Export quantity limits revised for construction aggregates: annual caps specified for stone aggregate and river sand under FTP.
Amendment to Schedule 2 (Export Policy) of the ITC(HS) under the Foreign Trade Policy 2004-09 inserts an export licensing note fixing annual export quantity caps for the 2006-2007 financial year for Stone Aggregate and River Sand, thereby modifying the export licensing regime in Chapter 25 to authorize specific annual exportable volumes for those commodities.

Duty Free Import Authorisation exemptions conditioned on production of authorisation, bonds, endorsed export obligations and restricted port clearances.
Materials imported under a Duty Free Import Authorisation are exempted from customs and specified additional duties subject to conditions: production of the authorisation at clearance; conformity of description, value and quantity; endorsement of shipping bill particulars relative to export obligation; execution of bonds or payment of additional duty where export obligation is not discharged or where rebate/CENVAT facilities are availed; utilisation restricted to discharge of export obligation; permitted ports and depots specified; post-discharge transfer, re-export of defective materials, and specified definitions and compliance procedures provided.

Tariff value notification updates specified tariff values per metric tonne for listed edible oils and brass scrap.
The Board, exercising powers under sub section (2) of Section 14 of the Customs Act, substitutes the Table in Notification No.36/2001 Cus (N.T.) with a new schedule fixing tariff values in US dollars per metric tonne for specified commodities, including palm oils, palmoleins, crude soyabean oil (unchanged), and brass scrap (all grades), thereby establishing the reference import valuation prices for customs assessment.

Anti-dumping duty continuation on caustic soda extended pending sunset review; notification amended to extend expiry date.
Continuation of anti-dumping duty on Sodium Hydroxide (caustic soda) from specified countries is extended pending sunset review. The Central Government, invoking powers under section 9A of the Customs Tariff Act read with rule 23 of the anti-dumping rules, amends Paragraph 2 of the principal notification No. 69/2001-Customs by substituting the previous expiry date with a later date to effect a further three-month continuation of the levy while review investigations conclude.

Import exemption thresholds for specified Singapore imports amended to lower percentage eligibility criteria in prior notifications.
The Central Government amended two prior customs exemption notifications for imports from Singapore by substituting preambular percentage thresholds: in Notification No. 74/2005 the figure "90 per cent." is replaced by "75 per cent.", and in Notification No. 75/2005 the figure "95 per cent." is replaced by "90 per cent.", effecting revised eligibility criteria for the specified import exemptions.

Urban area declaration designates specified municipal limits as urban for Income-tax Act purposes, effective on Gazette publication.
The Central Government, invoking the Explanation to sub-section (1), declares the municipal limits listed in the Schedule as urban areas for the purposes of the Income-tax Act provision, having regard to population, concentration of industries, planning needs and other relevant factors; the Schedule lists specified municipalities in Karnataka and Goa, and the notification is effective on publication in the Official Gazette.

Designation of a new land route added, extending customs notification to a specified cross-border passage.
Adds a designation of a land route to the customs notification by inserting an entry identifying the Sherathang-Renqinggang land route through Nathula Pass into the notification's annexed table, thereby bringing that route within the scope of the notification under the statutory powers relied upon.

Renewal of recognition requires regulatory approval for the settlement/trade guarantee fund before exchange may commence trading.
SEBI granted renewal of recognition to Guwahati Stock Exchange Limited for the period 1 May 2006 to 30 April 2007 under the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, conditional on the Exchange commencing trading only after obtaining final SEBI approval for establishment of its Settlement Guarantee Fund/Trade Guarantee Fund.

Renewal of exchange recognition: renewal granted for one year authorising contracts in securities, subject to regulatory conditions.
SEBI considered an application under the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act and granted renewal of recognition to The Ludhiana Stock Exchange Limited for a one year period from 28 April 2006 to 27 April 2007 to deal in contracts in securities, subject to conditions that may be prescribed or imposed subsequently.

Amendment to Merchant Bankers Regulations removes regulation 19, effective upon publication in the Official Gazette.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Merchant Bankers) (Amendment) Regulations, 2006 omit regulation 19 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Merchant Bankers) Regulations, 1992. The amendment is made under the Board's powers conferred by the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act and comes into force on publication in the Official Gazette.

Tax notification amendments modify scheduled industrial area listings, altering eligible localities and effectiveness upon official gazette publication.
The notification under Section 80-IC(2)(a)(ii) amends the Schedule for the State of Uttaranchal by substituting, omitting and replacing specified column entries and locality identifiers across multiple district sub-headings, thereby altering the listed industrial estates and areas to which the provision applies; the changes take effect on Gazette publication and, for estates not yet designated by the State Government, on the date of their state-level notification or designation.

Tariff classification correction: substitution of specified tariff headings in central excise notification, altering affected item codes.
Corrigendum to a central excise notification directs replacement of the reference "28 or 31" with "29 or 38" in the identified line of the original notification, constituting a focused substitution of tariff identifiers without amending other provisions.

Special Economic Zone notification declares Sandavellur land parcel under the SEZ framework for approved development.
The Central Government notified the area at Sandavellur 'C' Village, Taluka Sriperumbudur, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu, as a Special Economic Zone under the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 and the Special Economic Zones Rules, 2006. The notification follows approval for development by M/s. Flextronics Technologies (India) Private Limited and identifies the specified survey numbers comprising a total area of 101.21 hectares, equivalent to 250 acres. The notice is limited to declaration of the described land parcel within the SEZ framework.

Refund claim monetary limit reduced, making Sixth Schedule organisations eligible for refunds on qualifying single-invoice purchases.
The Commissioner reduced the single-invoice monetary threshold for refund claims applicable to organisations listed in the Sixth Schedule, so such organisations are eligible to claim refunds for purchases measured by a single tax invoice that exceed the new threshold, with the threshold assessed excluding any tax paid; the change is effective immediately.

Exchange rate determination for export valuation sets specified foreign currency conversion rates effective from May for customs purposes.
The Board, exercising powers under the Customs Act, superseded an earlier notification and prescribed specific rates of exchange for conversion of designated foreign currencies into Indian rupees for export goods; these rates, set out in two schedules (unit rates for major currencies and a per 100 rate for Japanese Yen), take effect from 1st May and serve as the operative exchange rate table for customs export valuation.

Exchange rate determination fixes conversion rates for specified foreign currencies for imported goods, effective from the notified commencement.
Determination fixes conversion rates for specified foreign currencies for valuation of imported goods, effective from 1 May 2006, under the statutory authority of the Customs Act, superseding an earlier notification and adopting the rates set out in Schedules I and II as the official rates for conversion between the listed foreign currencies and Indian rupees.

Exemption from National Contingency Duty amended to omit specified table entries, narrowing applicable exemptions.
The Central Government, exercising powers under the Central Excise Act and the Finance Act, amends Notification No. 26/2001-Central Excise by directing that in the Table to that notification the entries in columns (2) and (3) against the first serial entry shall be omitted, as effected by Notification No. 28/2006-Central Excise dated 25 April 2006.

Transport of goods in containers by rail added to service tax notification, changing the taxation entry for such transport.
The Government amends Notification No. 1/2006-Service Tax by inserting S.No.11 entry (zzzp) Transport of goods in containers by rail into the Table of the principal notification, pursuant to powers conferred by the Finance Act, 1994, effective from the commencement date specified in the amendment.

Service tax amendment broadens liable entities by replacing 'commercial concern' with 'any person' effective now.
The Central Government directs that, with effect from 1st May 2006, specified service tax notifications are amended to replace references to "commercial concern" or "a commercial concern" with broader terms "any other person" or "any person", thereby expanding the class of persons captured by notifications 13/2004, 14/2004, 29/2004, 16/2005 and 21/2005.

Service Tax registration amendment expands the referenced sub rules to include an additional sub rule, widening the rule's scope.
Amends the Service Tax (Registration of Special Category of Persons) Rules, 2005 by substituting in rule 3(3) the reference to sub rules (2) to (7) with sub rules (2) to (8), formalised by a notification that sets the amendment's short title and commencement date under powers conferred by the Finance Act.