Issue of guidelines to RLAs regarding issue of import licences approved by the Special Licensing Committee at Headquarters - DGFT - 29(RE-98)/97-02

Policy Circular No 29(RE-98)/97-02 Dated the 6th August, 1998 Sub: Issue of guidelines to RLAs regarding issue of import licences approved by the Special Licensing Committee at Headquarters. Under the current EXIM Policy and Procedure effective from 13.04.1998, the issue of licences including those approved by the Headquarters been decentralised. As a result, the specific import licences for import of Negative of items which were so far approved and issued by the Headquarters will now be only approved by the Special Licensing Committee at the Headquarters and import licence will be issued by the RLAs Under this new procedure, relevant portions of the minutes of the meetings of the SLC indicating the decisions will be communicated to the Port Offices within 72 hours of the meeting. 2. The following guidelines have to be considered for issuing such licenses in a uniform manner: - (i) The original application will henceforth be filed before the port office and the applicant will send requisite copies to the Headquarters. (ii) The RLAs, on receipts of the decision/minutes of the SLC, shall ensure that the licence is issued within three working days subject to the surrender of SIL, except where the SIL condition has been waived. (iii) The SIL so surrendered shall be cancelled and perforated immediately after issue of licence except where the SIL is for a value higher than the requisite value. In such cases the SIL surrendered for higher value shall be debited or the requisite amount i.e. the amount equivalent to the CIF value of the licence to be issued. Such SIL, after having been debited, shall be returned to the firm. However, copies of such SILs along with copies of transfer letter shall be retained in the file for record. The debit endorsement shall be done on the body of the SIL duly authenticated by the issuing Authority. Where the SILs are to be cancelled and perforated the same shall be done under the personal supervision of the concerned FTDO. The SILs so surrendered should be accepted after properly verifying their utilisation position. (iv) In cases where import licence to be issued for import of Horses/Broodmares, the same shall be subject to the list of conditions appended herewith as Annexure A. (v) All such licences will be issued with "Actual User" condition. Such condition should be mentioned on the body of the licence itself. Other conditions stipulated by the SLC shall also be indicated on the body of the licence. (vi) In cases of customs Clearance Permit (CCP) no SIL needs to be surrendered. (vii) All such licences/CCPs shall be issued with value and quantity restrictions, 3. This issues with the approval of DGFT. Sd- (Aajan Sudesh Aatna) Dy. Director General of Foreign Trade Issued by: Government of India Ministry of Commerce Directorate General of Foreign Trade Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi Issued From No.49 5 197-02/Cir Annexure. A (Policy Cicular No.29) Conditions attached to Import Licence P/A Dated___________, for Rs.__________________ Only issued in favour of: - M/s. __________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ 1. The equine should come from a country free from African Horse Sickness. 2. During 180 days immediately prior to export the equine should have not visited any country where African Horse Sickness occurred since past 2 years immediately proceeding to export. 3. The horse in question has been kept In isolation for 30 days in approved Govt. quarantine station arid subjected to the following tests: Disease Diagnostic test Glanders Mallein/CFT 15 days before embarkation Dourine CFT 15 days before embarkation Equine Infectious Anaemia Cogging (Immunodiffusion test) 30 days before embarkation Infectious Equine Abortion Serum Agglutination Test (titre not greater than 1/3000). 15 days Equine Viral Arterities (EVA) Virus Nutralisation test/CFT. Two occasions at least 14 days apart with negative result during the 28 days prior to shipment Equine Morbily virus Serum Nutralisation Test N.B. No testing is necessary in respect of such diseases, which do not occur in the exporting country. However, a certificate should be furnished for the freedom of the disease. 5. The horse showed no clinical signs or symptoms of infectious or contagious diseases including African Horse Sickness, episootic lymphangitis, uncertive lymphangitis, Trypansomiasis,Dourine, equine ptroplasmosis, equine rhiopneuponitis, equine encephlonyeitis, equine influenza, equine influenza infectious anemia and vesicular the day of shipment and during the three months prior to shipment. 6. The horse were kept for three months prior to shipment in a Govt. approved establishment were no case of diseases mentioned above was officially reported and no such diseases reported in a radius of 20 kilometers around the approved establishment. 7. All equipment, container, vehicles and parts of the vessel or aircraft used for transportation of the horse were cleared and disinfected using disinfectant approved for the purpose by the Govt. vety service. 8. The horse is not vaccinated against African Horse Sickness Equine Viral Arterties. The above conditions are common for all horses to be imported from any country. 9. Horses imported from France, Federal Republic of Germany, Japan, Italy, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Brazil, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia or Sweden must fulfil the conditions mentioned below:- i) Only Colts and Stallions upto 7 years of age and fillies upto 5 years of age which have never been can be imported. ii) The horses should be accompanied by a certificate from an authorised veterinarian of the exporting country to the effect that the horses have not been in contact with breeding stock during the 12 months immediately prior to export and that swabs collected from the prepuse/urethra/vagina/car vix as the case may be, of these horses have been found negative for parthogenic micro-organisms, specifically Haemophilus equigenitals, by standard culture and serological methods on three consecutive occasions at seven (7) day intervals during the thirty (30) days immediately prior to embarkation for export. iii) After import in India the horses should be kept in quarantine for a minimum period of (30) days at the Govt. Quarantine Station or premises specifically approved by the Ministry of Agriculture for this purpose. During this quarantine period the horses shall be subjected to standard culture and serological examination for contatious equine metritis infection by a recognised laboratory on three consecutive occasions at seven (7) day intervals and hall be permitted to mix with other stock only when declared negative for contagious equine metritis infection. 10. Horses imported from countries other than those specified in clause 8 above must:- i) not have been boarded in any of the countries listed in clause 8 above during the period commencing 2 years prior to embarkation for export from the exporting country. ii) be accompanied by a certificate from an authorised veterinarian of the exporting country to the effect that the country concerned has remained free of contagious equine metritis disease during the three years immediately prior to export. 11. A certificate of fitness issued either by the veterinary officer or by a qualified veterinary doctor registered with the Government of the country of origin shall be furnished at the time of customs clearance.