Government is examining the flurry of cheap aluminium imports in the country and will take a decision on imposition of minimum import price (MIP) on the metal in next 15 days, a top official said today.
Mines Secretary Balvinder Kumar said the Ministry is examining the matter in great depth and has conducted 2-3 rounds of discussions with aluminium industry stakeholders.
"Either we may go for MIP or alternatively to increase import duty, but we want to drum up consensus among different segments of aluminium industry. We are working on it and hopefully in a fortnight we will take a decision on this," he said at a mining summit organised by industry body Assocham.
The development comes as the talks between the government and primary as well as secondary producers of aluminium on imposing MIP on the metal to check imports from China and the Middle East remained inconclusive last month.
In the last few months, primary aluminium producers - Vedanta, Hindalco and Nalco - have been lobbying with the government to impose MIP on the lines of the steel sector.
Speaking at the mining summit, the Secretary said mines auction is progressing well and auction of iron ore mines in Karnataka is getting good traction.
By the end of this fiscal, Kumar said a minimum 40-50 mining leases will be auctioned by various states.
He further said, District Mineral Foundations (DMFs) have been set up in 250 districts and they are implementing Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY). Nearly Rs 2,800 crore have been given in these districts for various developmental work.
"Backward districts will get Rs 200-400 crore every year.
The huge amount will be spent on social economic development of these areas and they will soon see transformation in their overall development scenario and many of these districts are affected by Left Wing Extremism," he added.
The Aero-geophysical survey of 8 lakh sq km will start in the third week of November and is expected to complete in the next 2-3 years, Kumar noted.
To check illegal mining, the government is taking the assistance of satellite imaginary from the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), he said.
"We are going to monitor all the mining area through the satellite imaginary. We are also going to launch a mobile app where anybody can upload photo of illegal mining," he added.
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