The Finance Minister had in his budget speech for the year 2011-2012 announced the setting up of Infrastructure Debt Funds (IDFs), to facilitate the flow of long-term debt into infrastructure projects. The IDF will be set up either as a trust or as a company. A trust based IDF would normally be a Mutual Fund (MF) while a company based IDF would normally be a NBFC. IDF- NBFC would raise resources through issue of either Rupee or Dollar denominated bonds of minimum 5 year maturity. The investors would be primarily domestic and off-shore institutional investors, especially insurance and pension funds which would have long term resources. IDF-MF would be regulated by SEBI while IDF-NBFC would be regulated by the Reserve Bank.
ORDER NO. 03/2011 – Service Tax, dated 10-8-2011- In exercise of the powers conferred by Notification No. 16/2007 – Service Tax, dated 19th April, 2007, Central Board of Excise and Customs hereby assigns to the Commissioner of Service Tax, Delhi the case specified in the following Table, for the purpose of adjudication.
Minimum Export Price (MEP) of all varieties of onions excluding Bangalore Rose Onions and Krishnapuram Onions will be US$ 350 per Metric Ton F.O.B. It was US$ 475 per Metric Ton for general category onion as notified on 20.09.2011.For Bangalore Rose Onions and Krishnapuram Onions it will be US$ 400 per MT F.O.B instead of US$ 475 per MT as notified on 20.09.2011. Notification No 85 (RE – 2010)/2009-2014
Government vide press release dated November 18, 2011 has decided to: a. Increase the current limit of FII investment in Government Securities by US $ 5 billion raising the cap to US $ 15 billion. The incremental limit of US $ 5 billion can be invested in securities without any residual maturity criterion; b. Increase the current limit of FII investment in corporate bonds by US $ 5 billion raising the cap to US $ 20 billion. The incremental limit of US $ 5 billion can be invested inlisted corporate bonds.
With a view to widening the secondary market in Government Securities to more number of participants, it has been decided to extend direct access to NDS-OM to licensed Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) and Systemically Important Non-Deposit taking Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC-ND-SIs) falling under the purview of Section 45-I (c) (ii) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934 (i.e. NBFC-ND-SIs which carry on as their business or part of their business the activity of acquisition of shares, stock, bonds, debentures or securities issued by a Government or local authority or other marketable securities of a like nature). The financial criteria and other requirements for direct access to NDS-OM for the above entities are furnished in the Annex.
Notification No. 7/9/2011 – Income Tax Central Government hereby authorises the following 50 branches of Bank of India to receive, with immediate effect, subscriptions under the Public Provident Fund Scheme, 1968 and Senior Citizens Savings Scheme Rules, 2004:—
Notification No.41 /2011-Central Excise – G.S.R. 824(E). – In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 5A of the Central Excise Act, 1944 (1 of 1944), the Central Government, on being satisfied that it is necessary in the public interest so to do, hereby makes the following further amendments in the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue), No. 3/2005-Central Excise dated the 24th February,2005, published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, vide number G.S.R. 95 (E), dated the 24th February,2005, namely: –
NOTIFICATION No. 102 /2011-CUSTOMS In the said notification, in the Table, after S.No.35 and the entries relating thereto, the following S.No. and entries shall be inserted, ” 36 -Machinery, equipment, instruments, components, spares, jigs, fixtures, dies, tools, accessories, computer software, computer hardware, castings, forgings piping, tubing, chemicals, bio-chemicals, refrigerants, raw materials and consumables, ammunition and ground support equipments required for the Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MR-SAM) Programme of Ministry of Defence namely:-
The principal notification No. 21/2002- Customs, dated the 1st March, 2002, was published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Sub-Section (i), vide number G.S.R. 118(E), dated the 1st March, 2002 and was last amended by notification No. 97/2011-Customs, dated the 13th October, 2011 published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Sub-Section (i), vide number G.S.R. 760(E), dated the 13th October, 2011.
It has now been decided to i. increase the current limit of FII investment in Government Securities by US $ 5 billion raising the cap to US $ 15 billion. The incremental limit of US $ 5 billion can be invested in securities without any residual maturity criterion; and, ii. increase the current limit of FII investment in corporate bonds by US $ 5 billion raising the cap to US $ 20 billion. The incremental limit of US $ 5 billion can be invested in listed corporate bonds.
