All foreign companies registering products for sale in India must mention the “country of origin”.
New Delhi:
An adjustment of the rules by the Center to promote the Make in India campaign and Atmanirbhar Bharat should increase the chances for Chinese products and services in the country in the midst of the current economic crisis against China.
Following the violence last week in Ladakh, in which 20 soldiers died and more than 70 were injured, an appeal was launched to boycott Chinese goods and services from traders and civil society.
Under the new rules, all foreign companies registering fresh produce for sale in India will have to mention the “country of origin” on the government e-Marketplace – a state-run online portal – the government announced today hui.
This will also be mandatory for existing products.
“Sellers, who had already downloaded their products before the introduction of this new feature on GeM, are regularly asked to update the country of origin, with a warning that their products will be removed from GeM if they fail to update them, “the government said.
Sellers will also need to mention the “percentage of local content” in the product, according to the government, so buyers can make an informed choice.
“With this new feature, the country of origin and the percentage of local content are now visible on the market for all items,” said the government. “More importantly, the” Make in India “filter is now activated on the portal. Buyers can choose to buy only products that meet the minimum local content criteria of 50%,” the statement added.
After last Monday’s clash in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh – the worst in nearly five decades – anti-Chinese sentiment swept the country.
There has been a call to boycott Chinese products by the body of traders from all over India – the Confederation of All Traders of India or CAIT.
The government, meanwhile, has decided to “firmly say” to state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd not to use Chinese equipment in its 4G upgrade due to security concerns. A Chinese company having obtained a railway contract of Rs 471 crores was shown the door “due to poor progress”.
China expects the reaction to be short-lived given the economic considerations of the two countries, government spokesman Global Times predicted.
