National Automotive Board to be functional soon

It is being being set up under National Automotive Testing Infrastructure Project

The much awaited National Automotive Board will be functional in the the next two-three months. The board has been constituted to capitalise on India's potential to rise to global eminence in the field of automotive R&D, design innovation, technical domain expertise and proactive policy formulation. This is being setup under National Automotive Testing Infrastructure Project (NATRIP).

"All the NATRIP centers are acting like a regulator or will behave like one related to the automotive sector. To govern these centers, we are creating a National Automotive Board. All centers will operate under the board, including ARAI and thereby be governed by the government. This is a requirement of time, so we are opening all these centers across the country. It is also essential for PM's Make in India initiative", said Anant Geete Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Government of India. He was speaking at the inauguration function of ARAI's homologation and technology centre in Chakan on Monday.

Under NATRIP, seven centres have been planned in different states of India. Out of this, only Rae Barelli centre is not yet operational. Other centres are at Pune, Ahmednagar, Manesar, Chennai, Indore and Silchar (Assam).

Geete added: "I hear some criticism about ARAI. People want to know if it is a government organisation or a private entity. This question came because ARAI's President and Vice President are from the pvt sector. Since ARAI started operations, it has received funding from the private sector However, all the NATRIP centers are acting like a regulator or will behave like one related to the automotive sector."

The NAB will provide a single platform for dealing with all matters relating to the automotive sector especially on matters pertaining to testing, certification, homologation and administering the automotive labs. All the certifications such as mileage, pollution checks and homologations will come under NAB's ambit. This is being created to have a single window clearance body for the automotive industry in the country.

According to Geete, seven centres were to cost Rs 1800 crore, but this could not be completed on time. The cost has now escalated to Rs 3800 crore.

ARAI's newly inaugurated centre is set up with an investment of Rs 375 crore, will offer homologation services to automobile manufacturers for Indian and global export markets. It has all the latest equipment to offer the services. The centre also comprises a passive safety laboratory, powertrain laboratory, fatigue and materials laboratory and automotive electronics laboratory.

Power train laboratory is for testing of vehicles, engines and powertrains and other accessories for their performance with respect to power, efficiency, and exhaust emissions, while fatigue and materials laboratory is for prediction structural failures and evaluation of vehicles' structural components, systems and sub-systems and chassis /full vehicle subjected to real life dynamic loading conditions.