Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman has said that a large quantity of items, which are no-essential, are being imported.
They included mobile phones, mobile phone accessories, set top boxes, computer and computer parts, decorations, toys, ovens, air conditioners, laminated fabric, auto-parts, and headphones.
The reason for such imports was cost advantage and price competitiveness of foreign manufacturers, she said in a written reply to Nalin Kumar Kateel, Dakshina Kannada MP, recently.
Only four cases of dumping of consumer goods manufactured in foreign countries had been registered with the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) in the last five years. “However, there are large imports of items which are prima facie non-essential,” she said.
InvestmentsSuggesting that higher level of Chinese investments in India would be instrumental in reducing the burgeoning trade deficits, she noted that the Union government had signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation on industrial parks in India with the People’s Republic of China on June 30.
Pointing out that the primary responsibility of preventing entry of counterfeit products into India lies with Indian Customs, she said the responsibility of investigating complaints of manufacturing and trading of counterfeit products rested with the State Police.
