The government is mulling imposing import restrictions on television sets with an aim to cut inbound shipments of non-essential items, sources said. Both the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) and the commerce ministry are discussing a proposal in this regard, they said.

Putting an item under the restricted category of imports means that the importer of that commodity would have to seek a licence from the commerce ministry's directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) for the imports. Imports of TV stood at about $1 billion during 2018-19.

China ($535 million in 2018-19) is the largest exporter of TV sets in India. It was followed by countries like Vietnam ($327 million), Malaysia ($109 million), Hong Kong ($10.52 million, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, and Germany.

The government is also likely to impose restrictions on imports of furniture with a view to boost domestic manufacturing and reduce inbound shipments of non-essential items.

The government has earlier his month imposed similar restrictions on imports of refined palm oil. Out of over $500 billion worth of imports in 2018-19, products imported under 'others' category accounted for over $100 billion.

First Published:Feb 13, 2020 2:24 PM IST