Import of mobiles without IMEI banned

In a significant development, India has banned the import of mobile handsets without International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), a unique identification number.

Mobiles phones without IMEI are considered a security threat as it is difficult to track handsets without this number. This concern was raised after terrorist attacks like the one in Mumbai in November last year.

The Department of Telecommunications had earlier asked telecom operators to disconnect services to such handset but they were reluctant to do so.

IMEI is a 15-digit code which appears on the operator’s network whenever a call is made. There are about 25 million Chinese handsets that are being used in the country.

Ban on milk products, toys extended:
India has extended the ban on import of milk and milk products, and toys from China for a period of six months. Import of milk and related items including chocolates was banned last September following concerns over presence of toxic chemicals in them. This contamination had also resulted in huge international outrage against China, leading to 25 nations restricting Chinese imports.

The import ban on Chinese toys not conforming with international quality standards was imposed in January this year. The government has now extended it till January 2010. Following the restriction, the Chinese media had reported that Beijing was contemplating dragging India to the WTO to challenge the ban. However, the then Indian commerce minister, Kamal Nath, had said the ban was WTO-compatible. The ban was partially relaxed in March.

The toy market in India is estimated to be Rs 2,500-crore big, while the volume-driven, price-competitive Chinese toys are estimated to control 70 per cent of the global toy market.

Oman lifts ban:
In a move that will help Indian poultry exporters, the ban imposed on import of live bird products by Oman has been lifted. This comes after the Indian government took up the issue with the Omani authorities.

The West Asian nation had imposed a blanket ban on import of livestock from India after the outbreak of avian flu in certain parts of the North-East.

The Indian authorities took up the matter with their counterparts in Oman to impress upon the fact that the situation was under control after the affected birds were culled to prevent the situation from escalating.