G.S.R. 222 (E),- In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 25 of the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962), the Central Government, being satisfied that it is necessary in the public interest so to do, hereby exempts goods when imported into India against a duty credit certificate issued under the Target Plus Scheme in accordance with paragraph 3.7 of the Foreign Trade Policy (hereinafter referred to as the said certificate) from, -

(a) the whole of the duty of customs leviable thereon under the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act 1975 (51 of 1975); and

(b) the whole of the additional duty leviable thereon under section 3 of the said Customs Tariff Act,-

subject to the following conditions, namely :-

(1) that the benefit under this notification shall be available only in respect of duty credit certificate issued under the said Scheme to a Star Export House on the basis of incremental growth in FOB value of exports made during the financial year 2004-05 over the exports made during the financial year 2003-04;

(2) that the said certificate has been issued to a Star Export House by the licensing authority and it is produced before the proper officer of customs at the time of clearance for debit of the duties leviable on the goods, but for this exemption:

Provided that exemption from duty shall not be admissible if there is insufficient credit in the said certificate for debiting the duties leviable on the goods, but for this exemption;

(3) that the said certificate and goods imported against it shall not be transferred or sold:

Provided that where the goods are imported by a merchant exporter having supporting manufacturer(s) whose name and address is specified on the said certificate, the said goods may be utilised by the said supporting manufacturer(s);

(4) that in respect of capital goods, office equipment and professional equipment, a certificate from jurisdictional Deputy Commissioner of Central Excise or Assistant Commissioner of Central Excise, as the case may be, is produced confirming installation and use of goods in the importer¹s factory or premises within six months from the date of import or within such extended period as the Deputy Commissioner of Customs or Assistant Commissioner of Customs may allow :

Provided that in respect of units which are not registered with the central excise, the said installation certificate may be issued by an independent Chartered Engineer;

Provided further that where the capital goods, office equipment and professional equipment, are imported by a merchant exporter having supporting manufacturer(s), the goods may be installed in the factory or premises of the said supporting manufacturer(s);

(5) that the imports against the said certificate are undertaken through sea ports at Mumbai, Sikkim, Kolkata, Cochin, Magdalla, Kakinada, Kandla, Mangalore, Marmagoa, Chennai, Nhava Sheva, Paradeep, Pipavav, Sikka, Tuticorin, Visakhapatnam, Dahej, Mundhra, Nagapattinam, Okha, Jamnagar, Muldwarka and Porbander or through any of the airports at Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Mumbai, Kolkata, Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Chennai, Srinagar, Trivandrum, Varanasi, Nagpur, Cochin and Rajasansi (Amritsar) or through any of the Inland Container Depots at Agra, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Delhi, Faridabad, Gauhati, Guntur, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jallandhar, Kanpur, Ludhiana, Moradabad, Nagpur, Pimpri (Pune), Pitampur (Indore), Surat, Tirupur, Varanasi, Nasik, Rudrapur (Nainital), Dighi (Pune), Vadodara, Daulatabad (Wanjarwadi and Maliwada), Waluj (Aurangabad), Anaparthy (Andhra Pradesh), Salem, Malanpur, Singanalur, Jodhpur, Kota, Udaipur, Ahmedabad, Bhiwadi, Madurai, Bhilwara, Pondicherry, Garhi Harsaru, Bhatinda, Dappar (Dera Bassi), Chheharata (Amritsar), Karur, Miraj, Rewari, Bhusawal, Jamshedpur, Surajpur and Dadri or through the Land Customs Station at Ranaghat, Singhabad, Raxaul, Jogbani, Nautanva (Sonauli), Petrapole and Mahadipur or Special Economic Zones as specified in the notification issued under Section 76A of the said Customs Act;

(6) that the importer shall be entitled to avail of the drawback or CENVAT credit of additional duty leviable under section 3 of the said Customs Tariff Act against the amount debited in the said certificate.

2. The following categories of exports shall not be counted for calculation of export performance or for computation of entitlement under the scheme -

(i) export of imported goods covered under para 2.35 of the Foreign Trade Policy or exports made through transhipment;

(ii) export turnover of units operating under SEZ/EOU/EHTP/STP/BTP; Schemes or products manufactured by them and exported through DTA units;

(iii) deemed exports (even when payments are received in Free Foreign Exchange and payment is made from EEFC account);

(iv) service exports;

(v) exports of rough, uncut and semi-polished diamonds and other precious stones;

(vi) exports of gold, silver, platinum and other precious metals in any form, including plain and studded jewellery;

(vii) Export performance made by one exporter on behalf of another exporter.

3. The Target Plus Scheme may be re-notified for subsequent years with such modifications as are necessary.

Explanation, - In this notification -

(i) "goods" means any inputs, capital goods including spares, office equipment, professional equipment, office furniture, and agricultural products listed in Chapters 1 to 24 of the First Schedule to said Customs Tariff Act as may be notified by DGFT from time to time, which are freely importable under the Foreign Trade Policy;

(ii) "capital goods" has the same meaning as assigned to it in paragraph 9.12 of the Foreign Trade Policy;

(iii) "Foreign Trade Policy " means the Foreign Trade Policy 2004-2009, published by the Government of India in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry vide notification No.1/2004, dated the 31st August, 2004 as amended from time to time;

(iv) "licensing authority" means the Director General of Foreign Trade appointed under section 6 of the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992 (22 of 1992) or an officer authorised by him to grant a license under the said Act.

[ F. No.605/50/2005-DBK ]

 

Sd/-
( H.K. PRASAD)
Under Secretary to the Govt of India