The Ministry of Steel has granted temporary exemptions from certain raw material requirements to around 72 foreign integrated steel plants holding 202 BIS licences, providing relief to the industry.

The exempted companies are located in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Sweden, South Korea, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, the United States, Japan, Russia, Slovenia, Germany, Finland, and Italy. The government stated that further licences would be exempted in the future upon request.

According to the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), the necessity of such requirements is debatable, particularly when BIS certification of the final rolling mill product already ensures raw material compliance.