New Delhi | The Commerce Ministry's arm DGTR has initiated an anti-dumping probe into the import of a solar component and mobile covers from China, following complaints by RenewSys India and All India Mobile Cover Manufacturer Association.

The applicant has alleged that the industry is impacted due to the dumped imports of "Solar Encapsulants, excluding EVA Encapsulants" from China.

The item is used in the manufacturing of solar PV modules.

"The authority, hereby, initiates an anti-dumping investigation to determine the existence, degree and effect of the dumping," DGTR said in a notification on Monday.

If it is established that the dumping has caused material injury to domestic players, the DGTR would recommend the imposition of the levy on imports.

The finance ministry takes the final decision to impose duties.

Anti-dumping probes are conducted by countries to determine whether domestic industries have been hurt because of a surge in cheap imports.

As a countermeasure, they impose these duties under the multilateral regime of the Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO). The duty is aimed at ensuring fair trading practices and creating a level playing field for domestic producers vis-a-vis foreign producers and exporters.

India and these countries are members of the WTO.

India has already imposed anti-dumping duties on several products to tackle cheap imports from various countries, including China.

In a separate notification, the DGTR said it has also initiated a countervailing duty investigation concerning imports of "Clear Float Glass" imported from Malaysia and Indonesia.

An application in this regard has been filed by Sisecam Flat Glass India Pvt Ltd, Gold Plus Glass Industry, Gold Plus Float Glass, and Saint-Gobain India.

These applicants have requested the investigations.

"The Authority finds that there is prima facie evidence of the existence of countervailable subsidies on production and export of the subject goods in the subject country and such subsidised imports are causing material injury to the domestic industry through their volume and price effects," it said.

"The Authority hereby initiates an anti-subsidy investigation into the alleged subsidisation and consequent material injury to the domestic industry...to determine the existence, degree, and effect of alleged subsidies and to recommend the amount of anti-subsidy/ countervailing, which, if levied, would be adequate to remove the injury to the domestic industry," it added.