Move to give boost to ‘Make in India’: Govt puts import restrictions on colour television

NEW DELHI | KOLKATA: India on Thursday imposed restrictions on the import of colour television sets, bringing back curbs it had lifted almost two decades ago, in a measure to encourage domestic production.

Imports of TVs in certain categories will now require a licence from the government. “Import policy of colour television sets… is amended from ‘free’ to ‘restricted’,” the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification, adding that it would separately issue the procedure for the grant of licence.

The curbs are applicable to TV sets included in the ‘other colour’ category that covers LCD TVs among the goods. There is no restriction on monochrome TVs. The total imports under the restricted category in fiscal 2020 were $781 million. Of these, Vietnam and China accounted for $428.37 million and $292.48 million, respectively.