Segregation of ownership and trading membership: broker members barred from serving as exchange office bearers.
Central authorities required segregation of ownership and trading membership from exchange management and, for noncompliant exchanges, exercised statutory powers to amend exchange rules. The amendment inserts a proviso barring broker members from serving as office bearers-President, Vice President or Treasurer-thereby separating trading membership from executive management to address conflict-of-interest concerns.

Public financial institution designation: NABARD added to the notified list under a Companies Act amendment.
The Central Government amended the prior Gazette notification listing public financial institutions by inserting "National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)" as a newly specified public financial institution, thereby adding it to the notified list and subjecting it to the statutory classification and regulatory framework applicable to such institutions.

Employee remuneration thresholds raised under company disclosure rules, altering which employees must be reported in statutory filings.
The Central Government amends rule 1A of the Companies (Particulars of Employees) Rules, 1975, substituting higher monetary limits: in clause (a) the prior threshold is replaced by a higher threshold for annual remuneration that triggers the obligation to disclose employee particulars, and in clause (b) the lower threshold is increased for related disclosure criteria; the amendment takes effect upon publication in the Official Gazette under powers conferred by section 217(2A) read with section 642(1)(a) of the Companies Act, 1956.

Research exemption approval requires annual audited accounts and scientific activity returns and renewal application procedure.
Approval is granted to the Centre for Policy Studies under section 35(1)(iii) subject to conditions: it must maintain separate books for research activities; file an annual return of scientific research activities to the Department of Scientific & Industrial Research by 31 May; and submit audited annual accounts and an audited income & expenditure account for research activities to the Director General of Income-tax (Exemptions), the Secretary of DSIR, and the jurisdictional Commissioner/Director of Income-tax (Exemptions) by 31 October each year. The institution should apply in triplicate for renewal through the designated tax exemption office.

Income-tax exemption for charitable fund confirmed, subject to conditions on application, investment, business and dissolution.
The Central Government notified the Railway Ministers's Welfare & Relief Fund, New Delhi as eligible under clause (23C)(iv) of section 10 of the Income-tax Act for assessment years 1998-99 to 2000-2001, subject to conditions: income must be applied or accumulated solely for the fund's objects; investments are limited to modes permitted by the Act (excluding certain voluntary contributions held as goods); business income is excluded unless incidental and separately accounted; regular filing of returns is required; and on dissolution surplus assets must transfer to a like charitable organization.

Tax exemption under clause 23C(iv): association notified subject to exclusive application of income and prescribed conditions.
Notification under clause (23C)(iv) of section 10 recognizes the Family Planning Association of India, Mumbai for specified assessment years, conditional on wholly and exclusively applying its income to its objects, restricting investments to forms permitted by section 11(5) (with limited exceptions for certain voluntary contributions), excluding business income unless incidental and separately accounted, regular filing of returns, and transfer of surplus and assets on dissolution to a like charitable organization.

Tax-free bonds specified under income-tax exemption, conditional on bondholder registration with the issuer.
The Central Government specified tax-free bonds of a public power corporation under the income-tax exemption provision, describing denomination, interest rate, tenor, aggregate issuance and distinctive serial numbers; the tax exemption is conditional on the bondholder registering his name and holding with the issuer.

Tax exemption for specified bonds requires bondholders to register holdings with issuer to claim tax-free status.
Central Government specifies certain fixed-denomination bonds of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (Series-V, 1999-2000) as tax-exempt under the Income-tax Act; the bonds carry a stated interest rate and fixed maturity and are issued with unique identifiers. The exemption is conditional: a holder must register his name and holdings with the issuer to be eligible for the tax benefit.

Tax-free bonds specified for North Eastern Electric Power Corporation: interest-bearing seven-year instruments admissible only upon holder registration.
Central Government specifies tax-free bonds of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited, 1997-98 (Series IV) as eligible for exemption under the Income-tax Act; the bonds are rupee-denominated instruments issued in 1997-98 bearing interest at 9.25% per annum for a seven-year tenor, issued in a limited amount with distinctive numbers, and the tax-free benefit is admissible only if the holder registers his name and holding with the issuing company.

Tax-free bonds under section 10(15)(iv): registration required to claim exemption on specified NEEPCO Series-IV bonds.
The Central Government designates the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited 1997-98 (Series-IV) bonds as tax-free under section 10(15)(iv), specifying one-lakh-rupee denominations issued in 1997-98 with distinctive serial numbers E-0000001 to E0002050, interest at 9.25% per annum for seven years and an authorized aggregate issue amount; the exemption is admissible only if the holder registers his name and holdings with the issuing company.

Tax-free bonds under Section 10(15)(iv) grant exemption to a specified corporate issue subject to holder registration.
Central Government specifies tax-free bonds of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation under Section 10(15)(iv) as the 1995-96 (Series III) issue carrying 10.50% interest per annum for seven years, totaling two crores fifty lakhs with distinctive numbers C-0000001 to C-0025000; exemption is conditional on the holder registering name and holding with the company, and the bond denomination is corrected to rupees one thousand each.

Tax exemption notification: charitable wakf notified under clause 23C(iv) subject to application, investment, business and dissolution conditions.
Notification designates Hamdard Dawakhana (Wakf), Delhi under clause (23C)(iv) of section 10 for assessment years 2001-2002 to 2003-2004, subject to conditions: income must be applied or accumulated wholly for stated objects; investments limited to modes permitted by the Act except specified forms of voluntary contributions; business income excluded unless incidental with separate books; regular filing of income-tax returns; and on dissolution surplus and assets to be transferred to a similar charitable organization.

Notification under clause (23C)(v) of section 10 grants tax-exempt recognition to a trust subject to compliance conditions.
The Central Government notifies the Shree Datta Deosthan Trust under clause (23C)(v) of section 10 for assessment years 2000-01 to 2002-03 subject to conditions: apply or accumulate income exclusively for trust objects; invest or deposit funds only in forms permitted by section 11(5) (except certain voluntary contributions); treat business income as non-exempt unless incidental and separately accounted; file income-tax returns regularly; and on dissolution transfer surplus and assets to a charitable organisation with similar objectives.

Tax exemption under clause (23C)(iv) granted subject to exclusive application of income, permitted investments, reporting and dissolution conditions.
Notification designates the Federation of Indian Export Organization as eligible under clause (23C)(iv) of section 10 of the Income-tax Act for assessment years 2001-02 to 2003-04, subject to conditions: apply or accumulate income exclusively to its objects; restrict investments to modes permitted by section 11(5) (except certain voluntary contributions held as jewellery or furniture); exclude business income unless incidental with separate books; file returns regularly; and on dissolution transfer surplus and assets to a similar charitable organization.

Anti-dumping duty extension on acrylic fibre maintains provisional levy pending completion of sunset review and investigations.
Extension of provisional anti-dumping duty on Acrylic Fibre from USA, Korea RP and Thailand is authorised pending completion of a sunset review and investigations; the Central Government, under section 9A of the Customs Tariff Act and rule 23 of the Anti-dumping Rules, has amended the principal notification to substitute the operative paragraph and specify that the duty remains effective until the stated end date unless revoked or further extended by Gazette notification.

Customs exemption for Nepal-manufactured small-scale units requires eligible status and government certificate on import to claim relief.
The exemption applies to goods manufactured in Nepal by units qualifying as small scale units under the Nepal Industrial Policy of 5 December 2001, imported into India, and subject to a certificate appended to the notification, duly signed by an authorized signatory on behalf of His Majesty's Government of Nepal, to be produced at the time of import.

Preferential customs exemption for Nepalese imports requires origin compliance, certification, processing rules, quantity limits, and designated entry points.
Customs exemption is provided for specified goods imported into India from Nepal, covering the whole of the applicable customs duty and special additional duty subject to origin, manufacturing, certification and procedural conditions. Goods must be wholly produced in Nepal or undergo qualifying manufacture there, while insufficient operations such as packing, labelling, sorting or simple assembly do not qualify. Third-country and undetermined-origin materials must remain within prescribed proportions of the ex-factory price, and the importer must produce a certified origin certificate. Specified goods are also subject to annual quantity limits and may enter only through designated land customs stations.

Safeguard duty: acetone imports from South Africa and Singapore subjected to safeguard duty despite developing-country exemption.
The Government amended the existing safeguard notification to exclude South Africa and Singapore from the developing-country exemption, rendering acetone imports from those two countries liable to the applied safeguard duty following a Directorate review that found their import shares warranted such treatment under the Customs Tariff Act framework.

Safeguard duty on Phenol: imports from Malaysia, South Africa and Singapore now excluded from developing country exception and liable.
The Central Government amended an earlier safeguard notification under section 8B of the Customs Tariff Act to substitute paragraph 2(b), removing Malaysia, South Africa and Singapore from the developing country exception so that imports of Phenol from those three countries are subject to the existing safeguard duty imposed to protect domestic producers undergoing restructuring.

Customs tariff amendment adds umbrella components and rough diamonds entries and revises duty and exemption provisions.
Notification amends Customs Tariff Notification No. 21/2002 by inserting tariff entries for umbrella cloth panels (classification 6307.90) and umbrella parts (classification 66.03) with specified duty columns, inserting an entry for rough diamonds (classification 71) with indicated duty/exemption markings, omitting a subitem in S. No. 180, and substituting the column (4) duty specification for S. No. 189. The amendment is made under section 25(1) of the Customs Act, 1962.