New Delhi, May 17 -- The government on Saturday made its authorisation necessary to import silver by shifting the metal from the "free" to the "restricted" category after imports surged 157.16% on an annualised basis in April.

The move followed its Wednesday decision to hike the import duty on precious metals such as gold and silver from 6% to 15% to curb imports and save foreign exchange for essentials like energy and fertilisers.

"The Import Policy of items covered under ITC HS Code 71069221 and 71069229 are revised from 'Free' to 'Restricted'. with immediate effect," a notification issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), an arm of the commerce and industry ministry, said.

The two HS codes include bullion-grade sil...