(MENAFN- KNN India) New Delhi, Nov 20 (KNN) The Ministry of Steel has issued a set of procedural clarifications aimed at simplifying steel import requirements and improving ease of doing business, following a review of the existing regulatory framework.

The Ministry has withdrawn the requirement-introduced through a circular dated October 20, 2023-for importers to seek a clarification or No Objection Certificate (NOC) for steel grades not covered under any Quality Control Order (QCO).

Acting on recommendations of the High-Level Committee on Non-Financial Regulatory Reforms (HLC-NFRR), the Ministry announced that such grades will no longer need prior approval.

To operationalise this change, all non-QCO steel grades across relevant HSN codes have been mapped on the Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS) portal. Importers can now directly generate SIMS numbers for these grades without referring the matter to the Ministry.

For steel grades notified under QCOs, imports are permitted only from manufacturers holding valid BIS licences for the specified grades.

An exemption mechanism for cases involving non-BIS licensee manufacturers will continue as per existing procedures.

Applications for exemption-examined by a committee constituted under Order No. 1(9)/2019-TD dated May 14, 2020-are assessed by representatives from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), and domain experts.

The committee will continue to evaluate and decide on exemption requests for QCO-covered steel products manufactured by units without BIS certification.

Applications for exemptions may be submitted through the SIMS portal at the designated link.

(KNN Bureau)

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