Beware Gulf expats: You cannot carry more than 4gm of gold jewellery

[email protected] (Emirates247)
June 1, 2012

Dubai, June 1: Yes, as silly as that might sound, Indian Customs and baggage allowance regulations – outdated as they are – forbid passengers from carrying gold jewellery worth more than Rs10,000 (Dh655) if you're a male, and Rs20,000 (Dh1,310) if you're a woman.

At today's gold rates (Dh183 for 1gm of 24 carat gold), that translates into gold jewellery weighing a princely 3.57 grams for gentlemen and a rather lavish 7.15 grams for the ladies.

India's Central Board of Excise and Customs, which falls under its Ministry of Finance, stipulates that “An Indian passenger who has been residing abroad for over one year is allowed to bring jewellery, free of duty in his bona fide baggage up to an aggregate value of Rs10,000 (in the case of a male passenger) or Rs20,000 (in the case of a lady passenger).”

gold


Anything above that miserly limit is taxable under the Indian law, and if you're passing through the green channel with more than a few grams of gold on your person, well, the officer in-charge will be well within his rights to ask you to pay duty on the jewellery and/or face prosecution for trying to 'smuggle' gold and evade duty.

While Indian Customs are quick to update the exchange rates (last updated May 26, 2012) and now value the US dollar at Rs55.95 for imported goods and Rs55.15 for exported goods, the baggage rules were apparently last amended in 2006 – even though the limits set for gold and silver ornaments appear to have been set some time in last century, if not earlier.

And this amazing 'generosity' in India's baggage allowance is not limited to just jewellery. The Indian government does not allow even its own citizens to 'import' the Indian rupee, even if you are a non-resident Indian returning home for a vacation or visiting friends and family. The only exemption is for resident Indians, who may be returning home after a foreign visit. Even they can carry a maximum of Rs7,500 (Dh491).

However, the regulations do allow Indian expats returning home after a minimum of three months to carry household items (such as linen, utensils, tableware, kitchen appliances and an iron) up to an aggregate value of Rs12,000 (Dh787), and professional equipment up to a value of Rs20,000 (Dh1,311).

Those who've been out of India for at least six months get an additional quota of Rs20,000 for the professional equipment allowance.

But if you thought that professional equipment would include the likes of cameras and Dictaphones, well, you're wrong. “For the purposes of baggage rules, professional equipment means: Such portable equipment, instruments, apparatus and appliances as are ordinarily required in the profession in which the returning passenger was engaged. This expression includes items used by carpenters, plumbers, welders, masons and the like,” the regulations specify.

And as if to drive the message home, the rules add: “This concession is not available for items of common use such as cameras, cassette recorders, Dictaphones, typewriters, personal computers and similar items.”

Anyway, if you still want to 'import' gold weighing more than the allowance, here are the 'regulations' (source: Central Board of Excise and Customs website) that you are expected to adhere to:

IMPORT OF GOLD AS BAGGAGE

Who can import gold as baggage?

Any passenger of Indian Origin or a passenger holding a valid passport, issued under the Passport Act, 1967, who is coming to India after a period of not less than six months of stay abroad; and short visits, if any, made by the passenger during the aforesaid period of six months shall be ignored if the total duration of stay on such visits does not exceed thirty days.

Other Conditions

1. The duty shall be paid in convertible foreign currency.

2. The weight of gold (including ornaments) should not exceed 10kg per passenger.

Although the Customs website mentions 10kg allowance for dutiable gold import as baggage per passenger, according to latest reports, this limit has now been reduced to 1kg]

3. The passenger should not have brought gold or other ornaments during any of his visits (short visits) in the last six months i.e., he has not availed of the exemption under this scheme, at the time of short visits.

4. Ornaments studded with stones and pearls are not allowed to be imported.

5. The passenger can either bring the gold himself at the time of arrival or import the same within fifteen days of his arrival in India as unaccompanied baggage.

6. The passenger can also obtain the permitted quantity of gold from Customs bonded warehouse of State Bank of India and Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation subject to conditions (i) and (ii) above. He is required to file a declaration in the prescribed Form before the Customs Officer at the time of arrival in India stating his intention to obtain the gold from the Customs bonded warehouse and pay the duty before clearance.

RATE OF DUTY

- Gold bars, other than tola bars, bearing manufacturers or refiners engraved serial number and weight expressed in metric units and gold coins: Rs300 (Dh20) per 10gm + 3% education cess

- Gold in any form other than above, including tola bars and ornaments, but excluding ornaments studded with stones or pearls: Rs750 (Dh49) per 10gm + 3% education cess


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News Network
July 16,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 16: Former union minister and Senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily on Wednesday said that if at all there is a political future for Sachin Pilot it is in the Congress party.

While speaking to news agency, Moily said Sachin Pilot achieved everything by being in Congress party.

"Sachin Pilot became MP, union minister in UPA-II, PCC president in Rajasthan and Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan. Whatever grievances you have, it needs to be resolved within the forum of the party. There is no hurry for Sachin Pilot. If at all there is a future for him it is in the Congress party. He has to realise that. He says he won't join BJP, it is good," Moily said.

The former Union Minister Moily further said that Pilot could not become Chief Minister as in Congress, the high command sends an observer and opinion of MLAs is ascertained, be it in Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan.

"The leader who enjoys the support of elected MLAs is made Chief Minister," Moily said.
On July 14, Congress party had sacked Sachin Pilot from the post of Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan and also from PCC president.

The Rajasthan Congress is in turmoil over the past few days. State Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has blamed the BJP for attempting to destabilise the state government by poaching MLAs. The Congress government in the state is facing a political crisis after simmering differences between Pilot and Ashok Gehlot came out in the open.

A controversy broke out in Rajasthan after Special Operation Group (SOG) sent a notice to Pilot to record his statement in the case registered by SOG in the alleged poaching of Congress MLAs in the state.

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News Network
April 20,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 20: As many as 59 people were arrested on Monday for attacking police and health officials at the minority dominated Padarayanapura in the city when they went to quarantine some people, police said.

"Fifty-nine people have been arrested (in Padarayanapura) and have been taken into custody. The people attacked the officials who had gone to quarantine some poeple who were the primary and secondary contacts of three COVID-19 patients," a police officer said.

A large number of people, mostly youth from the minority community poured on to the road on Sunday and thrashed the health workers who had gone to quarantine some people who were the primary and secondary contacts of the health workers.

The officials were allegedly beaten black and blue.

Some local residents who went to the rescue of these officials were also thrashed.

According to police, one among the arrested is a woman by name Firoza who had allegedly instigated the mob to attack the health and police officials.

Subsequently, a large number of police personnel were deployed in the area to avert any untoward incident and to quarantine those who are suspected to be infected with COVID- 19.

Blowing sirens, a strong contingent of policemen carried out a flag march in the area.

The Bengaluru police commissioner Bhaskar Rao later called on Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and briefed him about the situation in Padayarayanapura.

The violent incident drew angry reactions from various quarters.

Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said an incident like the one at Padayarayanapura will not be tolerated.

"I met Chief Minister and briefed him about the incident. He has told us to act strictly. I have told the same to my officials. We won't tolerate such acts by anyone. We have arrested 59 people. Five FIRs have been registered," the minister told reporters.

Bommai, who visited the area took the senior police officials to task for not being present on the spot when the incident took place.

"Where were you? What were you doing when the incident happened?" he questioned a senior police officer.

"We will demonstrate to the people what is containment zone, what is seal down and what is police action," he said.

Condemning the incident, Health Minister B Srimulu warned those who indulged in such activities.

"The inhuman act of attacking police and health workers in Padarayanapura is highly deplorable. Our government will take appropriate step against those indulging in the attack on health officials and police officials who had gone there to protect them," he tweeted.

BJP's firebrand MP Shobha Karandlaje reacted sharply.

"Seculars attack #CoronaWarriors when they were quarantining the secondary contacts of #Covid19 in Padarayanapura of BLR. While #HealthcareHeroes are working overnight to contain #CoronaPandemic, these morons are assaulting our heroes! Let's not be soft on these anti- nationals!" Karandlaje tweeted.

Meanwhile, the minority leaders called on Congress state president D K Shivakumar to persuade the people of the minority community to assist in identifying the COVID-19 patients or carriers.

Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy too condemned the attack and demanded stringent action against the culprits.

The Congress MLA from the area B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan while condemning the incident, sought to know why the health workers and police officials went to the area late in the night and not in the morning.

"Why did the police and the health workers go in the night when I had told the BBMP Commissioner that I will take them at 10 am?" Khan told reporters.

Defending those who attacked the government officials, Khan said they were uneducated labourers who didn't know what they were doing.

Padarayanapura and Bapuji Nagar were among the first areas to be completely sealed as people were not abiding by the prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC.

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Agencies
May 30,2020

Mumbai, May 30: Former Bollywood actress Zaira Wasim has deleted her Twitter and Instagram accounts after being heavily trolled for quoting from the Quran while talking about locust attacks.

"So We sent upon them the flood and locusts and lice and frogs and blood: Signs openly self explained: but they were steeped in arrogance -- a people given to sin. --Qur'an 7:133," Zaira had tweeted.

Soon, she started receiving hateful comments from netizens who interpreted her post as a justification of the locust attacks. They felt that Zaira was suggesting that the incident is God's way of expressing wrath.

Shortly after being deluged with such comments, Zaira Wasim deleted her Twitter and Instagram accounts.

However, a section of netizens continue to attack Zaira on her Facebook page, where she put up the same post.

Commenting on the post, a user wrote: "Lady you must have taken into account of those people of JK, Kerala and elsewhere who are also suffering from the virus. Moreover the crops which are damaged by locust had no name as to who will consume them. In this hours of crisis please post something which is positive and reflects your education."

Another user shared: "So according to you, with all due respect every year on the same time period, Allah send locust to India to destroy the crops of poor farmers who are not even involve in the industrial rise, who don't use vehicle to destroy the nature, and Allah send locust only to harm the poor farmers and not the rich one who actually destroy nature."

"So those farmers who lost there fields of crops and will probably go into debt and may also commit suicide, those farmers who feed the nation, who feed you and every one, are sinners?" asked yet another user.

However, there were a few on social media who felt Zaira had done nothing wrong.

"Quoting Quranic Verse is not a crime... Why is every Indian abusing @ZairaWasimmm. She didn't mention any particular nation or religion. I request everyone please stand with #ZairaWasim. She needs our support. #ISupportZairaWasim," goes a tweet.

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