Income tax exemption extended for Health and Family Welfare Project-specified as eligible following committee recommendation and government notification.
Central Government notification extends income tax exemption specification for the Health and Family Welfare Project carried out by Swasthaya Sewa Trust at Ahmedabad/Sabarkantha, Gujarat for a further three year period commencing with assessment year 2002 2003, following the National Committee's recommendation that the project is being properly executed; the specification is made under the statutory provision and rule enabling such extension and records the estimated project cost and trust address.

Exemption under section 35AC: charitable hospital and school project specified as eligible and extended for three years.
The Central Government specifies the project of constructing, equipping and running a 30 bed hospital and a high school at Heggadevanakote Taluk by Swami Vevekananda Youth Movement as an eligible project for exemption under the Income tax Act, on the National Committee's recommendation, and extends that eligibility for a further three year period commencing with the assessment year 2003 2004, with the executing trust identified and the estimated project cost recorded.

Exemption under section 35AC: eligible educational project extension granted for a residential tribal school continues.
The Central Government specifies the construction of Saraswati Vidya Mandir, a residential high school with a vocational training centre for tribals and economically backward classes carried out by Shri Hari Vanvasi Vikas Samiti, as an eligible project under the Explanation to section 35AC of the Income-tax Act. Following the National Committee's recommendation that the project is being properly executed, the Government extends the specification for a further three-year period commencing from the assessment year 2002-2003 at an estimated cost of rupees ninety-three lakhs ninty-eight thousand only.

Tax exemption notification under section 10(23C)(iv) grants recognition subject to compliance, reporting and asset transfer conditions on dissolution.
Notification grants recognition under section 10(23C)(iv) for the assessment years 1999-2000 to 2001-02 provided the entity applies or accumulates income exclusively for its objects; restricts investments and deposits to forms permitted in section 11(5) (excluding certain voluntary contributions held in kind); treats business income as incidental only if separate books are maintained; files income-tax returns regularly; and on dissolution transfers surplus and assets to a charitable organization with similar objectives.

Research institution approval under section 35(1)(ii) imposes specific accounting, annual return, and audited submission obligations.
Central Government approval under section 35(1)(ii) designates M/s Hastimal Sancheti Memorial Trust as an Institution eligible for research-related tax exemption subject to conditions: maintain separate books for research, furnish an annual scientific research return to the Secretary, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research by 31st May, and submit audited annual accounts and audited income & expenditure accounts for research activities to specified income-tax and DSIR authorities by 31st October, in addition to the income-tax return. The notice advises timely triplicate applications for renewal to tax authorities and DSIR.

Customs exemption for export oriented units subject to bonds, authorised use and Net Foreign Exchange compliance.
Exemption from customs duties (including integrated tax and compensation cess and applicable additional duties) is provided for specified goods imported or procured for use by EOUs, STP, EHTP and related units for export oriented activities, subject to Development Commissioner authorisation, prescribed import procedures, execution of bonds, maintenance of accounts and conditions imposed by customs officers. Non compliance, non use, re export failures or shortfall in prescribed Net Foreign Exchange earnings attract duty with interest, and the notification sets out procedural flexibilities for re export, temporary removal, inter unit transfers, sectoral exceptions and sanctioned disposal routes.

Rescission of customs notifications under section 25(1) removes two prior exemption notifications, effective from early April.
The Central Government, satisfied it is necessary in the public interest and exercising powers under sub section (1) of section 25 of the Customs Act, 1962, rescinds specified earlier notifications-two exemption notifications issued in 1994 and published in the Gazette of India-with effect from 1 April 2003, and records the departmental file reference and signatory for the notification.

Customs notification amendment replaces the title "Chief Commissioner" with "Commissioner," altering the administrative reference and commencement.
The notification amends Notification No.82/2002-Customs by substituting the words "Chief Commissioner" with "Commissioner" in condition (ii); it is made under the statutory power to amend notifications in the public interest and is given a specified commencement date by the Government.

Removal of quantitative export restrictions: conditional liberalisation of agricultural, plant and mineral exports under licence and certification requirements.
Amendments remove or modify quantitative restrictions and set conditional export permissions: cattle and buffalo germplasm remain restricted under licence; buffalo meat and offals (excluding gonads and reproductive organs) are free with veterinary certification and pre shipment inspection; Basmati paddy is freed subject to APEDA contract registration and controls on printed empty gunny bags; wild and cultivated plant exports require specified No Objection/Cultivation certificates and CITES permits where applicable; cotton linters are freed; select minerals and rare earths are reclassified to licence regime; Montreal Protocol chemicals require licences and destination-party restriction.

Exemption powers now exercisable by Commissioner for SEZ units following amendment to central excise notification.
The notification amends Notification No.39/2002-Central Excise by substituting the words "Chief Commissioner" with "Commissioner" in condition (ii), thereby transferring the administrative designation empowered to grant exemptions under the SEZ-related central excise notification; enacted under the Central Excise Act and Additional Duties of Excise Act and effective from the stated commencement date.

Excise exemption for castor oil cake: SEZ units converted from FTZ may move product inland under export import policy.
Exemption from excise duty is granted for castor oil cake under heading 23.01 when manufactured from indigenous castor seeds on indigenous plant and machinery by a unit in an SEZ that was a free trade zone before conversion effective 1 November 2000; the exemption applies when the product is brought to other places in India in accordance with the Export and Import Policy and relieves such manufacture and movement from the whole of excise duty under the Central Excise Act, effective 1 April 2003.

SEZ DTA sale excise exemption removes excise equal to special additional customs duty, subject to state sales tax exception.
Goods produced or manufactured by a Special Economic Zone unit and allowed to be sold domestically were exempted from excise duty to the extent equivalent to the special additional duty of customs, except where the State Government exempted such goods from sales tax; the exemption relied on section 5A of the Central Excise Act and used the Act's definition of "special economic zone."

Rescission of central excise notifications removes specified Free Trade Zone and EOU exemptions effective from the operative date.
Specified central excise notifications granting concessions or exemptions for Free Trade Zones and Export Oriented Units are rescinded under the powers of section 5A of the Central Excise Act, 1944 and related Additional Duties of Excise enactments, effective from 1 April 2003, by withdrawing six named Gazette notifications.

Exemption from Excise Duty for goods produced in export oriented undertakings, subject to exclusion on domestic removal.
Exemption from excise duty is granted for all excisable goods produced or manufactured in an export oriented undertaking, exempting such goods from duty leviable under section 3 of the Central Excise Act, 1944, except where those goods are brought to any other place in India; the notification rescinds earlier specified notifications and commences on the stated effective date.

Excise exemption for EOUs/EHTP/STP goods cleared to DTA, subject to Foreign Trade Policy compliance and specified duty computations.
Exemption of excise duty is granted for goods manufactured in EOUs, EHTP and STP units when cleared to the Domestic Tariff Area, subject to Foreign Trade Policy compliance and Annexure conditions. The Table prescribes category-specific duty calculations-equivalence to certain additional duties, payment only in excess of customs or excise amounts determined by prescribed reductions or fractions, and special treatment for goods wholly from indigenous raw materials. Advance Licence/DFIA clearances require procedural endorsements and debits. Definitions, cross-references to the Foreign Trade Policy and Handbook of Procedures, and effective and rescission provisions are included.

Excise duty exemption for export oriented unit procurements, subject to bond, use, accountal and NFE compliance.
Exemption from the whole of excise duty is provided for specified goods procured for use by EOUs, STP and EHTP units for manufacture, packaging, development or job work for export, contingent on direct procurement from manufacturer/warehouse, specified use, maintenance of accounts, execution of a bond with customs/central excise authorities, compliance with Foreign Trade Policy, and achievement of positive Net Foreign Exchange; breaches or failure to use or to meet NFE result in duty and interest liability and other prescribed consequences.

Excise duty exemption for cement used in relief work extended by government under statutory power, amending prior notification.
Extension of excise duty exemption for cement supplied for relief work in Gujarat by substituting the expiry date in paragraph 2 of Notification No. 16/2001-Central Excise; the Central Government exercises powers under section 5A of the Central Excise Act, 1944 to amend the principal notification and continue the exemption for the specified cement used in relief operations.

Removal of quantitative import restrictions: specified commodities now freely importable subject to statutory registration and licensing conditions.
Amendment to the ITC(HS) Classification removes quantitative restrictions by classifying numerous Exim codes as Free, permitting open import of listed commodities while preserving regulatory prerequisites: pharmaceutical imports require Drug Controller General registration under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act; media and recorded media imports remain subject to chapter licensing notes; certain fuel imports are allowed through a designated importer subject to policy paragraph conditions and stated exceptions.

Foreign Trade Policy notification: Revised Export and Import Policy 2002 07 takes effect, implementing amendments from April first.
The Central Government, under Section 5 of the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992, notifies the Export and Import Policy, 2002-07 as amended and contained in the Annexure; the revised Exim Policy is declared to come into force on 1 April 2003 and is issued in the public interest.

Deduction under section 35AC: approved institutions' eligible projects allowed specified cost deductions subject to caps and conditions.
Central Government approvals under Section 35AC list institutions with specified eligible projects, estimated project costs and maximum deductible amounts; approvals are time-limited to specified assessment years and may be subject to conditions such as beneficiary income thresholds, corpus fund requirements and submission of audited accounts.