No jail term for farm goods, textiles export rule slip-ups

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NEW DELHI: The latest Jan Vishwas Bill, moved in Parliament on Friday, has proposed removing imprisonment for several offences related to export of textiles, handloom, and farm products.For instance, under the Textiles Committee Act, exporting and selling textiles or textile machinery in contravention of prescribed order, which can result in a jail term of up to one year is being done away with and the fine is proposed to be converted to warning for the first contravention, with a penalty of up to Rs 25 lakh proposed for every subsequent contravention.Similarly, failure to furnish information or sample, or furnishing false information or sample and damaging books of account or refusal to furnish it will not result in a jail term of up to three months, instead a fine of Rs 10,000-25,000 can be levied under the Handlooms (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act.

Similar changes are also proposed under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act with general contraventions seeing imprisonment and fine converted into warning and penalty when it comes to contraventions of any provisions of the law or the rules.Importing or exporting scheduled agricultural products in violation of the prescribed order, currently punishable with up to a year in jail and fine is proposed to be converted to penalty (Rs 10,000 or twice the value of goods, whichever is higher).Imprisonment and fine have also been removed for failure to produce books and records and for obstructing a member or an officer.Under the Handlooms (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act, producing articles reserved for exclusive production by handlooms is proposed to be dealt with through a reduced imprisonment term of three months, compared with six now, and enhancing the fine from Rs 5,000 per loom to Rs 10,000-25,000 per loom. Exporting of coir products without licence or in contravention of Sea Customs Act, 1878 which is currently punishable with fine of up to Rs 500 is proposed to be omitted.