'Exempt steel import above 1,250 mm width from further duty'

Exempt stainless steel imports above 1,250 mm width for all grades not manufactured in the country from any further duty to protect domestic industry, Capital goods and Process Equipment manufacturing body PPMAI today demanded.
Process Plant and Machinery Association of India (PPMAI) in a letter to Aruna Sharma, Secretary, Steel, demanded the exemption.
"The demand from capital goods industry is for new-age grades and sizes beyond 1,250 mm width. In fact, the industry is buying stainless steel coils and plates in widths as high as 320 0mm which the domestic industry can not manufacture. PPMAI Secretary VP Ramachandran said in the letter.

The domestic industry can supply the most common grades like 304 and 316 up to 1,600 mm width only and there are severe limitations in thickness capabilities too, he said.
"The Capital Goods industry, SMEs and MSMEs need products of all grades and sizes in stainless steel for manufacturing capital equipment for domestic and global markets," he added.
The domestic stainless steel industry is mostly manufacturing low-end grades of stainless steel and that too are not conforming to any international or national standards, the letter mentions.
The Indian Capital Goods Sector remains sub-scale despite an output of Rs 2,50,000 crore and contributing nearly 2 per cent to the GDP, PPMAI said.