Coal of India imports high efficiency equipment worth Rs 3500 crore..!?
In this regard, the High Level Committee on Domestic Production of Heavy Machinery has submitted a report to the Ministry of Coal. Coal is projected to remain the main source of energy even after 2030, hence, the panel submitted its final report anticipating that mines will require a huge amount of equipment in the country over the next 10 years.
Ministry of Heavy industries, Ministry of Railways, SCCL, NLCIL, NTPCL, WPPTCL, P.E. .ML, Caterpillar, Tata Hitachi, Gainwell, industry associations and representatives of various stakeholders were present on this panel. Currently, Coal of india imports high efficiency equipment worth Rs 3500 crore, incurring an additional cost of Rs 1000 crore in customs duties. To curb these imports and increase domestic production, the indian Coal Corporation has drawn up a plan to gradually reduce imports over the next six years. This approach aims to promote and develop locally manufactured equipment. It is to be noted that high capacity machines are already being procured from domestic manufacturers.