Customs duty exemption for flood relief imports requires certification, approved delivery, and post-import donation proof.
Exempts imported goods intended for donation for flood relief in Jammu and Kashmir from basic and additional customs duty, subject to conditions: importer certification on clearance documents that goods are donated free of cost; delivery to the Central Government, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, or approved relief agencies; and production within six months (or an allowed extension) to the Deputy or Assistant Commissioner of Customs of a District Magistrate's certificate confirming donation and use for relief. The exemption is valid up to and inclusive of 31 March 2015.

Excise duty exemption for donated flood relief goods, subject to manufacturer certification and approved delivery and verification.
Exempts goods under the First Schedule to the Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985 from excise duty when donated or purchased from cash donations for flood relief in Jammu and Kashmir, subject to manufacturer certification on clearance documents, direct dispatch to government or approved relief agencies, and production within six months (or allowed extension) of a District Magistrate's certificate to the jurisdictional Deputy or Assistant Commissioner of Central Excise confirming donation for relief and rehabilitation. The exemption is time limited and in force until 31 March 2015.

Jurisdiction allocation of Income tax authorities clarifies investigative and information gathering powers and authorises subordinate orders.
Notification No. 77/2014 supersedes S.O.1942(E) and reallocates jurisdiction among the Director General, Income tax (Intelligence and Criminal Investigation), New Delhi, and specified Directors by assigning them powers under section 132 and related provisions, and information gathering functions (including sections 131, 133, 133A, 133B, 134, 135, 285BA) for the territorial areas set out in the annexed Schedules; it also authorises those officers to issue written orders to subordinate authorities and takes effect on publication in the Official Gazette.

Anti dumping duty on cable ties continued to counter significant dumping and protect domestic industry for a fixed term.
Imposition of anti-dumping duty on cable ties under heading 3926 is continued for five years to counter significant dumping from the People's Republic of China and Chinese Taipei. The designated authority found continued material injury to the domestic industry and recommended duties. The notification prescribes differentiated duty rates by producer/exporter and country of origin/export, specifies unit rates per kilogram in US dollars, and provides that duties are effective for five years and payable in Indian currency with exchange rates determined by separate notifications under the Customs Act.

Anti-dumping duty on Sodium Nitrite extended for imports from China with specified per-tonne rate and exchange rule.
Imposition of anti-dumping duty on Sodium Nitrite (tariff item 28341010) originating in, or exported from, the People's Republic of China at a specified per-unit rate for all producers and exporters, payable in Indian currency and calculated using the Government of India rate of exchange with the bill of entry date as the relevant date.

Full foreign direct investment on automatic route in construction development allowed subject to project-size, minimum capital infusion and infrastructure conditions.
Full foreign direct investment under the automatic route is permitted in the construction development sector, covering townships, residential/commercial premises and city/regional infrastructure, subject to conditions including minimum floor area for construction projects, an initial mandatory capital infusion within a fixed period from project commencement, staged investment tranches within a defined timeframe, exit and repatriation rules tied to provision of trunk infrastructure, and strict compliance with applicable building, land-use and approval requirements.

Export policy amendment: cotton yarn export now free and registration requirement dispensed, easing shipment compliance.
The export policy for cotton yarn in Chapter 52 of the ITC(HS) Classification is amended to substitute entries classifying cotton yarn (other than sewing thread), whether containing 85% or more cotton, less than 85% cotton, or put up for retail sale, as Free for export. The notification dispenses with the prior registration requirement for export of these cotton yarn tariff items, removing the need for exporter registration under the Foreign Trade Policy 2009-14.

Export policy for cotton revised: raw and carded/combed cotton now free for export and registration waived.
Amendment substitutes Schedule 2 entries for Chapter 52 to specify Free export status for cotton neither carded nor combed and for cotton carded or combed, and dispenses with the registration requirement for export of those cotton tariff items, effective immediately.

Record and Audit Access: assessees must furnish statutory records and cost and income tax audit reports to authorised auditors on demand.
The amendment to rule 5A(2) requires every assessee to, on demand, make available the records maintained under rule 5(2), cost audit reports under section 148 of the Companies Act, 2013, and income tax audit reports under section 44AB of the Income tax Act, 1961, to authorised officers, audit parties, or nominated cost accountants/chartered accountants for scrutiny, within the time limit specified by the requesting party.

Appellate Authority established to review orders of authorised adjudicating authorities under the Foreign Trade Act.
Notification authorises specified Central Government officers to act as Appellate Authority under clause (b) of sub section (1) of Section 15 of the Foreign Trade Act to hear appeals from Adjudicating Authorities appointed under Section 13; a Table matches Adjudicating Authority designations to their Appellate Authorities and the Director General of Foreign Trade, aided by an Additional DGFT, is designated for certain appeals. Earlier Notifications listed are expressly superseded.

Import condition: worked stone imports allowed freely subject to a slab thickness limit and a cif value threshold.
The import-entry for specified worked monumental and building stone items is amended to permit free import only where the slab's maximum thickness is 20mm and the cif value is US$ 60 and above per square metre, thereby adding a physical-thickness condition to the existing cif-value based free-import provision in the ITC (HS) Schedule for the listed Exim codes.

Exchange rate determination for customs conversions set effective, fixing rates for import and export valuation under Customs Act.
Determination under section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962 fixes exchange rates for conversion between specified foreign currencies and Indian rupees for imported and export goods effective 5th December, 2014, superseding the earlier notification and setting distinct import and export rates in two annexed schedules, with later substitutions to certain Schedule II entries noted.

Foreign currency accounts: resident employees may receive whole salary abroad if Indian income tax is paid on salary accrued in India.
The amendment allows specified resident employees-foreign nationals resident in India employed by foreign companies, and Indian nationals employed abroad and deputed to the foreign company's Indian office-to open and maintain foreign currency accounts abroad and receive their entire salary there, on condition that income tax under the Income tax Act, 1961 is paid on the whole salary as accrued in India; it also declares that the term "company" includes a Limited Liability Partnership for this sub regulation.

Increase in Basic Excise Duty on petrol and diesel implemented through substituted per litre duty rates.
The government amends the existing Central Excise notification to increase the Basic Excise Duty on petrol and diesel by substituting higher per litre duty entries for the table items corresponding to branded and unbranded petrol and diesel, effected through Notification No.24/2014 and published in the Gazette of India.

Prescribed authority designation under section 10(23C) authorises Commissioners of Income-tax (Exemptions) to act under rule 2CA.
Central Board of Direct Taxes designates the Commissioners of Income-tax (Exemptions) as the prescribed authority under rule 2CA for the relevant exemption sub-clauses, empowering those Commissioners to exercise the functions contemplated by that rule; the notification supersedes the earlier 2007 instrument except for prior actions and fixes a specified date for the rule's operation.

Prescribed authority designation: Commissioner empowered to act under income-tax exemption provisions, superseding earlier notification, effective from specified date.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes authorises the Commissioner of Income-tax (Exemptions) to act as the prescribed authority for the purposes of sub-clauses of clause 23C of section 10, read with the relevant rule, superseding the earlier notification of May 30, 2007 except as to past actions, and specifying an operative commencement by reference to a stated specified date.

Correction to customs notification updates place-name spelling for Haryana entry, replacing one village name variant.
The corrigendum to Notification No. 88/2013 Customs (N.T.) directs that, for serial number (5) relating to the State of Haryana, item (vii) in column (3), the words and expressions originally printed for the village in District Sonepat are to be read as the corrected village name variant, effecting a spelling correction in the schedule entry.

Advance ruling application rules require specified forms, verification, and accompanying proof of prescribed fees for applicants.
Amendments to rule 44E require advance ruling applications to be filed in quadruplicate in specified forms corresponding to applicant classes, mandate verification, and introduce a companion fee schedule. Every application must include proof of fee payment; a tiered fee structure applies to certain notified applicant classes based on transaction value, with a fixed fee for other applicants. FORM 34DA is inserted detailing applicant particulars, questions of law or fact, statements of relevant facts and legal interpretation, annexures, document lists, fee particulars, and verification requirements.

Specified resident applicant for advance tax rulings on large-value transactions designated eligible under Section 245N(b)(iia).
The Central Government specifies a class of residents as applicants for advance rulings where tax liability arises from one or more transactions valuing one hundred crore or more in total, enabling such residents to seek determinations under Chapter XIX B; the notification takes effect on publication in the Official Gazette.

Fixation of tariff values updates notified tariff values for specified imported goods under the Customs Act.
The Central Board of Excise & Customs, exercising powers under section 14(2) of the Customs Act, amends Notification No. 36/2001 Customs (N.T.) by substituting TABLE 1, TABLE 2 and TABLE 3 to prescribe US$ tariff values as valuation benchmarks for specified imported goods, including named edible oils, brass scrap, poppy seeds, areca nuts, and gold and silver where other notification benefits apply.