[Guidelines for approval of skill development project under section 35CCD.

6AAF. (1) A skill development project shall be considered for notification if it is undertaken by an eligible company and the project is undertaken in separate facilities in a training institute.

(2) The eligible company, before undertaking any skill development project, shall make an application for notification of such project under sub-section (1) of section 35CCD, in duplicate, in Form No. 3CQ, to the National Skill Development Agency (hereinafter referred to as the NSDA).

(3) The eligible company shall also send a copy of the application in Form No. 3CQ to the Commissioner of Income-tax or the Director of Income-tax, as the case may be, having jurisdiction over the case, accompanied by the acknowledgement receipt as evidence of having furnished the application form in duplicate to the NSDA.

(4) The application shall be accompanied by the following, namely :—

(a) detailed note on the skill development project to be undertaken by the eligible company;

(b) details of the expenditure expected to be incurred on the project and expected date of completion of the project; and

(c) a letter of concurrence from the training institute in which the skill development project is to be undertaken.

(5) If any defect is noticed in the application referred to in sub-rule (2) or if any relevant document is not attached thereto, the NSDA shall, before the expiry of one month from the date of receipt of the application in its office, intimate the defect to the applicant for its rectification.

(6) The applicant shall remove the defect within a period of fifteen days from the date of such intimation or within such further period as, on an application made in this behalf, may be extended by the NSDA, so however, that the total period for removal of the defect does not exceed thirty days, and if the applicant fails to remove the defect within such period so allowed, the NSDA shall send its recommendation for treating the application as invalid to the CBDT.

(7) On receipt of recommendation of the NSDA under sub-rule (6), the CBDT, if satisfied, may pass an order treating the application as invalid.

(8) If the application form is complete in all respects, the NSDA may make such inquiry or call for such documents from the eligible company or the training institute as it may consider necessary for satisfying itself regarding the genuineness of the current and proposed activity of the applicant and send its recommendation to the CBDT for grant of approval or rejection of the application before the expiry of the period of two months to be reckoned from the end of the month in which the application form complete in all respects was received in its office.

(9) The Commissioner of Income-tax or the Director of Income-tax, as the case may be, having jurisdiction over the case shall send his recommendation to the NSDA for grant of approval or rejection of the application, after considering the compliance of the applicant with the various provisions of Income-tax Act, 1961 and Wealth-tax Act, 1957, before the expiry of the period of one month to be reckoned from the end of the month in which the copy of the application was received in his office.

(10) If the NSDA recommends the grant of approval under sub-rule (8), the CBDT shall, within a period of fifteen days from the end of the month in which it receives the report from the NSDA, under sub-section (1) of section 35CCD, issue a notification in Form No. 3CR to be published in the Official Gazette specifying the skill development project subject to conditions mentioned in rule 6AAG or such other conditions, as it may deem fit, to be effective for such period not exceeding three assessment years and if the NSDA recommends the rejection of the application under sub-rule (8), the CBDT shall pass an order rejecting the application.

(11) If the CBDT is satisfied with the activities of the skill development project during the period of notification, it may notify the said project for a further period in consultation with the NSDA.

(12) A copy of the notification issued under sub-rule (10) or sub-rule (11) shall be sent to the applicant, the NSDA, the training institute and the Commissioner of Income-tax or the Director of Income-tax, as the case may be, having jurisdiction over the case.

(13) The CBDT may rescind the notification issued under sub-rule (10) or sub-rule (11) at any time, if it is satisfied that the eligible company or the training institute, as the case may be, has ceased its activities or its activities are not genuine or the activities of the skill development project are not being carried out in accordance with all or any of the relevant provisions of the Act or this rule or rule 6AAG or the conditions subject to which the notification was issued.

(14) An order rescinding the notification shall not be passed unless the applicant has been given an opportunity of being heard in the matter.

(15) A copy of any order invalidating or rejecting the application or rescinding the notification shall be sent to the applicant, the training institute, the NSDA and the Commissioner of Income-tax or the Director of Income-tax, as the case may be, having jurisdiction over the case.