Anti-dumping duty on sodium nitrate imposed for imports from specified countries, continuing from provisional imposition.
Imposition of definitive anti-dumping duty on Sodium Nitrate follows findings of dumping and material injury by imports from the European Union, the People's Republic of China, Ukraine and Korea RP. The notification prescribes country- and transaction-specific duty rates per metric tonne denominated in US Dollars, converts provisional measures into definitive relief under section 9A of the Customs Tariff Act read with the 1995 anti-dumping rules, fixes the period of effectiveness measured from provisional imposition, and provides an exchange-rate rule for conversion to Indian currency based on the bill of entry date.

Jurisdiction of Central Excise Intelligence extended to exercise CBEC powers and assign adjudication of show cause notices.
The Principal Director General or Director General of Central Excise Intelligence is specified to have jurisdiction as Principal Chief Commissioner or Chief Commissioner over the Principal Commissioners and Commissioners listed in Table III(A) and III(B) of the earlier notification, enabling them to exercise the powers of the Central Board of Excise and Customs under rule 3 of the Central Excise Rules, 2002 for assigning cases for adjudication of show cause notices under the existing delegation framework.

Jurisdictional assignment of show cause notices: Central Excise Intelligence may delegate adjudication to appropriate commissioners.
Specifies that the Principal Director General/Director General of Central Excise Intelligence is empowered under rule 3 of the Service Tax Rules to assign show cause notices issued by the Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence for adjudication to Principal Commissioners of Service Tax, Principal Commissioners of Central Excise, Commissioners of Service Tax or Commissioners of Central Excise, thereby formalising the delegation and assignment mechanism for service tax-related intelligence matters.

Customs notification amendment adds Hindaun City as a permitted site for unloading imports and loading exports.
Amendment designates Hindaun City, District Karauli as an authorised location under the principal Customs (Non-Tariff) notification for Rajasthan, inserting an entry that permits unloading of imported goods and loading of export goods at that location, thereby expanding the list of recognised Inland Container Depots/Land Customs Stations/Ports without changing other conditions of the principal notification.

Import prohibition on shark fins converts prior free import status to a categorical ban under ITC tariff classification.
Importation of Shark fins under EXIM code 0305 71 00 is reclassified from free to prohibited, amending Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2012; importers and customs authorities must apply the revised classification and treat the commodity as inadmissible for import under the current policy.

Prohibition on export of shark fins bars international shipment of shark fins under the Foreign Trade Policy export controls.
A new ITC(HS) export entry designates shark fins of all species as Prohibited; the notification amends the customs classification for fish and aquatic products to bar the export of shark fins, making such exports not permitted under the Foreign Trade Policy and subject to immediate enforcement.

Minimum import price for cardamom set; imports allowed only at or above prescribed CIF value with FSSAI compliance.
Amendment fixes a minimum import price regime for cardamom: listed uncrushed/non-ground varieties are on a free import policy provided consignments meet the prescribed CIF value threshold per kilogram and comply with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006; the MIP is fixed with immediate effect.

Minimum export price reduction for edible oils in small branded consumer packs lowers the export pricing requirement.
The Director General of Foreign Trade amended prior notifications to permit export of edible oils in branded consumer packs of up to 5 kgs subject to a Minimum Export Price of USD 900 per metric tonne, effective immediately, reducing the previous MEP of USD 1100 per metric tonne for that category.

SEZ de notification: specified land parcels removed from an IT/ITES SEZ, reducing the notified SEZ area accordingly.
The Central Government, exercising statutory authority under the Special Economic Zones framework and applicable SEZ rules, has de notified specified land parcels amounting to 20.806 hectares from the sector specific IT/ITES SEZ at Kalwara, Sanganer, Jaipur, following the promoter's proposal, the State Government's no objection, and the Development Commissioner's recommendation, thereby reducing the SEZ's notified area to 36.1070 hectares and identifying the affected survey numbers and parcel areas in a central notification.

Vessel sharing agreement exemption allows temporary non-application of competition prohibition, subject to monitoring and filing requirements.
Exempts Vessels Sharing Agreements in the liner shipping industry from the Competition Act's prohibition on anti-competitive agreements for one year, provided they do not include price fixing, capacity or sales limitations, or market/customer allocation; requires monitoring by the Director General, Shipping and filing of existing or new agreements and related documents within thirty days of publication or ten days of signing, whichever is later.

Exchange rate determination establishes applicable conversion rates for import and export transactions effective from February.
The notification fixes conversion rates for specified foreign currencies for customs purposes, listing distinct import and export rates in Schedule I (per unit) and Schedule II (per 100 units) and declares those rates effective from 6th February, 2015; it supersedes the prior customs exchange-rate notification except in respect of actions already completed under that earlier instrument.

Notification correction: updates designated tax officers and revises Schedule I entries to correct circle codes and locations.
Corrigendum expands the roster of designated officials by inserting Tax Recovery Officers alongside Joint Commissioners of Income tax and corrects Schedule I by replacing specific territorial/circle codes and location entries against specified serial listings, including insertion of an additional sub item, thereby realigning the territorial identifiers referenced in the original Gazette publication.

New Pension Scheme governs Commission members' pension; bars entitlement to additional pension and gratuity, based on Secretary pay.
Rule 4 is substituted to provide that the Chairperson and other Members shall be governed by the New Pension Scheme, which shall be based on pay prescribed for the Secretary to the Government of India, and that the Chairperson and other Members shall not be entitled to additional pension or gratuity for services rendered in the Commission.

Foreign investment restriction: citizens of specified countries require RBI permission to acquire or transfer immovable property in India.
Amendment replaces Regulation 7 to require prior Reserve Bank permission for acquisition or transfer of immovable property in India by citizens of specified foreign jurisdictions, with an exception limited to short term leases; the amendment takes effect on publication and is issued under statutory powers conferred by the Foreign Exchange Management Act.

Safe harbour for electricity transactions: transfer prices based on commission-determined tariffs accepted if filing and documentation requirements met.
The rules establish a safe harbour regime for Government companies in the electricity sector for supply, transmission and wheeling transactions: eligible assessees must maintain specified documentation (ownership, business description, transaction terms and values, regulatory orders, transfer pricing working papers, assumptions and negotiations, and other relevant data). The assessee must file Form 3CEFB by the return due date; the Assessing Officer verifies eligibility and may require further information or declare the option invalid, subject to a time-limited objection and review process. If valid and the tariff is set by the Appropriate Commission, the declared transfer price is accepted without comparability adjustments.

Exchange Rate Adjustment revises customs conversion rates for specified foreign currencies for import and export valuation.
Under Section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962, the CBEC amends Notification No. 09/2015-CUSTOMS (N.T.) by substituting Schedule-I entries for Australian Dollar and New Zealand Dollar, setting specified rupee conversion rates for import and export valuation, effective from 4th February, 2015.

Administrative charges for EDLI scheme set at a nominal percentage with prescribed minimum monthly charges applicable to establishments.
Determination fixes administrative charges payable monthly by employers to the Deposit-linked Insurance Fund under the Employees' Deposit-linked Insurance Scheme, 1976 as a nominal percentage of the aggregate of basic wages, dearness allowance (including cash value of any food concession) and retaining allowances, subject to prescribed minimum monthly charges for non-functional establishments without contributory members and for other establishments. The notification supersedes earlier notifications but preserves the previous determination for the specified prior period under a transitional provision.

Administrative charges for employee provident fund reduced, changing employer payment rate and minimum monthly obligations.
Fixes the administrative charges payable by employers under the Employees' Provident Funds Scheme, 1952 at 0.85% of pay, subject to a minimum of seventy-five rupees per month for non functional establishments with no contributory members and five hundred rupees per month for other establishments, and supersedes the earlier notification S.O. 1437 dated 9th July, 1998 insofar as inconsistent; specifies that the earlier notification continues to apply to periods up to and including 31st December, 2014.

Exchange of information expanded: obligations to obtain and share tax-relevant information supersede bank secrecy and support cross-border tax administration.
The Protocol replaces Article 25 with an expanded Exchange of Information framework: competent authorities must exchange foreseeably relevant tax information for application and enforcement of the Agreement and domestic tax laws, with confidentiality safeguards and restricted disclosure to tax and oversight authorities; use for other purposes requires mutual legal permissibility and supplying-authority authorisation. States need not adopt measures contrary to domestic law, supply unobtainable information, or disclose trade secrets or information contrary to public policy, but must obtain requested information even absent domestic interest, and bank or fiduciary-held information is not per se exempt.

Exchange rate notification updates foreign currency conversion for customs, affecting import and export valuation and compliance.
Amendment substitutes Schedule I entries for the Canadian Dollar and the Swiss Franc in the earlier customs exchange rate notification, specifying distinct import and export conversion rates to be used for customs valuation and compliance; the substitution is effective from the stated commencement date and applies to customs declarations and related procedures while other provisions of the original notification remain unchanged.