Nitin Gadkari asks auto sector to adopt Make in India approach to reduce imports

  • Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had earlier urged the industry to reduce dependency on auto part imports to promote local manufacturing.
Cars in Maruti Suzuki plant in IMT Manesar in Gurgaon. HT Photo (files)
Cars in Maruti Suzuki plant in IMT Manesar in Gurgaon. HT Photo (files)

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has once again reiterated the need to push for more local manufacturing in the auto sector to bring down costs incurred by carmakers in India due to expensive imports from foreign countries. On Friday, he renewed the call for ‘Make in India’, asking Indian car manufacturers to make auto components in the country at lesser costs.

Last month, Gadkari had urged auto component manufacturers to step up localisation of manufacturing auto parts to 100 per cent, which stands at about 70 per cent currently.

Speaking at an event on Friday, Gadkari said, “by accepting new technologies, we are going to create new markets, more profits, turnover, and more employment potential in the country".

Also check these Vehicles

Find more Cars
Benling India Believe (HT Auto photo)
BatteryCapacity Icon3.2 kWh Range Icon120 km
₹ 1.26 Lakhs
Compare
Benling India Benling Kriti (HT Auto photo)
Range Icon60 km/charge
₹ 56,940 - 66,121
Compare
View Offers
Benling India Benling Aura (HT Auto photo)
Range Icon120 Km/charge
₹73,000
Compare
Benling India Benling Falcon (HT Auto photo)
Range Icon75 km/charge
₹ 62,200 - 71,248
Compare
View Offers
Hcd India Nps Cargo (HT Auto photo)
Range Icon70 km/charge
₹ 54,500 - 58,500
Compare
View Offers
Tvs Iqube Electric (HT Auto photo)
BatteryCapacity Icon4.56 kWh Range Icon100 km
₹ 1.17 - 1.23 Lakhs
Compare
View Offers

Besides aiming to promote local manufacturing, Gadkari is also pushing for alternative fuel to reduce dependency on costly oil imports. He had recently asked carmakers to build flex-engine vehicles so that they can use alternative fuel like ethanol.

The Union Minister said that "we are trying to make the ethanol-economy from present size of 20,000 crore rupees to 2 lakh crore".

According to the Minister, over 70 per cent of petrol consumption being done by two-wheelers in India. He said, since ethanol is available a lot easily these days, flex fuel vehicles could help the Centre reduce cost of oil imports and also bring down prices.

Last month, Gadkari had requested the automobile manufacturing companies to take the proposal to fully localise auto part manufacturing seriously. He had said if the industry fails to do that, the government would think of increasing more customs duty on imports which will eventually impact overall pricing of vehicles.

To achieve what he is proposing, Gadkari said his ministry is taking initiatives to increase expenditure on setting up infrastructure. He said, “We are trying to convert transport on electricity like going for electric trucks, electric mass rapid transport, creating public transport on electricity. Presently, a record-breaking 34 km per day of road is being constructed, making India second-biggest road network in the world".

The Indian auto industry currently contributes around 7 per cent to overall GDP. According to the minister, the Make in India push will not only help domestic manufacturing to grow, but also increase the sector’s overall contribution to India’s GDP to some extent.


First Published Date: 13 Mar 2021, 09:09 AM IST
NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS

Please provide your details to get Personalized Offers on

Choose city
+91 | Choose city
Choose city
Choose city

Want to get the best price for your existing car?

Powered by: Spinny Logo
By clicking "View Offers" you Agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy

Dear Name

Please verify your mobile number.

+91 | Choose city
Couldn't verify the OTP.
It's either expired or it's incorrect.