Move to squeeze Chinese imports

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 23

The Commerce Ministry has taken the first step towards squeezing Chinese imports by making it compulsory for all sellers under Make-in-India and Atmanirbhar Bharat schemes to mention “Country of Origin” while registering their products on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM).

Sellers have also been told to mention the local content percentage on all items.

Indications are that the selection process may quietly filter out products from China or those with high local content from that country in case there are price-competitive alternatives available. The GeM portal has got a “Make in India” filter to enable buyers choose products that meet the “minimum 50 per cent local content” criterion.

Sellers who had uploaded their products on the GeM before the introduction of the new feature have been asked to update the “Country of Origin” column. Their products will be removed from the GeM, if they fail to comply with the instructions.