Licence raj returns

Creation of import barriers must be avoided

The government last week announced it had decided to control the import of televisions. Fully built televisions have been put on the “restricted” list for imports, which means that licences will have to be granted for import by the Director General of Foreign Trade. TVs worth about Rs 7,000 crore are imported, especially from Vietnam and China. Many brands choose to make their mass market TVs in India — it is only the high-end TVs, which have a relatively small market in India, that are imported. Other goods are also going to see such restriction, including set-top boxes and closed-circuit