Import of air conditioners with refrigerants prohibited, export of alcohol-based hand sanitisers allowed

The government has prohibited the import of air conditioners with refrigerants with immediate effect in order to promote domestic manufacturing and reduce import bill of non-essential items.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade in a notification on October 15 said the government has revised its policy on import air conditioners with refrigerants.

Under this revised policy, air conditioners with refrigerants have been moved from ‘free’ category to ‘prohibited’ category. Earlier in June, the Centre had imposed curbs on import of some pneumatic tyres.

In another decision, the Centre has allowed export of alcohol-based hand sanitisers in any form or packaging with immediate effect. In view of the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a sharp rise in the demand for hand sanitisers opening up a huge global market for Indian manufacturers.