Service tax deferment on rail freight extended for container transport; effective date moved from April to July.
The amendment postpones the effective date for service tax measures on rail freight by substituting the word April with July in paragraph 2 of Notification No. 07/2010-Service Tax, thereby deferring implementation; it also rescinds an earlier notification and exempts transport of goods in containers by rail under the principal notification.

Special Economic Zone amendment confirms substituted land schedule for IT/ITES SEZ at Bhondsi, defining parcelised area.
The Central Government amends the prior notification to establish a sector specific Special Economic Zone for information technology and information technology enabled services by M/s. GHI Finlease and Investments Limited at Village Bhondsi, Gurgaon, by substituting the original land schedule with a detailed table of village killa numbers and parcel areas, the substituted schedule aggregating to a total area of 13.309 hectares.

Exchange Rate Determination for Customs: prescribed foreign currency conversion rates for import and export take effect from April.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs prescribes specified foreign currency to Indian rupee conversion rates for use in customs valuation of imported and exported goods, effective 1 April 2010, superseding the earlier notification; two schedules set distinct import and export rates for listed currencies, including a per 100 unit rate for Japanese Yen.

Recognition renewal for stock exchange subject to public shareholding compliance and limited currency derivative operations.
Grant of recognition to United Stock Exchange of India Limited under Section 4 of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 for a one year period, conditional on the Exchange achieving full compliance with the Securities Contracts (Regulation) (Manner of Increasing and Maintaining Public Shareholding in Recognized Stock Exchanges) Regulations, 2006 within one year. The Exchange may initially operationalise only the exchange traded currency derivative segment for the specified currency pairs and is prohibited from introducing new currency product classes until such compliance is demonstrated, and must comply with any further conditions prescribed by SEBI.

Newsprint control amendment adds an indigenous mill to the Schedule, updating the official list of recognized producers.
Amendment to the Newsprint Control Order, 2004 inserts a new indigenous newsprint manufacturer and location into the Order's Schedule, updating the official roster of recognized domestic producers under the regulatory framework; the change takes effect on publication in the Official Gazette and does not otherwise modify the principal Order's operative provisions.

Newsprint control: Schedule amended to list a newly recognised indigenous newsprint manufacturer under the regulatory order.
Amendment to the Newsprint Control Order inserts a new entry in the Schedule identifying an additional indigenous newsprint manufacturer by name and location, thereby recognising that mill under the Order's regulatory schedule; the amendment takes effect on publication in the Official Gazette and is issued under the enabling industrial regulation framework, with a formal departmental notification noting prior amendments to the principal order.

Exemption to prohibition on pulse exports permits a specified shipment to the Republic of Maldives under an immediate FTP amendment.
An amendment to existing export notifications adds a new paragraph creating a territorially limited exemption to the prohibition on export of pulses, permitting export to the Republic of Maldives. The change is effected under powers of the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act and the Foreign Trade Policy, has immediate effect, and is issued in public interest by the Director General of Foreign Trade.

Special Economic Zone designation establishes a sector-specific oil and gas SEZ with approval, governance committee, and customs ICD status.
Notification designates a sector-specific Special Economic Zone for oil and gas proposed by M/s. Gujarat Hydrocarbon and Power SEZ Limited, records satisfaction with statutory prerequisites and grant of a letter of approval for development, and notifies a specified area composed of listed survey numbers as the SEZ. It constitutes an Approval Committee under the Act listing ex officio members and state nominees with a developer representative as special invitee. The Government further declares the SEZ to be deemed an Inland Container Depot for customs purposes with an appointed commencement date.

Special Economic Zone designation for information technology grants developer approval and creates Approval Committee, with zone deemed Inland Container Depot.
A sector-specific Special Economic Zone for information technology at Thrikkakara North, Kerala, comprising 28.329 hectares promoted by M/s. Bluestar Realtors Private Limited was approved under the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 for development, operation and maintenance, declared an SEZ under the Act and Rules, an Approval Committee was constituted with specified ex officio members and a developer invitee, and the zone was deemed an Inland Container Depot under the Customs Act, 1962.

Anti dumping duty on injection moulding machines imposed, targeted rates applied and exclusions specified for imports from specified producers and countries.
Definitive anti-dumping duties are imposed on plastic processing and injection moulding machines with clamping force of 40 tonnes or more originating in or exported from the People's Republic of China, with producer- and exporter-specific percentage rates of duty on CIF value for named Chinese manufacturers and higher residual rates for other suppliers and for third-country exports; specified blow moulding, vertical, and certain all-electric and footwear injection machines are excluded; duties are payable in Indian currency and were prescribed for a five-year period from the provisional duty date.

Anti dumping duty on Coumarin imposed on imports from China, calculated against landed value and producer-specific entries.
The Government imposed provisional anti-dumping duty on Coumarin imports originating in, or exported from, the People's Republic of China, following findings of export below normal value and material injury to domestic industry. Duties are calculated as the difference between a specified reference amount and the assessable landed value per unit, expressed in US dollars, with producer- and exporter-specific entries and a residual category for other combinations. Landed value follows Customs Act valuation rules (excluding certain duties) and the rate of exchange is as published, determined by bill of entry date. The duty was payable in Indian currency and later rescinded by a subsequent notification.

Anti-dumping duty on Barium Carbonate imposed, company-specific rates required to be paid in Indian currency.
Provisional anti-dumping duty is imposed on imports of Barium Carbonate under sub-heading 2836 60 00 originating in or exported from China PR, with producer- and exporter-specific US dollar per metric tonne rates for named companies and residual rates for others. The duty applies to imports matching the listed tariff classification and producer/exporter combinations, is effective up to and inclusive of 22nd September, 2010, payable in Indian currency, and converted at the Government-prescribed exchange rate as of the bill of entry presentation date.

Service Tax appeals committee constitution amended; Mumbai Commissioners' jurisdictional entries revised under Section 86(1A).
Amendment revises the Table in Notification No. 19/2007-Service Tax by substituting the entry at Sl. No. 34 to specify the Commissioners associated with the jurisdictions of Commissioner of Service Tax-I and Commissioner of Service Tax-II, Mumbai, and by substituting the words in column (2) against Sl. No. 55 with the designation Commissioner of Service Tax-I, Mumbai, thereby realigning appellate committee composition and jurisdictional designations under the Finance Act appeals provision.

Constitution of committee of chief commissioners expanded to create Service Tax Mumbai-I and Mumbai-II for appellate jurisdiction adjustment.
The amendment inserts the words "Service Tax Mumbai-I, Service Tax Mumbai-II" in the Table against Sl. No.17, column (3) of Notification No. 18/2007-Service Tax, thereby creating two specified Service Tax designations for the Mumbai area for purposes of the committees constituted under the notification framework governing appeals to the appellate tribunal.

TDS compliance deadlines updated to specific quarterly filing dates and corrected form reference in withholding rules.
Corrigendum to the TDS rules corrects a form reference by replacing the cited form with Form No. 27A, prescribes specific quarterly submission dates in Rule 37A in lieu of the earlier generic fourteen-day-from-quarter-end phrasing, and omits the proviso to Rule 37A, while leaving other provisions of the original Gazette notification intact.

Customs exemption rates increased under amended notification, expanding duty relief thresholds for specified tariff entries.
Amends Notification No.107/2008-Customs by substituting higher percentage entries in column (4) of the Table throughout: each occurrence of the lower specified entry is replaced by the next higher specified entry, and each occurrence of the intermediate specified entry is replaced by the next higher specified entry, under the authority of the Customs Act and published as Notification No.36/2010-Customs.

Common Adjudicating Authority appointed to exercise customs adjudication powers for adjudicating specified show cause notices.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs appoints the Additional Commissioner / Joint Commissioner of Customs at the Container Freight Station, Dhandari Kalan, Ludhiana as Common Adjudicating Authority to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of the Deputy Commissioner of Customs (Imports) / Assistant Commissioner of Customs, Inland Container Depot, Tughlakabad, for adjudicating matters arising from the show cause notice pertaining to M/s Uttam Trading Company and others issued by the Directorate General of Revenue Intelligence.

Common Adjudicating Authority appointed to adjudicate show-cause proceedings under Customs Act for specified import consignor.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs appoints the Commissioner of Customs (Import), Nhava Sheva as Common Adjudicating Authority to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of three Commissioners of Customs solely for adjudicating matters arising from the show-cause notice issued to M/s J. Universal Impex and others by the Directorate General of Revenue Intelligence.

Appointment of common adjudicating authority centralises adjudication for specified customs commissioners in a DRI show-cause matter.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs appoints the Common Adjudicating Authority, designating the Commissioner of Customs (Import and General), IGI Airport, New Delhi to exercise the powers and duties of specified Commissioners of Customs for adjudicating the DRI-issued show-cause notice concerning M/s Metro Impex and others.

Common adjudicating authority appointment reallocates adjudicatory powers to a customs officer for adjudicating a specified show cause notice.
Appointment of a Common Adjudicating Authority transfers adjudicatory responsibility for a specified show cause proceeding under the Customs Act to the Additional Commissioner/Joint Commissioner of Customs at the Container Freight Station, Dhandari Kalan, Ludhiana, empowering that officer to exercise the powers and duties of the Additional/Joint Commissioner of Customs, Inland Container Depot, Tughlakabad, New Delhi solely for adjudicating the show cause notice issued to M/s Liberty Industries.