Weeks after imposing a ban on popular Chinese mobile applications, the government of India has now imposed restrictions on the import of colour television sets from China. The move is aimed at boosting domestic production.
India restricts import of TVs
The restrictions were announced by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). The notification issued by the DGFT said that the import policy of colour television sets has been changed from “free” to “restricted”. The import of TVs in certain categories will now require a licence from the government.
The import of Colour TV sets that will be impacted by the new import policy are:
- Colour television sets of screen size up to 36 cm
- Television sets of screen size of 36 cm but not exceeding 54 cm
- Television sets of screen size of 54 cm but not exceeding 68 cm
- Television sets of the screen size of 68 cm but not exceeding 74 cm
- Television sets of screen size of 74 cm but not exceeding 87 cm
- Television sets of screen size of 87 cm but not exceeding 105 cm
- Television sets of screen size exceeding 105 cm
- Liquid crystal display television set of screen size below 63 cm
The notification said that the actual user conditions would not be applicable for importers applying for an authorization to import the goods ‘restricted’ in this notification. The procedure for grant of license will be separately issued by DGFT.
Colour television sets worth USD 781 million were imported in the year ended 31 March, most of which came from Vietnam (USD 428 million) and China (USD 292 million). With this, the government has brought this restrictions in a measure to encourage domestic production. This notification comes as Chinese imports and investments continue to face immense scrutiny in India after the recent India-China border clash.
The government has earlier cancelled railway and road tenders secured by Chinese companies. It also imposed a ban on banned 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok, UC Browser on national security grounds. The Prime Minister of India has said that India needs to end its dependence on the import of gadgets, equipment, solar panels and technology from foreign countries, apparently pointing to imports from China.
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