In a notification dated August 16, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) amended the export policy for Covid-19 rapid antigen testing kits by putting them under restricted category with immediate effect. India has cumulatively conducted over 50 crores covid-19 tests which includes a significant number of rapid antigen tests. Off late Indian companies started manufacturing rapid antigen kits soon after the pandemic hit the country. Earlier, exports of rapid antigen testing kits were allowed without any restrictions. These included VTM kits, RNA extraction kits, RT-PCR kits and reagents, 15mn falcon tube, beads, probes (specific for Covid-19 testing), and reverse transcriptase enzymes.

Source: Mint August 16, 2021 15:11 UTC