CBI booked 3 Delhi-based firms for violating export ban on pulses

New Delhi, May 9 (UNI) Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jairam Ramesh today informed the Rajya Sabha that the Central Bureau of Investigation had booked three Delhi-based export houses for violating the ban on export of pulses clamped on June 22, 2006.

In a written reply to three MPs of Samajwadi Party, the Minister also informed that import/export licences of Messers Kohinoor Food Ltd, Jet King International and KRBL Ltd were suspended on April 24.

He said 1,36,021 tonnes of pulses worth Rs 480 crore were exported between July, 2006 and April,2007 after the imposition of ban.

While confirming action against the Delhi's firms in a seperate reply to SP senior leader Amar Singh, the Minister said the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics issues monthly statistics of foreign trade giving item-wise details of exports but there is a time lag about six months in providing such details. Interestingly, violation of export ban, however, continued for ten months from July-2006 to April-2007 as per details provided by the Minister.

In yet another reply to Mr S S Ahluwalia of the BJP, Mr Jairam Ramesh disclosed that India exported 1,82,494 tonnes of pulses valued at Rs 547 crore in first seven months of fiscal 2006-07 and imported 1,464,139 tonnes of pulses worth Rs 2,396 crore in first eight months of the previous financial year.

UNI