Domestic solar equipment majors comprising nearly half of India’s manufacturing capacity are seeking an exemption from the levy of Basic Customs Duty on their projects within Special Economic Zones.
The Centre had proposed the levy of a 20 per cent basic custom duty on import of solar cells and modules. This levy is expected to kick in after the safeguard duty on solar imports lapses in July .
Manufacturers that have their projects within Special Economic Zones (SEZs) fear that this 20 per cent duty will be applicable on them and may render their products uncompetitive within the domestic market.
“These manufacturing units are on Indian soil and there should be no additional levies on them as it will affect the viability of these projects. Our expansion plans also require clarity on this point before going ahead,” a domestic solar equipment manufacturer said during a webinar on this issue.
According to industry estimates, there are 2000 MW of solar cell manufacturing and 3,825 MW of solar module manufacturing capability in SEZs. Within the Domestic Tariff Areas (DTAs), there is 1,164 MW of solar cell manufacturing and 5,053 MW of solar module manufacturing capability.
The domestic manufacturing capacity in the country is much lower than the requirement for cells and modules in the country. Nearly 90 per cent of solar deployment is still dependent on imported cells and modules.
Thank you for being a loyal user of Portfolio.
Portfolio will be a paid section hereon.
Please Subscribe to get access to one of our early bird packs.
Or click on Free Trial to get 14 days free trial.
What You'll Get
-
Web + Mobile
Access exclusive content of the Hindu Businessline across desktops, tablet and mobile device.
-
Exclusive Portfolio and Investment Advice, Banking, Lifestyle and Specials
Get diverse set of perspectives from our trusted experts on Portfolio, Banking, Economy, Environment and others.
-
Ad free experience
Experience cleaner site with zero ads and faster load times.
-
Personalised dashboard
Customize your preference and get a personalized recommendation of stories based on your interest.
Published on
June 03, 2020
A letter from the Editor
Dear Readers,
The coronavirus crisis has changed the world completely in the last few months. All of us have been locked into our homes, economic activity has come to a near standstill. Everyone has been impacted.
Including your favourite business and financial newspaper. Our printing and distribution chains have been severely disrupted across the country, leaving readers without access to newspapers. Newspaper delivery agents have also been unable to service their customers because of multiple restrictions.
In these difficult times, we, at BusinessLine have been working continuously every day so that you are informed about all the developments – whether on the pandemic, on policy responses, or the impact on the world of business and finance. Our team has been working round the clock to keep track of developments so that you – the reader – gets accurate information and actionable insights so that you can protect your jobs, businesses, finances and investments.
We are trying our best to ensure the newspaper reaches your hands every day. We have also ensured that even if your paper is not delivered, you can access BusinessLine in the e-paper format – just as it appears in print. Our website and apps too, are updated every minute, so that you can access the information you want anywhere, anytime.
But all this comes at a heavy cost. As you are aware, the lockdowns have wiped out almost all our entire revenue stream. Sustaining our quality journalism has become extremely challenging. That we have managed so far is thanks to your support. I thank all our subscribers – print and digital – for your support.
I appeal to all or readers to help us navigate these challenging times and help sustain one of the truly independent and credible voices in the world of Indian journalism. Doing so is easy. You can help us enormously simply by subscribing to our digital or e-paper editions. We offer several affordable subscription plans for our website, which includes Portfolio, our investment advisory section that offers rich investment advice from our highly qualified, in-house Research Bureau, the only such team in the Indian newspaper industry.
A little help from you can make a huge difference to the cause of quality journalism!
Support Quality Journalism