The Union Finance Ministry has increased import duty on 19 ‘non-essential items’ high-end consumer items to curb import of certain imported items.
The 19 ‘non-essential items’ includes air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines and ATF (aviation turbine fuel).
This decision was taken to stabilise depreciating rupee by narrowing current account deficit (CAD) and get outgoing foreign funds flowing back to India.
CAD is difference between inflow and outflow of foreign exchange. It has widened to 2.4% of GDP in the April-June quarter.