1.   

More items under duty drawback scheme for exporters

The government on Saturday rationalised the duty drawback and brought more items under the scheme for tax refund to exporters to give a boost to overseas shipments. The revised all-industry rates of duty drawback, which have been notified, will come into effect from September 21, a finance ministry statement said. "Apart from the rate changes, to assist exporters, a large number of rationalisation measures have also been undertaken to realign entries, provide rates on more items...," it said.

2.   

FSSAI issues new regulations for info on dairy & bakery package labels

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued new regulations about the information on the labels on packages of food, including dairy and bakery products, and asked all stakeholders to file their suggestions about them and submit the same. One of the regulations proposed by the apex food regulator was that every package of food and beverages containing plant stanol esters shall bear a declaration to that effect, along with the amount per 100g or 100ml.

3.   

‘Australian govt keen on pact with India’

The new government in Australia is likely to be keen to conclude the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with India, Australia’s High Commissioner to India, Patrick Suckling, said here on Monday. “We have had five rounds of negotiations (to conclude the CECA) and given what the new government is saying, it will want to see that work continues and is intensified,” he said in an informal chat with newspersons.

4.   

India, Latvia set to sign pact to avoid double taxation

India and Latvia will sign an agreement for double taxation avoidance in New Delhi on Wednesday. Following this, the Baltic state would open its embassy in New Delhi in January 2014, said Edgars Rinkevics, Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs. These steps are expected to give a significant boost to trade, cultural and educational exchanges between the two countries, ahead of India and the EU concluding a free trade agreement (FTA), he told Business Line here.