Ban 15-year Old Vehicles And Create NAB To Ensure Our Industry’s Sustainability: SIAM
In its bid to align with government’s vision to curb environmental pollution, auto industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has urged the government to bring in a legislation that will bard vehicles that are more than 15 years old across the length and breadth of the country. SIAM has also requested the concerned authorities to help in the formation of a National Automotive Board (NAB), which will play the role of an advisory body and help the government form policies.
Vinod K. Dasari, President, SIAM and CEO & MD, Ashok Leyland, at the 57th SIAM Annual Convention stated, "The auto industry, which is on the threshold of major transformations and unprecedented challenges is doing its bit to protect the environment. We are already taking rapid strides to leapfrog from BS-IV to BS-VI emission norms. We would also request the government to take some drastic measures that will take the vehicles that are over 15 years old off the road.” He also called upon the industry for providing greater impetus for doing more Design in India to gain traction with government’s `Make in India’ initiative.
Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Anant Geete called India’s automobile industry as a primary contributor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s `Make in India’ initiative. He assured the industry of all help from the government, “as the guardian of India’s automobile sector”. Besides, he also dispelled apprehensions on GST and its impact on the automotive industry and called for making India as a global hub for the automobile industry.
Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Jairam Gadkari called upon India’s automobile industry to gear up to face the competition heating up in the international market and urged the automotive industry to reduce dependence on single technology, focus on R&D and work on new challenges evolving globally concerning innovations.
Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog, government’s main policy think-tank, said all policies for the auto sector should be technology agnostic and left to the market forces for its self-sustaining growth. He conveyed government’s approach that courts should have a hands-off approach and make India the base for zero defect and zero effect. Additionally, he remarked that over- dependence on a single technology may scuttle the R&D spirit, innovations and out of the box thinking which may not be helpful for the automotive sector.
Shobana Kamineni, President, Confederation of Indian Industry and Executive Vice-Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited said NPA and subdued demand is one of the challenges today. “Creating new jobs and industrial infrastructure is also a worry. The auto industry is wherewithal of the entire economy.” She also called for the joint initiative in areas for smart manufacturing and skilling.
Venu Srinivasan. Chairman, TVS Motor Company Limited said the most important disruption is the electrification of automobiles, which he said is certainly going to happen by 2030 or 2040 in a significant way. He also called upon the Indian auto sector to move on from Make in India to Made in India.
