Newsprint Control amendment adds a domestic manufacturer to the Schedule, formalising regulatory recognition and registration.
The Newsprint Control (Amendment) Order, 2013 amends the Schedule to the Newsprint Control Order, 2004 by inserting a new entry in item 4 identifying an additional indigenous newsprint manufacturer by name and location; the amendment is effected by Central Government notification and is to be published in the Official Gazette.

Schedule amendment: substitution of 'European Commission' with 'European Union' for VAT exemption/refund eligibility under Delhi VAT Act.
Amendment to the Sixth Schedule substitutes the entry at Part B Sl. No. 13, replacing the designation European Commission with European Union, under powers conferred by sub section (2) of Section 103 of the Delhi Value Added Tax Act, 2004, to reflect the delegation name change arising from the Treaty of Lisbon amendment and to ensure VAT exemption/refund facilities associated with the delegation apply under the revised name.

Authorised dealer guarantees permitted for non-resident acquisitions, subject to SEBI(SAST) compliance and bank counter-guarantee and tenure co-terminus with offer period.
An authorised dealer in India may give a guarantee on behalf of a person resident outside India acquiring shares or convertible debentures through open offers, delisting or exit offers provided the transaction complies with SEBI (SAST) Regulations, the guarantee is covered by a counter guarantee of a bank of international repute, and the guarantee is valid for a tenure co terminus with the offer period required under SEBI (SAST) Regulations.

Foreign exchange regulations: amended reporting forms for issuance or transfer of securities by non-residents; regulator specified formats now govern.
Amendments to Schedule 1 delete Annex D and Annex F and remove a sub paragraph of Paragraph 10. They replace fixed references to forms by requiring reports in form FC GPR and form FC TRS as specified by the Reserve Bank from time to time, thereby delegating specification and future modification of reporting formats to the regulator rather than embedding them in the Schedule.

Escrow account authorization for non-residents allows domestic currency escrow for acquisitions, subject to FEMA and SEBI compliance.
A non-resident may open an escrow account in India with an authorized dealer bank in domestic currency for acquisition of shares or convertible debentures through open offers, delisting or exit offers, subject to the terms of the Foreign Exchange Management (Deposit) Regulations and compliance with SEBI Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers Regulations; such escrow accounts may be funded by inward remittance through normal banking channels and/or by a guarantee from an authorized dealer bank under the Foreign Exchange Management (Guarantees) Regulations.

Overseas direct investment rules for resident individuals set eligibility, sectoral prohibitions, valuation and reporting obligations.
Resident individuals may make overseas direct investment in equity and compulsorily convertible preference shares of a JV or WOS abroad subject to Schedule V. Schedule V prohibits investment in real estate, banking, and financial services activities, bars investment in FATF non-cooperative jurisdictions, requires the JV/WOS to be an operating entity with no step-down subsidiaries, restricts investments to the ceiling under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (including EEFC/RFC balances), mandates valuation as per the Principal Regulations, and prohibits additional financial commitments beyond permitted overseas direct investment.

Determination of Origin: amendment adds the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to SAFTA member list, expanding eligible origins.
Amendment to the Determination of Origin rules under the SAFTA Agreement substitutes in rule 1(1) the existing phrase listing Member States with a revised phrase that adds the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the roster of participating governments. The change is effected under the authority of sub section (1) of section 5 of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975, and the amendment comes into force on publication in the Official Gazette.

Tariff value fixation amended to prescribe commodity valuation benchmarks for customs assessment and import valuation.
Substitution of TABLE-1 and TABLE-2 of Notification No. 36/2001-Customs (N.T.) prescribes revised tariff values for specified imported goods, listing US dollar per metric tonne values for bulk commodities (palm oils, palmolein, soybean oil, brass scrap, poppy seeds) and unit-based values for gold and silver, to serve as the valuation basis for customs assessment under the Customs Act.

Duty-free jewellery allowance increased for returning passengers, raising gender-differentiated baggage exemptions under amended customs rules.
Amendment increases duty-free baggage concessions by substituting higher monetary thresholds in rule 10 and replacing entries in Appendix D and Appendix F to raise the permitted aggregate jewellery allowances for gentleman and lady passengers, with distinct larger allowance for lady passengers; the rules become effective on publication under section 79 of the Customs Act, 1962 and further amend the Baggage Rules, 1998.

Export duty rates amended for specified goods, revising certain duties to nil or reduced effective rates.
Revises the principal notification by inserting new tariff entries and substituting column (4) rates in the Table to specify effective export duty rates: inserting nil duty for raw sugar and the entry at serial number 12, adding tariff lines for bauxite and ilmenite with prescribed export duty rates, and inserting a nil entry against another serial position, thereby amending Notification No.27/2011-Customs under powers of section 25.

Customs exemption for trophies: recognised sports bodies may import trophies duty-free subject to documentation and export verification.
Permits recognised National Sports Federations or registered sports bodies to import trophies for awarding at international tournaments in India, subject to customs officer satisfaction that the trophy is not an article of general utility, submission of manufacturer's invoice, photograph, declaration of purpose and event duration, an undertaking to retain the trophy until event conclusion and to export trophies awarded to non-Indian winners, and verification at export that the winning international team participated and the trophy's identity is established.

Rescission of customs exemption notifications ends prior exemptions, subject to actions completed before rescission under statutory authority.
The Central Government, invoking statutory authority under the Customs Act and the Customs Tariff Act, rescinds Notification No. 19/2012-Customs and Notification No. 20/2012-Customs issued on 17 March 2012, withdrawing their operative effect, while expressly preserving acts done or omissions occurring before the rescission.

Customs tariff amendments revise exemption entries, adjust duty rates, and expand concessional import conditions for selected goods.
Amendment modifies the customs exemption notification by inserting and substituting tariff headings and serial entries, omitting specified entries, and changing duty percentages for a range of goods including foodstuffs, coal, machinery components, gemstone pre-forms and automotive imports. It refines vehicle import descriptors and adjusts related duty entries. The proviso dates in two clauses are extended. The Annexure revises concessional conditions by allowing servicing of private aircraft including parts, extends retention periods for several entries, deletes one condition, and expands List 29 by substituting and adding numerous footwear and leather industry machines.

Tariff amendments expand exemptions and revise excise classifications for agricultural goods, carpets, silver, handsets, and motor vehicles.
The notification extends the proviso applicability to 31st March, 2015 and amends the tariff Table to insert, substitute and omit serial entries, creating new nil-rate or specified-rate treatments and refined product descriptions. Key changes include nil or altered treatment for tapioca starch, tapioca sago, peanut butter, certain marine goods and carpets of coir or jute; clarified fertilizer scope; a specific excise entry for silver produced during zinc or lead smelting; differentiated excise rates for mobile handsets by retail price band; and revised excise treatment and percentage retention for motor vehicles, including a defined SUV category.

Zero excise duty route extended to branded ready made garments and made ups via amendment to excise notification.
Amendment substitutes the Table entry against serial number 16 of Notification No.30/2004-Central Excise with the entry "All goods", creating a zero excise duty route for branded ready-made garments and made-ups; the change is made under powers of section 5A of the Central Excise Act, 1944 read with section 3(3) of the Additional Duties of Excise Act, 1957, as effected by Notification No.11/2013-Central Excise.

Variance allowances for re-imported cut and polished diamonds permit minor deviations in dimensions and weight.
Amendment inserts a proviso to condition (v) permitting a variance not exceeding +_ 0.01 mm in height and circumference and variance not exceeding +_ 1 cent in weight for re-imported cut and polished diamonds, and substitutes the Explanation to define "Foreign Trade Policy" as the policy published by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry vide notification No.1/2009-2014, as amended.

Tariff classification amendment: column entry substituted to align with HS 2012 under Customs notification by government.
Amendment substitutes the tariff classification entry in the Table of Notification No. 75/2005-Customs, replacing the entry in column (2) against serial number 118 with "2920 90 99" to align the schedule with HS 2012, effected under the statutory powers conferred by the Customs Act and recorded by the issuing notification dated 1 March 2013.

Exemption notification amendment removes tariff entry for handmade and jute/coir carpets, altering central excise exemptions.
Deletes the tariff entry for handmade carpets and other carpets and floor coverings of jute and coir by omitting serial number 37 and its entries from the Table in Notification No. 2/2011-Central Excise, thereby modifying the scope of miscellaneous central excise exemptions under the statutory powers conferred by the Central Excise Act.

Omission of specified tariff entries from central excise exemption notification removes listed serial entries and alters exemption table.
The Central Government, invoking section 5A(1) of the Central Excise Act, 1944, amends Notification No. 1/2011 Central Excise by directing the omission of serial numbers 72, 111, 112, 113 and 114 and their corresponding entries from the Table, thereby removing those specified goods from the miscellaneous exemptions previously listed.

Customs notification amendment updates tariff exemption entries, substituting and omitting specified goods under defined sub-headings.
The Central Government amends the customs exemption schedule by omitting specified serial entries and substituting revised entries that define exemption coverage by reference to particular tariff sub-headings, while excluding items already covered under listed entries of a prior notification; the changes are effected under statutory powers as an administrative revision of the principal notification.