FM: Illegal export of pulses under scanner

Finance Minister P Chidambaram today told the Rajya Sabha that the government was investigating the allegations of illegal exports of pulses after the government had banned them by some exporters. Chidambaram was reacting to a query by Congress MP Santosh Bagrodia during the Question Hour —- about the allegation that 40,000 tonnes of pulses were exported this year, despite the ban on exports.

“There is a complaint about illegal export of pulses against three exporters who allegedly backdated letters of credit to sidetrack the restrictions of the Commerce Ministry (banning pulses exports). The Director General of Foreign Trade is investigating the matter. I have instructed the Department of Customs to produce the relevant documents before the DGFT,” Chidambaram said.