Export restriction exception for roasted gram: consumer-packaged units now allowed under amended foreign trade policy.
The prohibition on export of pulses is amended so it shall not apply to roasted gram (whole or split) when exported in consumer-packaged units of one kilogram; accordingly export of roasted gram in such consumer packs is permitted under the ITC(HS) Schedule 2 amendment.

Notification reference correction replaces Notification No.1/2013 with No.2/2013, expanding listed enforcement agencies including CBN and Directorate of Enforcement
The corrigendum amends Notification No. 43/2014 - Customs (N.T.) by substituting the opening reference Notification No. 1/2013-Customs (N.T.) with Notification No. 2/2013-Customs (N.T.), and by revising Schedule Column 1 to list officers of Customs, Central Excise, Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN), Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Directorate of Enforcement as the designated personnel.

Customs exemption: import of medical, surgical, dental and veterinary goods attracts nil additional duty under amended notification.
The notification substitutes a table entry to exempt specified tariff subheadings for goods required for medical, surgical, dental or veterinary use from additional duty, prescribing a Nil standard rate for those imports and thereby treating such listed goods as exempted from additional duty under the amended notification.

Concessional duty on medical goods imports clarified; specified tariff items and manufacturing inputs receive reduced customs rates under amendment.
The notification amends the customs exemption schedule to substitute entries identifying specific tariff items for medical instruments and appliances (excluding parts and spares) as eligible for a reduced standard customs rate, and separately designates raw materials, parts or accessories used in manufacture of the specified medical headings as qualifying for concessional treatment when imported for manufacture.

Countervailing duty on castings for wind generators imposes differentiated subsidy duties on imports from China and related trade flows.
Imposes a countervailing duty on castings for wind operated electricity generators originating in or exported from the People's Republic of China following a finding of subsidization causing material injury; specifies tariff classifications, differential duty rates by producer/exporter and trade flow, defines landed value as assessable value under the Customs Act plus specified duties, requires payment in Indian currency, and sets the duty term at five years from publication unless earlier revoked.

Electronic Verification Code generation expanded to include bank and demat pre-validation for e filed income tax returns.
The notification adds two EVC generation modes by pre-validating bank account details (account number, IFSC, Email, Mobile) and demat account details (demat number, Email, Mobile) via the e filing Profile Settings; provided PAN and name match, successful validation by the bank or depository allows the assessee to generate an EVC which is sent to the Email ID and/or Mobile Number verified by the validating institution, with participating banks and depositories to be listed on the e filing portal.

Fuel levy rates revised, substituting Fourth Schedule entries to impose updated per-rupee petrol and diesel levies.
Amendment substitutes the entries in the Fourth Schedule to revise the levy applicable to Petrol (Motor Spirit) and Diesel (specified diesel oils), replacing the existing rows for serial numbers 12 and 13 with new entries specifying a per-rupee levy; the notification is issued under powers conferred by section 103 and takes effect the day after issuance.

Increase in Basic Excise Duty on petrol and diesel via amendment to tariff notification, effective mid-January.
Substitutes revised Basic Excise Duty entries in the table of Notification No.12/2012-Central Excise at serial numbers 70 and 71, replacing column (4) rates for items (i) and (ii) to increase duties on petrol and diesel (branded and unbranded). Made under section 5A of the Central Excise Act, 1944, the amendments take effect from 16 January 2016 and further amend the principal notification and its prior amendment.

Tariff value fixation updates import valuation for edible oils, metals, seeds, nuts and precious metals under customs rules.
Central Board of Excise & Customs amends the principal customs notification by substituting TABLE-1, TABLE-2 and TABLE-3 to fix tariff values for specified imports, setting per-metric-tonne values for edible oils, brass scrap, poppy seeds and areca nut and per-unit values for gold and silver when specified notification benefits are availed, thereby integrating these values into the customs valuation framework under statutory authority.

Remuneration and deputation eligibility updated for Private Secretary and stenographer posts, clarifying service requirements under Commission rules.
The amendment revises Schedule I by increasing the grade pay for the Private Secretary post within Pay Band-2 and replacing the previous general deputation/absorption provision with role-specific eligibility: deputation/absorption is limited to officers holding the post of stenographer in government, PSUs, autonomous or regulatory bodies who either hold analogous posts on a regular basis or are stenographers Grade I in Pay Band-2 with the requisite regular service in the grade.

Correction of notification: English text amends "serial No. 9" to "serial No. 12" in the customs notification.
The corrigendum directs that, in the English version of Notification No. 12/2016 CUSTOMS (N.T.), dated 12 January 2016, the words "serial No. 9" shall be read as "serial No. 12", effecting a textual correction to the published notification.

Sovereign Gold Bond scheme enables government-issued gram-denominated gold bonds with tradability, interest, and market-linked redemption.
The Central Government establishes the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme, 2016 issuing Government of India Stock denominated in grams of 999 purity gold, specifies eligible holders, subscription units and fiscal per-person limits, ties issue and redemption prices to the previous week's average market gold price, prescribes application, issuance and demat conversion procedures, sets fixed interest payable half-yearly with premature redemption after the fifth year and redemption at eight years, and provides for SLR eligibility, use as loan collateral, transferability, nomination, commission sharing and tax treatment mirroring physical gold.

Electronic filing requirement for options under charitable income rules mandates Forms 9A/10 with digital verification and procedural standards.
The amendment substitutes rule 17 to require that the option to treat unspent trust income as applied be exercised in Form No.9A and statements of accumulation or setting apart be furnished in Form No.10, both filed within the time for filing the return of income and submitted electronically under digital signature or electronic verification code. The Principal Director General/Director General of Income-tax (Systems) is tasked to specify filing procedures, data standards, generation of electronic verification codes, and to implement security, archival and retrieval policies for the electronically furnished forms.

Investor Protection Authority: establishes composition, appointments, governance and functions to administer the Investor Education and Protection Fund.
Establishes the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority to administer the IEPF, constituted by notification with an ex officio Chairperson (Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs), a Central Government appointed Chief Executive Officer as convenor, and six members including specified ex officio nominees and four expert members. Sets member tenure, reappointment limits, grounds and procedure for removal, meeting frequency and quorum, conflict disclosure obligations, protection for acts in good faith, and core functions across Administration, Investment/Funds Management, Claims and Settlement, Legal and Enforcement, Investor Education and Protection, and Finance, Accounts and Audit.

Commencement of Section 125 provisions: government appoints their coming into force, except administration manner of IEPF.
Central Government appoints a date for commencement of specified companies statute provisions related to the Investor Education and Protection Fund, bringing subsections concerning the Fund into force while excepting the provisions as to the manner of administration of the Fund from immediate commencement.

Exchange of Information provisions expand cross border tax information sharing while preserving confidentiality and legal limitations.
The Protocol replaces Article 27 with an Exchange of Information regime requiring competent authorities to share information foreseeably relevant to the Agreement or domestic tax laws, subject to confidentiality and use limitations, preserving exceptions for legal and public policy constraints, and obliging requested states to use their information gathering measures even without a domestic interest, including where information is held by financial institutions or nominees.

Delisting thresholds and minimum exit price: amendments require low trading volume and exit price not below regulatory floor.
Amendments to Regulation 27 set the delisting trading-volume threshold where traded shares on each recognised exchange in the twelve months before the relevant board meeting are below ten percent of total shares, using a weighted average if share capital varied; they also require the exit price offered to public shareholders to be no less than the floor price determined under the Delisting Regulations read with the price-determination clause of the Substantial Acquisition and Takeovers framework.

Government entities must file quarterly online purchase returns in Form GE-II, verify supplier TINs, and obtain VAT deposit certificates.
Government entities in the National Capital Territory of Delhi must enroll via Form GE-I to obtain a GEID and file quarterly online returns of purchases for consumption in Form GE-II, listing all invoices dated in the quarter regardless of payment, verifying supplier TINs, and obtaining seller certificates of VAT deposit; Form GE-I details must be updated within 30 days and non-compliance is a violation under the Act.

Import policy for apples expanded to permit imports through specified sea and air ports and national land borders.
The amendment revises import routing for apples under Exim code 0808 10 00: previously restricted to Nhava Sheva Port, imports are now permitted through sea ports and airports at Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Cochin, the land port and airport in Delhi, and through India's land borders.

Export declaration and realisation: exporters must declare exports and ensure repatriation of full export value within prescribed timelines.
Exporters of goods, software and services must furnish prescribed declaration forms (EDF for physical exports; SOFTEX for non physical software) to designated authorities, ensure the full export value is realised and repatriated in foreign exchange through authorised dealers in the manner and within periods prescribed, and retain authorised dealer copies on realisation. Certain categories of exports are exempted from declaration but remain subject to realisation obligations. The Reserve Bank may impose pre export conditions, extend realisation periods, or direct compliance measures, and exporters have a right to be heard before approvals are withheld.