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RAS question

RoDTEP scheme replaced:

Correct answer: (B) MEIS (Merchandise Exports from India Scheme).

The RoDTEP scheme replaced the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) for export incentives.

  1. (A)

    SEIS (Services Exports from India Scheme)

  2. (B)

    MEIS (Merchandise Exports from India Scheme)

  3. (C)

    EPCG

  4. (D)

    Duty Drawback

Explanation

RoDTEP, or Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products, replaced MEIS from January 2021. The shift matters because RoDTEP is designed as a remission scheme, not a simple export incentive: it reimburses taxes, duties and levies at the central, state and local levels that are incurred in manufacturing and distributing exported products but are not refunded through any other mechanism. The PIB release also states that RoDTEP is WTO-compliant and that items would move from the existing MEIS framework to RoDTEP with monitoring and audit. That is why MEIS is the scheme being replaced, while other export-related mechanisms can continue separately.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) SEIS covered services exports, whereas RoDTEP is tied to exported products and the MEIS-to-RoDTEP shift identified in the source.
  • (C) EPCG is not the scheme named for replacement; the source links discontinuation of benefits to MEIS tariff lines as RoDTEP rates are announced.
  • (D) Duty Drawback is not replaced here because the source treats Drawback as a separate refund alongside RoDTEP in the zero-rating of exports.

Concept

This tests export-promotion schemes in Indian Economy, especially how India moved from MEIS to a WTO-compliant remission model. It recurs in RAS because trade policy questions often ask candidates to distinguish similar-looking export schemes by purpose and replacement history.

Source

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