Committee recommends incentives for boosting domestic mining equipment manufacturing
An interdisciplinary panel, including officials from the Ministry of Heavy Industries, Coal India, NLC India, NTPC, and other stakeholders, has suggested incentivizing domestic manufacturing of mining equipment through incentive schemes and standardization. The recommendations include incentives for designing and producing equipment locally for five years under the 'Make in India' initiative, aligning with the expected surge in equipment demand over the next decade. The focus on standardization is consistent with Coal India's ongoing efforts in this direction. The committee comprised representatives from various entities, including Singareni Collieries Company, West Bengal Power Development Corporation, Bharat Earth Movers, Caterpillar India, and industry associations. Currently, Coal India relies on imports for high-capacity mining equipment like electric rope shovels, hydraulic shovels, and dumpers.