Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has assured that basic custom duty on solar modules will be implemented from the scheduled date of April 1, 2022, a move that will save domestic players from stiff price competition from imported modules, according to industry body NIMMA.
A delegation comprising officials from NIMMA, Indian Solar Manufacturers Association, and All India Solar Industries Association met Sitharaman on Thursday and flagged concerns regarding manufacturing units that are on the verge of closing owing to the current duty-free window on solar panels and cells from China and other countries.
Finance minister assured them that the BCD (Basic Custom Duty) will be implemented as per schedule from April 1, 2022, a NIMMA statement said.
Delegation also appealed to her to exempt the module and cell line plant and machinery from import duty, it stated.
“The meeting with the minister was promising as she recognised that the industry will require policy assistance to grow and achieve its full potential.
“Implementation of BCD will bring relief to the domestic manufacturing industry. We hope that additional measures to address supply-chain gaps will be considered. Further, this is the peak time for developers to purchase modules, and I request them to promote the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative and install Indian modules,” Manish Gupta – President, North India Module Manufacturers Association (NIMMA), said.
Bharat Bhut – Cofounder & Director, Goldi Solar, a solar manufacturer, said the decision is a boon for Indian module manufacturers who have been facing stiff price competition from imported modules.
Goldi Solar has also increased its module manufacturing capacity to 2.5 GW and plans to expand to 5 GW to align with the government’s vision of becoming energy-independent with Made in India modules.
In the delegation, Manish Gupta, Vineet Mittal, Arpit Agarwal, Manish Agarwal and Sandeep Gupta were present on behalf of the solar associations.
NIMMA was established in October 2017 to promote solar PV modules manufacturers in India and voice the concerns of small and medium companies in the sector.
NIMMA assists its members to develop, promote and improve the product and manufacturing standards, joint marketing strategies and takes up the concerns of its members with authorities concerned.
