(a) whether the Government has any plans to ban the import of plastic items from China due to the reported toxic contamination;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to prevent such imports and also to protect the indigenous industry?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)
(SMT. NIRMALA SITHARAMAN)
(a) and (b): The Government has comprehensively revised its regulation on hazardous materials through Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management & Tranboundary Movement) Rules, 2016 dated 4th April, 2016 wherein plastic waste has been included in the Schedule-VI of the above Rules and the item is prohibited for import from all countries since then.
(c) The Foreign Trade Policy (2015-2020) provides safeguards against poor quality imports by providing for Domestic Laws/ Rules/ Orders/ Regulations / Technical Specifications/ Environmental/ Safety and Health Standards applicable to domestically produced goods to be applicable, mutatis mutandis, to imports, unless specifically exempted. Wherever, there are domestic standards for goods, those standards are also applicable to imported goods.
India has an elaborate and robust legal framework and institutional set up to protect its environment, life and health of its people, plants and animals. Apart from the Hazardous Rules as stated in the part (a) & (b) above, the BIS standards, applicable to domestic goods, are also applicable to imported goods. For imported food and edible items, Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006 and Rules there under are also applicable.
The Standards Committee on Plastics has been formed comprising Ministry of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Plexconcil, PlastIndia, Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology and other bodies representing plastic producers in formulating / developing a mechanism to thwart the import of substandard low quality, toxic and hazardous plastics entering the Country.
Indigenous industries can also seek protection under various trade defense measures like anti – dumping duty, countervailing duty and safeguard duty.
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