ICT: US continues monitoring India’s restrictions on ICT imports, raises issues on digital commerce limitations

In its Nationwide Commerce Estimate Report on Overseas Commerce Boundaries 2024, the US Commerce Consultant (USTR) mentioned: “Since 2021, US corporations have been topic to an rising variety of takedown requests for content material and person accounts associated to points that seem politically motivated”.

As per the report, India’s customs system is complicated and open to administrative discretion. It additionally cited an absence of readability on definitions associated to model house owners, date markings, non-retail containers, and multi-unit pack on alcoholic drinks.

On IT imports, the US mentioned its exporters have raised issues over the shortage of prior stakeholder consultations.

In August final 12 months, India restricted the imports of sure ICT merchandise and mentioned they are going to be allowed solely with a legitimate import license for every product.

As per the report, American stakeholders have reported that getting an import license for remanufactured items is onerous. “Stakeholders famous extreme particulars are required within the license software, amount limitations are set for particular elements, and lengthy delays happen between the submission of an software and the grant of a license,” it mentioned. For sure chemical merchandise topic to high quality management orders, the USTR mentioned its business has requested the India to subject clear pointers and directions to its customs authority for each the QCO exemptions and QCO implementation in order that imports usually are not unnecessarily delayed.

“India lacks an overarching authorities procurement coverage and, because of this, its authorities procurement practices and procedures fluctuate amongst completely different ministries throughout the central authorities,” it mentioned.

The US additionally highlighted limitations to digital commerce reminiscent of knowledge storage requirement which hampers the power of service suppliers to detect fraud and make sure the safety of their world networks.

A scarcity of transparency continues to have an effect on new and proposed legal guidelines and laws, based on the US, together with an absence of uniform discover and remark procedures and inconsistent notification of those measures to the World Commerce Group (WTO).