Board statement on independent director proficiency required; opinion on integrity, expertise and assessment-based proficiency must be disclosed.
Companies must include a board statement on the integrity, expertise, experience and proficiency of independent directors appointed during the year, where "proficiency" is ascertained from an online proficiency self-assessment test conducted by the institute notified under the relevant statutory provision governing director proficiency.

Independent director databank: IICA to maintain registry of eligible directors for companies to use in appointments.
Notification designates an institute to create and maintain a data bank of persons eligible and willing to act as independent directors, containing names, addresses and qualifications for use by companies when making such appointments, and fixes the commencement of the institute's operation as authorised by the Central Government.

Exchange of information broadened under India-Morocco tax protocol, mandating cross-border information gathering and confidentiality safeguards.
The Central Government notified that the Protocol amending the India-Morocco tax Convention is effective in India and replaces Article 26 with expanded Exchange of Information rules: competent authorities must exchange foreseeably relevant tax information; received information is to be treated as secret and disclosed only to specified persons or in public judicial proceedings; limitations include conformity with domestic law, non obtainability and protection of trade secrets and public policy; requested States must use information gathering measures even without domestic interest, and bank or fiduciary-held information is not per se exempt.

GST hospitality service rates revised, imposing conditional lower state tax with restrictions on input tax credit for specified supplies.
The notification restructures State GST entries for accommodation, restaurant service, outdoor catering and related composite supplies, prescribing a lower state tax rate for specified items on the condition that input tax credit on goods and services used in supplying those services has not been taken, and defines key terms including 'hotel accommodation', 'restaurant service', 'outdoor catering', 'declared tariff' and 'specified premises'.

GST schedule amendment adds aerated water tariff entry, created under GST Act powers, effective from October first.
Amendment inserts a new tariff code and the description "Aerated Water" into the Annexure of Notification No. 02/2019-State Tax (Rate), thereby modifying the GST rate schedule; the change is made under the taxing and rate-making powers of the Delhi Goods and Services Tax Act, on Council recommendation, and is effective from the first day of October, 2019.

Amendment to GST notification substitutes specified ordinal references in tariff entries and annexure, changing applicability from earlier cutoff.
Amendment to the State GST rate notification substitutes "10th" with "20th" in two locations: the table at serial no. 3 (items (ie) and (if), column (5)) and both occurrences in Annexure IV, made under the Delhi GST Act and effective from the stated commencement date.

Input tax credit adjustment required when a credit claimant opts into the specified tax regime, with residual credit lapsing.
A registered person who availed input tax credit and opts to pay tax under this notification must pay, by debit to the electronic credit or cash ledger, an amount equal to the credit on inputs in stock, inputs in semi finished or finished goods held in stock, and on capital goods as if section 18(4) applied; any remaining input tax credit shall lapse.

Reverse charge liability on promoters for shortfall purchases in construction projects requires promoters to pay tax as recipients.
Reverse charge obligation requires the promoter to pay tax on supplies from unregistered suppliers that constitute the shortfall from the minimum purchase value required of a promoter for construction projects; this includes specified goods and services, cement under tariff heading 2523, and capital goods supplied for projects taxed under the referenced residential real estate entries, and applies until completion certificate or first occupation.

Extension of annual return deadline for registered persons under GST to address technical filing issues and shift the prescribed due date.
Amendment modifies the Explanation to Section 44 to substitute the originally prescribed due date for furnishing the annual return by registered persons (excluding specified categories) as a response to technical problems that prevented electronic filing for the period 1 July, 2017 to 31 March, 2018, and declares the amendment effective from a stipulated earlier date under powers conferred by Section 172 as a Removal of Difficulty Order.

Infrastructure debt fund status granted to IDFC Infrastructure Finance, subject to statutory compliance and timely income-tax filings.
Notification designates IDFC Infrastructure Finance Limited as an infrastructure debt fund under clause (47) of section 10 of the Income-tax Act for assessment year 2020-2021 and subsequent years, subject to compliance with the Income-tax Act, rule 2F of the Income-tax Rules, 1962 and Reserve Bank of India conditions, and to timely filing of the return of income as required by sub-section (4C) of section 139.

Section 10(23EE) exemption: Core Settlement Guarantee Funds of MCX Clearing Corporation notified for assessment year and subsequent years.
Central Government notified the Core Settlement Guarantee Funds set up by the Multi Commodity Exchange Clearing Corporation Limited, Mumbai as qualifying under clause (23EE) of section 10 of the Income-tax Act for assessment year 2019-2020 and subsequent years, bringing those funds within the scope of the statutory tax exemption provision.

Grant scope expanded to include Government, Local Bodies and Other Government Agencies, broadening notified grant coverage under tax rules.
Corrigendum to Notification No. 48/2018 substitutes "Grant received from state government" with "Grant received from Government, Local Bodies and Other Government Agencies," thereby broadening the category of public entities whose grants are encompassed by the notification for income tax purposes.

Common Adjudicating Authority appointment transfers adjudication of specified show cause notices to designated DRI officers.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence appoints specified officers as Common Adjudicating Authority to exercise the powers and discharge duties of the originally named customs adjudicating officers for the purpose of adjudicating the listed show cause notices against the named noticees, as set out in the Table; some DRI adjudication officers are designated to cover multiple entries.

Intimation of ascertained tax enables pre-notice payment or submissions under a prescribed communication and reply form.
Suspension of registration prohibits issuance of tax invoices and charging tax during suspension; revocation triggers application of invoice and return provisions for supplies made while suspended. Input tax credit claims for invoices not uploaded by suppliers are capped at 20% of eligible credit based on supplier-uploaded details. Where furnishing deadlines are extended, the return may be filed electronically in a summarized monthly return form. Refunds are disbursed on the basis of a consolidated payment advice. A new FORM GST DRC-01A requires advance intimation of ascertained tax, with Part B permitting payment or submissions prior to issuing a show-cause notice.

Optional annual return filing for small taxpayers allows retrospective option and deeming of timely filing for specified years.
Notification designates registered persons below the small taxpayer turnover threshold who failed to furnish the annual return before the due date to follow a special procedure for specified financial years, granting them the option to furnish the annual return; returns not furnished before the due date are deemed to have been furnished on the due date.

Due dates for furnishing GSTR-1 set for eligible small taxpayers, establishing a quarterly filing schedule and subsequent monthly notifications.
Notification prescribes a special procedure under section 148 for a class of registered persons meeting the aggregate turnover threshold to furnish outward-supply details in FORM GSTR-1 on a quarterly timetable, fixes last dates for specified quarters, and states that monthly time limits under subsection (2) of section 38 will be notified subsequently; the notification is operative from the stated commencement date.

Notification amendment under Section 164: substitution of scheduled date for Jharkhand SGST notification, made effective retrospectively.
Amendment under Section 164 substitutes "21st day of August, 2019" with "21st day of November, 2019" in Notification No.22/2019 State Tax; the substitution is declared to be deemed effective from 20th August, 2019 and is notified by the Commercial Taxes Department as Notification No.36/2019 State Tax dated 21 October 2019.

Notification amendment alters statutory deadline and prescribes retroactive effective date, changing compliance timeline.
Amendment revises a proviso in Notification No. 21/2019 State Tax by substituting the original deadline with a later date; it is made under the powers of section 148 of the Jharkhand GST Act and is deemed effective from an earlier specified date, creating a retroactive operative effect.

Due date for FORM GST CMP-08: deadline set to 31 July and amendment deemed effective from 18 July.
The notification amends Notification No. 21/2019 State Tax by inserting a proviso in paragraph 2 prescribing that the due date for furnishing the statement of payment of self assessed tax in FORM GST CMP 08 for the quarter April-June 2019 (or part thereof) is the 31st day of July, 2019, and declares the amendment to be deemed effective from 18th July, 2019.

Electronic ticket as tax invoice recognised for GST compliance, and procedures for practitioner surrender and E Way Bill unblocking amended.
The amendment rules deem electronic tickets issued for admission to films in multiplex screens to be tax invoices for GST purposes even without recipient details, allow practitioners to electronically surrender enrolment via FORM GST PCT-06 with cancellation by order in FORM GST PCT-07, extend the record retention period from two years to four years, and provide for applications to unblock E Way Bill generation using FORM GST EWB-05 with decisions recorded in FORM GST EWB-06; refund Statement 5B in refund forms is substituted for deemed export claims.