NEW DELHI: Steps such as online filing of applications have helped in significantly reducing the average time for completing investigations by the commerce ministry’s arm DGTR to 234 days in 2019-20, an official said. The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) is the investigation arm of the ministry which deals with anti-dumping duty, safeguard duty, and countervailing duty.
These duties are trade remedy measures, provided under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to its member countries.
They are used to provide a level-playing field to domestic industry in case of dumping of goods, significant increase in imports and subsidised imports.
“There is a significant improvement in the efficiency and efficacy of the directorate to provide expeditious relief to domestic industry. The average time to complete investigation has reduced significantly to 234 days in 2019-20 from 281 days during 2018-19 and more than 400 days in previous years,” the official said.
The average time to initiate an anti-dumping investigation has brought down from 43 days in 2018-19 to 33 days in 2019-20.
The DGTR has also initiated as many as 63 trade remedy probes during 2019-20 fiscal as against 29 in 2018-19.
“All possible avenues to provide relief to domestic industry was explored such as bilateral safeguard investigations, and safeguard quantitative restrictions in the investigations. Many anti-subsidy investigations are also being conducted or have been finalised,” the official added.
Further to promote inclusive approach towards policy making, several stakeholder consultations are being held with industry members and trade remedy experts for further improvement in practices by imbibing best global practices.
The official said that “an online portal was developed to enable the domestic industry to file applications electronically for seeking trade remedial relief and other stakeholders to file their responses”.
Source: indiatimes.com