The Centre has announced the last batch of scrapping of import restrictions on 715 items in its Export-Import Policy for 2001-02 (April-March). However, it raised fresh non-tariff barriers on some products, including automobiles, grains and petroleum products to protect the interest of the domestic industry and farmers. It also identified 600 new items to prohibit their import. The prohibited list includes mostly defence and health related products, whose imports are being banned keeping in line with the international practices, Commerce and Industry Minister Murasoli Maran said while unveiling the policy.
Such restrictions are allowed under existing rules of the World Trade Organization. Saturday's announcement marks the last phase of QR removal by India under WTO obligations. On December 28, 1999, India had signed an agreement to remove quantitative restrictions on import of 1,429 items in two phases. On April 1, 2000, it had scrapped QRs on 714 items and said the curbs on the remaining 715 would go by April 2001.
Of the 715 items on which QRs stands scrapped effective Sunday, 342 are textile products, 147 agricultural products, including alcoholic beverages, and 226 are in the manufacturing sector. Maran, however, placed non-tariff barriers on some of these products to protect the interests of the domestic industry and farmers.
"In view of the experience of so many years of phased removal of quantitative restrictions and given the institutional mechanism that we have in place, the apprehensions of being swamped by imports seems to be rather misplaced," Maran said.
However, "to ensure the safety and security of our citizens and safeguard our bio-security concerns," he said the EXIM policy had provided the following: Import of items like wheat, rice, maize, gasoline, gas oil, jet fuel and urea will be permitted only through designated state-owned trading firms.

Import of all plant and animal products will be subject to import permits from the Agriculture Ministry after analyzing the import risk aspects based on sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures.
Conditions will be enforced for the import of new and second-hand cars for ensuring road safety.
Import of foreign liquor, processed food and meat products and tea waste will be subjected to domestic regulation on health and hygiene.
No import of textile material using prohibited dyes like azo dyeS will be allowed. “The above non-tariff barriers are in conformity with the "National Treatment Principle" laid down in the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs,” Maran said. Bureau Report