Anti-dumping law to be tightened

Technical aspects to be modified to bring them in line with US, EU norms

India is set to strengthen its anti-dumping law by amending some of the major regulations. The commerce ministry has already initiated the process of review of the rules and is expected to be ready with a draft Bill by the time a new government is in place.

Officials told Business Standard the basic law would remain the same but the technical aspects would be strengthened.

They added that the move was not because of the recent measures, initiated by the European Union (EU) and Bangladesh, at the World Trade Organisation's dispute settlement body that questioned India's dumping rules.

Officials said, henceforth, the anti-dumping authority would not go by the market share statistics provided by the appellants but work out the statistics itself.

The new clause would be modelled on the lines of the rules in the EU and US.

Similarly, the method of calculation for the normal value of a product being investigated and the dumping margins would also be reworked under the new procedures.

Officials, however, ruled out the possibility of converting the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Activities (DGAD) into an autonomous body and said the authority would remain a part of the commerce and industry ministry.

The committee of secretaries (CoS) has already cleared the proposal and the commerce ministry has prepared a Cabinet note based on the CoS decision.

The officials added that it had been decided in-principle that the Directorate General of Safeguards, which is at present a part of the revenue department, would be merged with DGAD.

The CoS has, however, turned down the finance ministry's proposal to involve the Tariff Commission, which is under the administrative control of the department of industrial policy and promotion, in the anti-dumping activities and put the two bodies under North Block's administrative control.