(1) Every assessee shall maintain proper records, on a daily basis, in a legible manner indicating the particulars regarding description of the goods produced or manufactured, opening balance, quantity produced or manufactured, inventory of goods, quantity removed, assessable value, the amount of duty payable and particulars regarding amount of duty actually paid.

(2) The first page and the last page of each such account book shall be duly authenticated by the producer or the manufacturer or his authorised agent.

(3) All such records shall be preserved for a period of five years immediately after the financial year to which such records pertain.

(4) The records under this rule may be preserved in electronic form and every page of the record so preserved shall be authenticated by means of a digital signature.

(5) The Board may, by notification, specify the conditions, safeguards and procedure to be followed by an assessee preserving digitally signed records.

Explanation.- For the purposes of this rule and rule 11, the expressions, "authenticate", "digital signature" and "electronic form" shall have the respective meanings as assigned to them in the Information Technology Act, 2000 (21 of 2000).