On Wednesday, Delhi customs seized a large quantity of raw materials for masks, sanitizers, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) which were being smuggled to China.
Export of such items is prohibited by the government. A notification issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade on 19th March said, “The exports of all ventilators, surgical and disposable masks (2/3 ply), raw materials have been prohibited with immediate effect.” This new notification was issued when the number of COVID-19 cases in India started spiralling up and there was an urgent need for masks, PPE and sanitizers for domestic use.
Senior officials in customs said this is the first time since DGFT new notification has been issued that such a large quantity of seizures masks, raw materials for masks and PPE suits have been made.
