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With a view to guarding domestic manufacturers from cheap Chinese imports, the government has extended anti-dumping duty on certain types of seamless tubes, and pipes till October 31, 2021. The duty on 'seamless tubes, pipes and hollow profiles of iron, alloy or non-alloy steel (other than cast iron and stainless steel), whether hot finished or cold drawn or cold rolled of an external diameter not exceeding 355.6 mm' was first imposed in May 2016 for five years.

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has said ‘the anti-dumping duty imposed under this notification shall remain in force up to and inclusive of the October 31, 2021, unless revoked, superseded or amended earlier’. The commerce ministry's investigation arm Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) had recommended for extension of the duty, after concluding a probe. While DGTR recommends the duty to be levied, the finance ministry imposes it.

Countries initiate anti-dumping probes to determine if the domestic industry has been hurt by a surge in below-cost imports. As a counter-measure, they impose duties under the multilateral WTO regime. Anti-dumping measures are taken to ensure fair trade and provide a level-playing field to the domestic industry. They are not a measure to restrict imports or cause an unjustified increase in cost of products. India has initiated maximum anti-dumping cases against dumped imports from China.