New DEPB rates for 118 items

On the lower end, glass-fibre woven roving in the chemical segment attracts two per cent rate of credit as a percentage of freight-on-board (FoB) value of exports.

Under plastic items, credit rates were notified for lamination adhesive, plast petrol filter for four-wheelers, plastic water bottles, water jugs, ice pails, polyster chips, PVC fabricated bags, tooth brush and bycyle helmets made of polysterene.

The chemical items included sodium iodide, fibreglass insulation product, hand-cut lead crystal glassware, lead glass tube, potassium titanium fluoride and fluboric acid.

In the meantime, the Director General of Foreign Trade S B Mohapatra has ruled out the possibility of lowering threshold limit of Rs 20 crore and above under the zero duty facility of the export promotion capital goods scheme (EPCG) for textiles, engineering and leather sectors.

Explaining the position, Mohapatra told this newspaper that the proposal was mooted during the meeting of trade and industry representatives had with Prime Minister I K Gujral in the Capital on June 26.

Though the proposal did not find favour with representatives of the finance ministry, Gujral wanted it to be examined.

"We have not initiated any moves in this regard and the textiles ministry can take up the issue directly with the finance ministry," Mohapatra stated. The threshold limit for zero duty imports had been reduced from Rs 20 crore to Rs 5 crore for agricultural and allied sectors in the wake of the announcement of the 1997-2002 export-import policy.