 "Gold imports at $42 bn during Apr-Jan")
For 2011-12 they had reached $56.3 billion, Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
"India's gold imports have increased in recent years, reflecting the increasing size of domestic gold market," Meena said.
Gold imports in 2010-11 were pegged at $40.5 billion, while in 2009-10 they amounted to $28.6 billion.
According to a report of the working group of Reserve Bank, gold is imported in India mainly through designated banks and MMTC.
During 2011-12, gold imports through designated banks were estimated to be 603 tonne, or 56%, of total gold imports.
In a separate reply, Meena said India's total external debt at the end of September is estimated at $365 billion.
High gold imports are putting pressure on the country's Current Account Deficit (CAD), which touched a peak of 5.4% of the GDP in the July-September quarter.
The government has taken a number of steps to check import of the precious metal by hiking duty and also linking gold deposit schemes of banks with Exchange Traded Funds of mutual funds.