Skip to main content

Restriction likely on import of items that hit local companies

By

India is looking to impose restrictions and standards on products where imports have replaced domestic production, an attempt to give a push to 'Make in India' programme and reduce the widening trade gap. 
The commerce department has instructed various ministries to analyse data and compile lists of products which are being produced domestically but losing market share to imports. 
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has been assigned the task of setting standards that will have to be met by imported goods as well as goods manufactured in the country. "We need to do an analysis of the deficit before putting any technical restrictions because there are certain areas where we do not have domestic production," said an official aware of the development. 
Medical devices, solar cells, ceramics, plastic wares and toys, among other products, may be subjected to manda .. 
Most line ministries, especially those which have a regulatory role such as textiles and health, along with the industry department, have been asked to prepare a list. 
The government wants to impose standards, compliance with which will be mandatory for both domestic and imported goods – called 'national treatment' in trade parlance. 
The national treatment will ensure that the restrictions are consistent with the World Trade Organization commitments. 
At present, about 120 products including certain qualities of cement, electronics, milk powder, cables and wires come under mandatory standards compliance. India exported goods worth $274.6 billion in 2016-17, 4.7 per cent higher than $262.2 billion in the previous year. The trade deficit in 2016-17 was $105.7 billion. 
"We have asked all ministries to look at data and find products that need attention. We will take two months for a review," the official said. 
The Economic Times, New Delhi, 12th July 2017

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Household debt up, but India still lags emerging-market economies: RBI

By
  Although household debt in India is rising, driven by increased borrowing from the financial sector, it remains lower than in other emerging-market economies (EMEs), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in its Financial Stability Report. It added that non-housing retail loans, largely taken for consumption, accounted for 55 per cent of total household debt.As of December 2024, India’s household debt-to-gross domestic product ratio stood at 41.9 per cent. “...Non-housing retail loans, which are mostly used for consumption purposes, formed 54.9 per cent of total household debt as of March 2025 and 25.7 per cent of disposable income as of March 2024. Moreover, the share of these loans has been growing consistently over the years, and their growth has outpaced that of both housing loans and agriculture and business loans,” the RBI said in its report.Housing loans, by contrast, made up 29 per cent of household debt, and their growth has remained steady. However, disaggregated data sho...
Post a Comment
Read more

External spillovers likely to hit India's financial system: RBI report

By
  While India’s growth remains insulated from global headwinds mainly due to buoyant domestic demand, the domestic financial system could, however, be impacted by external spillovers, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in its half yearly Financial Stability Report published on Monday.Furthermore, the rising global trade disputes and intensifying geopolitical hostilities could negatively impact the domestic growth outlook and reduce the demand for bank credit, which has decelerated sharply. “Moreover, it could also lead to increased risk aversion among investors and further corrections in domestic equity markets, which despite the recent correction, remain at the high end of their historical range,” the report said.It noted that there is some build-up of stress, primarily in financial markets, on account of global spillovers, which is reflected in the marginal rise in the financial system stress indicator, an indicator of the stress level in the financial system, compared to its p...
Post a Comment
Read more

Retail inflation cools to a six-year low of 2.82% in May on moderating food prices

By
  New Delhi: Retail inflation in India cooled to its lowest level in over six years in May, helped by a sharp moderation in food prices, according to provisional government data released Thursday.Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation eased to 2.82% year-on-year, down from 3.16% in April and 4.8% in May last year, data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) showed. This marks the fourth consecutive month of sub-4% inflation, the longest such streak in at least five years.The data comes just days after the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee cut the repo rate by 50 basis points to 5.5%, its third straight cut and a cumulative reduction of 100 basis points since the easing cycle began in February. The move signals a possible pivot from inflation control to supporting growth.Food inflation came in at just 0.99% in May, down from 1.78% in April and a sharp decline from 8.69% a year ago.A Mint poll of 15 economists had projected CPI ...
Post a Comment
Read more