Ban on export of edible oils extended, while prior exemptions under earlier notifications remain preserved in public interest.
The amendment substitutes Paragraph 3 to extend the ban on export of edible oils so it is applicable up to 30.09.2011, taking immediate effect under the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act and the Foreign Trade Policy. The amendment preserves existing relaxations and exemptions granted under Notifications Nos. 92, 3, 33 and 60 (RE-series) and corrects the date of Notification No.60 to 20.11.2008; it records an earlier substitution that had limited the ban to two years from the original notification.

Minimum Export Price clarification: previous notification's price expression corrected to specify currency designation for export compliance.
The corrigendum amends the Minimum Export Price in the earlier notification by clarifying that the previously recorded figure should be read with the explicit currency designation US $, resolving ambiguity in Notification No.59 (RE-2008)/2004-09 and issued in the public interest.

Export permission for cement to Maldives from Tuticorin port under bilateral agreement with specified quantity and schedule.
Export permission allows M/s IDEB Projects (P) Limited, Bangalore to export 41,100 bags of 50 kg cement from Tuticorin Port to Maldives under a bilateral agreement; the amendment, made under statutory authority, operates notwithstanding the general Para 2 provisions and prescribes cement specifications (OPC IS:269, PPC IS:1489 or PSC IS:455:1989) and a month wise schedule: 9,100 bags (Nov 2008), 10,000 (Dec 2008), 12,000 (Jan 2009), 10,000 (Feb 2009).

Export of edible oil in branded consumer packs permitted with quantity and EDI port restrictions; fish oil export allowed freely.
Amendment permits export of edible oils in branded consumer packs of up to 5 Kgs, subject to a limit of 10,000 tons during the specified policy period and only from Customs EDI Ports; export of fish oil is allowed freely. The quantity to be exported under this concession shall be monitored through a system to be put in place by the Department of Commerce.

Anti-dumping duty on acrylic fibre continues with exporter-specific rates and a conditional price-based exclusion protecting domestic industry.
Definitive anti-dumping duty on Acrylic Fibre from Korea RP and Thailand is continued after review, with exporter-specific per unit duty rates and a conditional price-based exclusion for Homopolymer Acrylic Fibre (100% acrylonitrile) subject to a 5% variation. The duties remain in force for five years from publication, are payable in Indian currency, and the applicable exchange rate for calculation is that notified under the Customs Act on the bill of entry presentation date.

Insider trading regulations tightened: expanded insider definition, faster disclosure timelines, stricter trading restrictions and e filing enabled.
Amendments expand the definition of insider, define "working day" as a trading day on the relevant exchange, require companies to adopt the Model Code without dilution, accelerate disclosure timelines to two working days for directors and officers, permit e filing of disclosures, impose a six month restriction on opposite transactions and a prohibition on taking derivative positions, mandate a minimum holding for primary market allotments, and provide for enforcement under specified SEBI Act provisions with appeals to the Securities Appellate Tribunal.

Special Economic Zone designation deemed Inland Container Depot under Customs Act, applying ICD customs regime to the SEZ.
The Central Government appointed 18 November 2008 as the date from which the multi product Special Economic Zone at specified villages in Nanguneri Taluk, Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu, developed by M/s AMRL International Tech City Limited, shall be deemed to be an Inland Container Depot under the Customs Act, thereby applying the customs regime for Inland Container Depots to that SEZ.

Approval Committee for Special Economic Zone established, defining ex officio membership and developer representation for approvals.
Constitutes an Approval Committee for a multi product Special Economic Zone at specified villages in Nanguneri Taluk, Tirunelveli District, developed by M/s AMRL International Tech City Limited, under the Special Economic Zones Act. The Committee's composition is prescribed: Development Commissioner as Chairperson (ex officio); ex officio members from Commerce, Foreign Trade, Customs/Central Excise, Income Tax, Banking (Ministry of Finance), and Tamil Nadu industrial agencies; a special invitee from the developer; and provision for a Joint Development Commissioner to substitute for the Development Commissioner when absent.

Special Economic Zone designation for Nanguneri area establishes developer approval and parcel by parcel demarcation for development.
Notification designates specified land in Nanguneri Taluk, Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu, as a multi product Special Economic Zone, records prior approval under the Act and Rules for development and operation, confirms the developer as AMRL International Tech City Limited, and provides a parcel-by-parcel schedule of survey numbers and areas that constitute the operative demarcation of the SEZ.

Deeming of Special Economic Zone as Inland Container Depot enables the SEZ to operate under customs depot provisions.
The Central Government appointed 18 November 2008 as the effective date on which a sector-specific Special Economic Zone for information technology and information technology enabled services at Village Ankhol and Bapod, Taluka Vadodara, District Vadodara, Gujarat, is deemed to be an Inland Container Depot under the Customs Act, with the designation recorded by notification under powers conferred by the Special Economic Zones Act.

Appointment of Development Commissioner: Director, STPI Gandhinagar designated to administer the Special Economic Zone under departmental oversight.
The Central Government appoints the Director, Software Technology Parks of India, Gandhinagar as Development Commissioner for the specified Special Economic Zone; the appointee must follow instructions of the Central Government, Department of Commerce and the Board of Approval on Special Economic Zones, submit prescribed periodic reports, and is responsible to the Department of Commerce for actions as Development Commissioner, while personal service matters remain governed by the parent administrative authority.

Special Economic Zone designation for IT and ITES at Ankhol and Bapod under the SEZ Act, listing approved survey areas.
Designation of a Special Economic Zone for information technology and information technology enabled services at Ankhol and Bapod, Vadodara, under the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, with specific survey numbers and areas notified for development, operation and maintenance as a sector-specific SEZ; a later de-notification amended the designated area.

Approval Committee constituted for IT/ITES SEZ, establishing ex officio membership and developer special invitee representation by central notification.
Constitutes an Approval Committee for the IT/ITES SEZ at Village Ankhol & Bapod developed by M/s Larsen and Toubro Limited, established under Central Government authority. The committee is chaired by the Development Commissioner of the SEZ (ex officio) and includes ex officio members: a Department of Commerce officer (or nominee), the Zonal Joint Director General of Foreign Trade (Gujarat), the Commissioner of Customs or Central Excise (or nominee), the Commissioner of Income Tax (or nominee), and the Director (Banking) in the Ministry of Finance. Two Joint Secretary level officers to be nominated by the State and a developer representative are also included.

Export relaxation permits fully export-oriented units to ship non-basmati rice under fixed quantity and minimum price conditions.
Partial relaxation of the export ban authorises specified fully export-oriented units to export non-basmati rice in fixed quantities at a prescribed minimum export price during the Kharif Marketing Season 2008-09, subject to monitoring by a system established by the Department of Commerce and compliance with the terms and conditions of the Foreign Trade Policy.

Exporter service exemption: timeframe extended and statutory testing documentation accepted for exemption under amended service tax rules.
The amendment extends the period in paragraph 2(e) from sixty days to six months and inserts sub-item (ia) in the Schedule against Sr. No. 3, allowing an exporter to furnish a copy of domestic rules or regulations that statutorily mandate testing and analysis where the buyer does not require such testing, to meet the prescribed conditions. The notification is effective from its date of publication in the Official Gazette as a further amendment to Notification No.41/2007-Service Tax.

Exchange rate update revises customs conversion rates for Pound Sterling and Japanese Yen, effective 19th November.
Amendment substitutes the Schedule entries in Notification No. 115/2008-CUSTOMS (N. T.) to revise the rupee conversion rates: replacing SCHEDULE-I Serial No. 7 for Pound Sterling and SCHEDULE-II Serial No. 1 for Japanese Yen with updated rates for imported and exported goods, under Section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962, effective from 19th November, 2008.

Import duty revision: higher tariff on crude soyabean oil and increased duties on specified steel items announced.
The Government amends the Table to notification No. 21/2002-Customs by substituting the effective rate of duty at S.No.29A with 20% and by substituting the effective rate of duty at S.No.190A, S.No.190C and S.No.197 with 5%, exercising statutory power to vary duty rates in the public interest.

Appointment of Development Commissioner: Director STPI designated to discharge SEZ Development Commissioner functions under Department of Commerce supervision.
Director, Software Technology Parks of India, New Delhi is appointed as the Development Commissioner of the Special Economic Zone for the Progressive Buildestate Private Limited project, with duties to follow instructions of the Central Government, Department of Commerce and the Board of Approval and to submit prescribed periodic reports; the officeholder is responsible to the Department of Commerce for actions as Development Commissioner while personal service matters remain governed by the Department of Information Technology or Software Technology Parks of India.

Deeming of Special Economic Zone as Inland Container Depot alters customs treatment for the SEZ developer.
The Central Government has notified that the electronic hardware and software including information technology and IT-enabled services Special Economic Zone at Village Ghamroj, Bhondsi and Mahendwada, Tehsil Sohna, District Gurgaon, developed by M/s Progressive Buildestate Private Limited, is deemed to be an Inland Container Depot for the purposes of the Customs law from the date specified in the notification, thereby subjecting the SEZ to the customs regulatory framework applicable to Inland Container Depots.

Approval Committee for SEZ constituted with specified ex officio members and developer representative to oversee IT/ITES zone.
Constitutes an Approval Committee under the Special Economic Zones Act for an IT/ITES SEZ in specified villages in Gurgaon, Haryana, developed by the named private developer. The Committee is chaired ex officio by the Development Commissioner of the SEZ and includes senior ex officio members from the Department of Commerce, DGFT, Customs/Central Excise, Income Tax, Ministry of Finance (Banking), and Haryana industry authorities, with a developer representative as a special invitee.