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research by 31 May; and submit audited annual accounts and audited income and expenditure accounts for research to the Director General of Income tax (Exemptions), the Secretary, DSIR, and the Commissioner/Director of Income tax (Exemptions) having jurisdiction by 31 October, in addition to filing the return of income to the designated Assessing Officer.