18. (i) (a) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, prohibit the taking or sending out by land, sea or air (hereafter in this section referred to as export) of all goods or of any goods or class of goods specified in the notification from India directly or indirectly to any place so specified unless the exporter furnishes to the prescribed authority a declaration in the prescribed form supported by such evidence as may be prescribed or so specified and true in all material particulars which, among others, shall include the amount representing -

(ii) the full export value of the goods; or

(iii) if the full export value of the goods is not ascertainable at the time of export, the value which the exporter, having regard to the prevailing market conditions, expects to receive on the sale of the goods in the overseas market, and affirms in the said declaration that the full export value of the goods (whether ascertainable at the time of export or not) has been, or will within the prescribed period be, paid in the prescribed manner.

(b) If the Central Government is of opinion that it is necessary or expedient in the public interest so to do, it may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify any goods, from among those goods to which a notification under clause (a) applies, and direct that in respect of the goods so specified, where an exporter makes a declaration under sub-clause (ii) of clause (a) of the value which he, having regard to the prevailing market conditions expects to receive on the sale of such goods in the overseas market, he shall not, except with the permission of the Reserve Bank on an application made to the Reserve Bank by the exporter in this behalf, authorise or permit or allow or in any manner be a party to, the sale of such goods for a value less than that declared:

Provided that no permission shall be refused by the Reserve Bank under this clause unless the exporter has been given a reasonable opportunity for making a representation in the matter: Provided further that where the exporter makes an application to the Reserve Bank for permission under this clause and the Reserve Bank does not, within a period of twenty days from the date of receipt of the application, communicate to the exporter that permission applied for has been refused, it shall be presumed that Reserve Bank has granted such permission.

Explanation - In computing the period of twenty days for the purposes of the second proviso, the period, if any, taken by the Reserve Bank for giving an opportunity to the exporter for making a representation under the first proviso shall be excluded.

(2) Where any export of goods, to which a notification under clause (a) of sub-section (1) applies, has been made, no person shall, except with the permission of the Reserve Bank, do or refrain from doing anything, or take or refrain from taking any action, which has the effect of securing -

(A) in a case falling under sub-clause (i) or sub-clause (ii) of clause (a) of sub-section (1),-

(a) that payment for the goods -

1. is made otherwise than in the prescribed manner, or
2. is delayed beyond the period prescribed under clause (a) of sub-section (1), or

(b) that the proceeds of sale of the goods exported do not represent the full export value of the goods subject to such deductions, if any, as may be allowed by the Reserve Bank; and

(B) in a case falling under sub-clause (ii) of clause (a) of sub-section (1), also that the sale of the goods is delayed to an extent which is unreasonable having regard to the ordinary course of trade: Provided that no proceedings in respect of any contravention of the provisions of this sub-section shall be instituted unless the prescribed period has expired and payment for the goods representing the full export value has not been made in the prescribed manner within the prescribed period.

(3) Where in relation to any goods to which a notification under clause (a) of sub-section (1) applies the prescribed period has expired and payment therefor has not been made as aforesaid, it shall be presumed, unless the contrary is proved by the person who has sold or is entitled to sell the goods or to procure the sale thereof, that such person has not taken all reasonable steps to receive or recover the payment for the goods as aforesaid and he shall accordingly be presumed to have contravened the provisions of sub-section (2).

(4) Where in relation to any goods to which a notification under clause (a) of sub-section (1) applies the prescribed period has expired and payment therefor has not been made as aforesaid, the Reserve Bank may give to any person who has sold the goods or who is entitled to sell the goods or procure the sale thereof, such directions as appear to it to be expedient for the purpose of securing -

(i) if the goods have been sold, the payment therefor, or

(ii) if the goods have not been sold, either the sale of the goods and payment therefor as aforesaid, or the re-import of the goods into India as the circumstances permit, within such period as the Reserve Bank may specify in this behalf and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provision, may direct that the goods, the right to receive the payment therefor or any other right to enforce such payment shall be transferred or assigned to the Central Government or to a person specified in the directions.

(5) Where any goods or a right to receive payment or any other right to enforce such payment, are or is transferred or assigned in accordance with sub-section (4), the Central Government shall pay to the person transferring or assigning the same, the amount recovered by or on behalf of the Central Government in respect of the goods, after deducting all costs, charges and expenses incurred by the Central Government in selling the goods or in recovering or realising the amount in respect of such goods.

(6) Without prejudice to the provisions of sub-section(1), where the value of the goods specified in the declaration furnished under that sub-section is less than the amount which in the opinion of the Reserve Bank, in a case falling under sub-clause (i) of clause (a) of that sub-section, represents the full export value of those goods, or in a case falling under sub-clause (ii) of that clause, the value which the exporter can, having regard to the prevailing market conditions, expect to receive on the sale of the goods in the overseas market, the Reserve Bank may issue an order requiring the person holding the shipping documents to retain possession thereof until such time as the exporter of the goods has made arrangements for the Reserve Bank or a person authorised by the Reserve Bank to receive on behalf of the exporter payment in the prescribed manner of an amount which in the opinion of the Reserve Bank represents the full export value of such goods or the value which the exporter, having regard to the prevailing market conditions, can be expected to receive on the sale of the goods in the overseas market.

(7) For the purpose of ensuring compliance with provisions of this section and any order or direction made thereunder, the Reserve Bank or the prescribed authority referred to in sub-section (1) may require any person making any export of goods to which a notification under clause (a) of that sub-section applies to exhibit contracts with his foreign buyer or other evidence to show that the full export value of the goods, or, as the case may be, the value which the exporter, having regard to the prevailing market conditions, expects to receive on the sale of the goods in the overseas market, has been, or will within the prescribed period be, paid in the prescribed manner.

(8) Without prejudice to the provisions of sub-section (1), where the Reserve Bank has permitted any authorised dealer to accept for negotiation or collection of shipping documents covering exports from his constituent [not being a person who has signed the declaration in terms of sub-section (1)], such authorised dealer shall, before accepting such documents for negotiation or collection, require the constituent concerned also to sign such declaration and thereupon such constituent shall be bound to comply with such requisition and the original declarant and such constituent signing the declaration shall each be considered to be the exporter for the purposes of this section, and shall be governed by the provisions thereof accordingly.

(9) Without prejudice to the provisions of sub-section (1), in relation to export of goods to which a notification under clause (a) of that sub-section applies, the Reserve Bank may, for the purpose of ensuring that the full export value of the goods or, as the case may be, the value which the exporter, having regard to the prevailing market conditions, expects to receive on the sale of the goods in the overseas market, is received in proper time or without delay, by general or special order, direct from time to time, that in respect of export of goods to any destination or any class of export transactions or any class of goods or class of exporters, the exporter shall, prior to the export of the goods, comply with any or all of the following conditions as may be specified in the order, namely:-

1. that any contract or other arrangement for the sale of the goods shall be registered in such manner and with such authority or organisation as may be specified in the order;
2. that the payment for the goods is covered by an irrevocable letter of credit or by such other arrangement or document as may be specified in the order;
3. that a copy of the declaration to be furnished to the prescribed authority under sub-section(1) shall be submitted to such authority or organisation as may be specified in the order for certifying that the value of the goods specified in such declaration represents the proper value thereof;
4. that any declaration to be furnished to the prescribed authority under sub-section (1) shall be submitted to the Reserve Bank for its prior approval, which may, having regard to the circumstances, be given or withheld or may be given subject to such conditions as the Reserve Bank may deem fit to impose: Provided that no approval shall be withheld by the Reserve Bank under this clause unless the exporter has been given a reasonable opportunity for making a representation in the matter.

(10) Where the Central Government is of opinion that, in respect of any goods or class of goods or class of exporters, or in respect of export to any destination, the practice of exporting goods in accordance with any term to the effect that the goods will be sold on account of the exporter and the account of such sales rendered to the exporter has resulted or is likely to result in the full export value of the goods not being brought into India in the prescribed manner or within the prescribed period, it may, by general or special order, prohibit the export, in accordance with such term, of such goods or class of goods or by such exporters or to such destination.