The Centre has eased rules for the Import of steel grades not covered under Quality Control Orders (QCOs).
”In order to streamline the regulatory framework governing steel imports and to facilitate ease of doing business, the Ministry of Steel has undertaken a review of the existing import-related requirements. Based on this review, the following procedural clarifications are hereby issued,” the Steel Ministry said in an official release on Thursday.
It said the Ministry has also reviewed the requirement introduced vide Circular dated 20 October 2023 for obtaining clarification or No Objection Certificate (NOC) from it for the import of steel grades not covered under any QCO.
”Based on the recommendations of the High-Level Committee on Non-Financial Regulatory Reforms (HLC-NFRR), it has been decided that steel grades not covered by any Quality Control Order will no longer require clarification or NOC from the Ministry of Steel,” the release said.
To facilitate implementation of this decision, all steel grades not covered under any QCO—across all HSN Codes relating to the Ministry of Steel—have been mapped on the Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS) Portal. Importers may directly generate SIMS numbers for such non-QCO grades through the Portal without seeking any reference or approval from the Ministry of Steel.
As per the Quality Control Orders issued by the Ministry of Steel, all grades of steel covered under the Orders are required to be imported only from manufacturers holding valid and operative BIS licences for the relevant grades.
In cases where import of QCO-covered steel grades is proposed from manufacturers who do not possess BIS licences, an exemption mechanism is already in place. Such applications are examined by the Committee constituted vide Order No. 1(9)/2019-TD dated 14 May 2020.