New Delhi, Aug. 11 -- New Delhi: The steel ministry has exempted 202 foreign steel licences from the mandatory Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) quality certification under the Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS) portal, in a move to ease supply bottlenecks for domestic steel producers.

Announced through an order on 8 August, the exemptions cover manufacturers from 17 countries, including Japan, South Korea, Germany, Italy, France, Russia, and the US. Japan leads the list with over 80 licences, followed by South Korea with more than 50. These countries are major suppliers of high-grade steel used in automotive, engineering, and specialised industrial applications.

The decision was taken "in pursuance" of an 11 July directive that allow...