RBI imposes more restrictions on gold imports Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday extended the restrictions on gold import to other agencies in addition to banks, a moved aimed at curtailing demand for the precious metal for domestic use amid widening current account deficit.

"It has now been decided to extend the provisions (of May 13 circular) to all nominated agencies/ premier/ star trading houses...accordingly, any import of gold on consignment basis by both nominated agencies and banks shall now be permissible only to meet the needs of exporters of gold jewellery," the RBI said, adding the restrictions are applicable with immediate effect.

On May 13, such restrictions were put on banks. RBI also said all Letters of Credit (LC) to be opened by nominated banks and agencies for import of gold "under all categories will be only on 100 per cent cash margin basis". Further, it said, all imports of gold will necessarily have to be on "Documents against Payment (DP)" basis as the imports on "Documents against Acceptance (DA)" will not be permitted.

The restrictions will, however, not apply to import of gold to meet the needs of exporters of gold jewellery. The government and RBI have been taking steps to reduce gold import. High import has widened the CAD, with such deficit hitting a record high of 6.7 per cent of GDP in the third quarter of 2012-13....more    
04:59 PM, Jun 04, 2013

'Govt may take more steps to curb gold import' New Delhi: The Finance Ministry on Monday said the government could take more steps to reduce gold imports, which may include banning sale of the yellow metal by banks. "More steps will have to be taken to reduce gold imports. Export import policy on gold will have to be reviewed. May consider banning gold coin sale by banks," Department of Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram said. He was talking to...  
08:07 PM, Jun 03, 2013

Petrol prices may be hiked this week New Delhi: Petrol prices may be hiked by up to Re 1 a litre this week as the rupee hit a 10-month low making oil imports costlier. As per the practice of revising rates every fortnight, petrol price revision is due on Friday and if Oil Ministry approves the increased prices will come into effect from June 1, sources privy to the development said. While international oil prices have softened,...  
10:12 PM, May 30, 2013

RBI to consider CAD, macro factors for policy decision Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India will take into account macro economic factors and "more importantly" the current account deficit for policy decisions, Governor Duvvuri Subbarao said on Thursday. He also said high current account deficit is leading to the rupee weakening. India's current account deficit widened to a record high 6.7 per cent of GDP in the December quarter, driven by heavy oil and gold imports and muted exports,...  
06:15 PM, May 30, 2013

Current account deficit may dip to 4.5 per cent: ICRA
by IANS
Kolkata: India's current account deficit, which was around 5 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) last fiscal, is expected to decline to 4.5 per cent this fiscal, rating agency ICRA said on Tuesday. "This is based on the expectation that incentives announced by the government of India would provide a limited boost to non-oil, non-jewellery merchandise exports and lower crude oil prices would dampen growth of oil...  
04:54 AM, May 29, 2013

India's exports up 1.6 pc at $ 24.16 bn in April New Delhi: Country's merchandise exports grew by 1.6 per cent to $24.16 billion in April this year, whereas imports increased by 10.9 per cent. Imports during the reported month stood at $41.95 billion. Exports in April 2012 stood at $23.7 billion, while imports were at $37.8 billion. Due to high imports, the trade deficit rose to $17.8 billion, Commerce Secretary SR Rao told reporters on Monday. Rao attributed the widening...  
01:45 PM, May 13, 2013

Illegal car imports: DRI officer shielded Alagiri, Stalin It is not just DMK chief M Karunanidhi's younger son and his heir apparent MK Stalin and his son Udayanidhi, but even the DMK chief's elder son and former central minister MK Alagiri allegedly used illegally imported cars. Now CNN-IBN exposes how a Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officer allegedly covered up the illegal car imports of Alagiri , Stalin and his son and how luxury import cars used by...  
06:12 PM, Mar 25, 2013

'Cabinet to take up shale gas exploration policy in 2 weeks'
by IANS
The Cabinet will take up the crucial shale gas exploration policy in two weeks, Petroleum Minister M Veerappa Moily said Sunday. ...  
06:40 PM, Mar 24, 2013

Chennai car imports scam perhaps the biggest: CBI sources The CBI has said that the imported cars scam unearthed in Chennai may perhaps be the biggest of its kind in India. The scam, in which, the CBI says that officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) are also involved, reportedly caused a loss of Rs 50 crore to the government exchequer. ...  
04:43 PM, Mar 22, 2013

CBI raids at Stalin's house stopped after uproar Sources say Stalin has not been named in the FIR and add that the agency was just looking for a car on the complaint of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. ...  
11:39 AM, Mar 21, 2013

Live: CBI raids at Stalin's house stopped Finance Minister P Chidambaram has said he disapproves of the CBI raids on DMK leader and Karunanidhi's son MK Stalin as it is bound to be misunderstood. Speaking to CNN-IBN, Chidambaram said, "I strongly disapprove of the action by the CBI. It will be misunderstood. I have spoken to the minister concerned." ...  
09:36 AM, Mar 21, 2013

India's February exports up by 4.25 per cent India's February exports rose 4.25 per cent from a year earlier to $26.3 billion, while imports rose 2.6 per cent to $41.2 billion, leaving a trade deficit of $14.9 billion, trade ministry officials said on Monday. ...  
12:55 PM, Mar 11, 2013

Current account deficit biggest concern, says Raghuram Rajan India's record-high current account deficit is a chief worry as it is increasing the dependence on foreign investments, the government's top economic adviser said on Tuesday, making the country vulnerable to a sudden stop and reversal in fund inflows. ...  
03:59 PM, Mar 05, 2013

Rupee down 16 paise vs dollar in early trade The rupee on Monday weakened by 16 paise to trade at nearly two-month low of 55.05 against the dollar in early trade at the Interbank Foreign Exchange market. The rupee fell due to increased demand for the US currency from oil importers. ...  
09:52 AM, Mar 04, 2013

Don't buy so much gold: P Chidambaram Finance Minister P Chidambaram appealed to people not to buy so much gold as a way of reducing hefty imports, speaking on television a day after his 2013/14 budget surprised traders by keeping gold import duty unchanged at 6 per cent. ...  
05:17 AM, Mar 02, 2013

Duty-free import limit of jewellery via passengers raised To prevent harassment to passengers, the government on Thursday proposed increasing the limit of duty-free import of jewellery via passenger baggage to Rs 50,000 for males and Rs 1,00,000 for females. The rule has been amended for Indian passenger who has been residing abroad for over an year or a person who is transferring his residence to India. ...  
05:13 PM, Feb 28, 2013

India's exports up by 0.82 pc at $ 25.58 bn in January After contracting for eight straight months, India's exports grew by a meagre 0.82 per cent in January to $25.58 billion. Exports had stood at $25.37 billion in January, 2012. ...  
12:31 PM, Feb 13, 2013

India to cut Iran oil imports in its 2014 fiscal year India, the world's fourth-biggest oil importer and Iran's second-biggest client, relies on outside supplies for 80 Per cent of its oil needs, or about 3.5 million barrels per day (bpd). ...  
11:22 AM, Dec 20, 2012

Exports slump 11 pct to $ 23.7 bn in September New Delhi: India's annual exports fell 11 per cent to $23.7 billion in September, while imports rose 5.09 per cent to $41.8 billion, leaving a trade deficit of $18.08 billion, the government said in a statement, citing provisional trade data. India's overseas sales have fallen from year-ago levels in six of the past seven months, with trade officials blaming weak demand for major exports. Oil imports for September were $14.09...  
01:12 PM, Oct 11, 2012

Antony calls for reducing dependence on defence imports
by IANS
New Delhi: Defence Minister AK Antony on Friday called for reducing India's over-dependence on defence imports and bolstering research and development capabilities. Speaking to officials of Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs), Antony asked them to make sincere and sustained efforts to reduce the dependence on imports to the maximum extent possible. "While in the era of globalisation, it is not possible to completely do away...  
12:58 PM, Oct 06, 2012