Licences
Business licences, registrations and approvals.
9stories · Rule change
October 2026
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Sugar stock limits: dealers capped at 1,000 quintals and 15 days from 15 October to 30 November 2026; bulk consumers may hold 30 days’ stock using imported sugar
Sugar dealers: 1,000 qtl, 15 daysRule changeThe Government has fixed the sugar dealers’ stock limit at 1,000 quintals and the holding period at 15 days from 15 October to 30 November 2026, with 2,000 quintals for Kolkata and its extended metropolitan areas and Assam. Separately, bulk consumers may hold 30 days’ stock instead of 15, but the extra quantity must come only from sugar imported under Advance Authorisation or TRQ.
September 2026
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New CAFE norms notified for passenger vehicles from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2032: target tightens to 3.3273 litres/100 km
CAFE norms from 1 April 2027Rule changeThe Ministry of Power says it has notified new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) norms for new passenger vehicles manufactured or imported for sale in India, applicable from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2032. The fuel-consumption benchmark tightens from 3.996 litres/100 km in 2027–28 to 3.3273 litres/100 km in 2031–32.
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CAQM approves revised GRAP schedule for NCR: DG set and bus curbs move to Stage I, essential-goods exemption for BS-IV goods vehicles removed
Revised GRAP: 48 actionsRule changeThe Commission for Air Quality Management approved modifications to the GRAP Schedule for the NCR at its 30th Full Commission meeting on 28 September 2026. Actions on DG sets and BS-IV and below buses move from Stage II to Stage I, Sonipat is added to the districts with LMV restrictions, and web-portal dust monitoring is extended to C&D projects beyond municipal limits.
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Glass screen protectors for smartphones brought under the Compulsory Registration Order from 1 April 2027: MeitY S.O. 5190(E)
IS 19348:2025 from 1 Apr 2027Rule changeMeitY has added “Screen Protectors for smartphones” as S. No. 66 in the Schedule to the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirement of Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021. The Indian Standard is IS 19348:2025, “Glass Screen Protector — Specification”. The Order applies to these goods from 1 April 2027.
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Gas Cylinders Rules amended for CNG/CBG Mobile Refuelling Units: who may own one, where it may dispense and what safety conditions apply
CNG/CBG mobile refuellingRule changeDPIIT has notified the Gas Cylinder (Third Amendment) Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 831(E) dated 21 September 2026). A new Condition 22 in Form G lays down additional conditions for CNG/CBG Mobile Refuelling Units — ownership, the vehicles they may refuel, safety distances and records. Public retail dispensing is barred.
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Gold hallmarking: district list replaced; hallmarking fee fixed at ₹75 per gold article and ₹35 per silver article
₹75 per gold articleRule changeTwo notifications on hallmarking. The Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts (Third Amendment) Order, 2026 (S.O. 4345(E) of 3 August 2026) substitutes the Annexure of districts. The BIS (Hallmarking) Amendment Regulations, 2026 of 14 September 2026 substitute Schedule IV on hallmarking fees.
August 2026
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Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026 notified: IST to be the common time reference; Rules take effect 180 days after Gazette publication
IST Rules: 180 days to alignRule changeThe Department of Consumer Affairs notified the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026 on 27 August 2026. The Rules provide for Indian Standard Time as the common time reference across the country for legal, administrative, commercial and other official purposes, and come into force 180 days from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
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Medical Devices Rules, 2017: no separate loan licence for outsourced sterilisation; EU added for clinical-investigation waiver, says Health Ministry
No loan licence for sterilisationRule changeThe Health Ministry says the Medical Devices Rules, 2017 have been amended. Under amended rule 44, a manufacturer that outsources sterilisation to a facility holding a valid licence under the Rules no longer needs a separate loan licence for that activity. Rule 63 now includes the European Union among the jurisdictions recognised for waiver of clinical investigation.
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Drugs Rules, 1945 amended: applicants who submit fake or fabricated data can be debarred from filing further applications
Fake data: applicant debarredRule changeThe Union Health Ministry says it has notified amendments to the Drugs Rules, 1945 that empower the Licensing Authority to debar entities submitting fake or fabricated data from filing further applications for a specified period. A show-cause notice must be issued first, and an appeal is provided.
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