Government amends foreign trade rules; Intelligence Bureau, RAW can import on their own

Officials said this will allow security agencies to import directly without involving Defence Ministry. “This includes unmanned aerial vehicles, arms, ammunition, surveillance equipment, machinery, bomb disposal suits, helmets/protection, machinery, computer software, night vision equipment, radio communication test sets, practice grenades, among others,” said an official, adding that the Union Home Ministry has recently taken up the matter and sought an intervention of DGFT to fast-track import of security-related items (prototype) for trials.

Asked to elaborate on the import exemption, a home ministry spokesperson said, “Security agencies within the power of the DGP have been exempted to have an import licence before procurement. It has been done to shorten the procurement process since the financial powers of the DGs have been upgraded.”

An official said state governments have also been allowed to import for security purposes by amending exemption rules of foreign trade. The latest notification also scrapped the provision which allowed exemptions to Directorate General Supplies and Disposals, which was shut last year.