CURRENT AFFAIRS | MAY 14, 2026
In its sharpest currency-defence move in over a decade, the Centre on May 13 raised the import duty on gold and silver from an effective 6% to 15%, while the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) separately banned exports of raw, white and refined sugar with immediate effect, until September 30, 2026. The twin actions came as the rupee closed at a record 95.71 to the US dollar — about 5% weaker since the West Asia conflict erupted on February 28 — and as India’s forex reserves shed close to $38 billion in just two months.
Customs duties are levied under Entry 83, Union List (Seventh Schedule) and operationalised via the Customs Act, 1962 and Customs Tariff Act, 1975. AIDC (Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess) was introduced under the Finance Act, 2021. The sugar export ban is issued by DGFT under the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992. RBI’s forex-market intervention to manage the rupee operates under FEMA, 1999 and the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
The bullion duty change splits as: basic customs duty raised from 5% to 10%, and AIDC (Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess) raised from 1% to 5% — a combined effective rate of 15%. Gold imports in FY26 had already surged 24.1% in value to $71.97 billion despite volumes falling slightly (721.04 tonnes vs 757.09 tonnes in FY25), as households and HNIs piled into bullion as a hedge against rupee depreciation. By making imports costlier, the Centre is trying to compress the Current Account Deficit (CAD) and arrest the gold-driven dollar outflow.
Pure CLAT 2027 economics-and-current-affairs material: the interplay of Customs Act, FTDR Act, FEMA, the role of RBI vs DGFT vs CBIC, and the macro-link between import duty, rupee, CAD and forex reserves. Expect passages testing whether you can distinguish a “customs duty” (Entry 83 UL) from a “cess” (Article 270, residuary), and a notification under FTDR Act from one under the Customs Tariff Act.
The sugar export ban is a parallel inflation-management lever. With domestic sugar prices firming up and a deficit cane season feared, DGFT’s order halts all overseas shipments to keep the wholesale market well-supplied. Sugar exports being a State-sensitive item — cane is in the State List but trade is Union — the ban is squarely within the Centre’s foreign-trade powers under the FTDR Act, 1992. Together, the two notifications form a textbook “austerity firewall”: one valve on imports (gold), one on exports (sugar), one passive hand (RBI dollar sales) on the rupee.
| New duty (gold/silver) | 15% (10% BCD + 5% AIDC) |
| Sugar export ban | Till Sep 30, 2026 |
| Rupee close (May 13) | 95.71/USD |
| Forex reserves drop | ~$38 bn in 2 months |
| Gold imports FY26 | $71.97 bn (+24.1% YoY) |
Gold + silver duty 15% · Outflow check · Legal anchor: Customs Act + FTDR + FEMA · DGFT bans sugar exports · Sept 30 deadline · US$95.71 rupee low · Gap on CAD · AIDC 5% · RBI defends.
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
Click an option to reveal the answer and explanation.
