Question: Consider the following statements:
(1) Union Cabinet has approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for specialty steel in July 2021.
(2) The scheme proposes to incentivize by 4% to 12% on the specialty steel incremental production.
Of the above correct statement/s is/are:
(a) Only (1)
(b) Only (2)
(c) Both (1) & (2)
(d) None of the above
Answer: (c)
Context:
- On 22 July 2021, Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for specialty steel.
- The move will boost the domestic exports and manufacturing from this sector.
Specialty steel:
- Specialty steel is value added steel wherein normal finished steel is worked upon by way of coating, plating, heat treatment, etc to convert it into high value added steel.
- These value added steel can be used in various strategic applications like Defence, Space, Power, apart from automobile sector, specialized capital goods etc.
Categories of Speciality Steel under scheme:
- The five categories of specialty steel which have been chosen in the PLI Scheme are:
(1) Coated/Plated Steel Products
(2) High Strength/Wear resistant Steel
(3) Specialty Rails
(4) Alloy Steel Products and Steel wires
(5) Electrical Steel
Benefits of the scheme:
- The scheme proposes to incentivise all the eligible manufacturers in the country by paying in the range of 4% to 12% incentive on the incremental production.
- Any Indian registered company who are engaged in manufacturing of specialty steel grades will be eligible to participate in the PLI scheme.
Reason behind:
- Speciality steel has been chosen as the target segment because out of the production of 102 million tonnes steel in India in 2020-21, only18 million tonnes value added steel/speciality steel was produced in the country.
- Apart from this out of 6.7 million tonnes of imports in the same year, approx. 4 million tonnes import was of specialty steel alone resulting in FOREX outgo of Approx. Rs. 30,000 crores.
- By becoming Aatmanirbhar in producing speciality steel, India will move up the steel value chain and come at par with advanced steel making countries like Korea and Japan.
Duration and Budgetary outlay:
- The duration of the scheme will be five years, from 2023-24 to 2027-28.
- With a budgetary outlay of ₹6322 crores, the scheme is expected to bring in investment of approximately ₹40,000 crores and capacity addition of 25 MT for speciality steel.
- The scheme will give employment to about 5,25,000 people of which 68,000 will be direct employment.
Target:
- It is expected that the speciality steel production will become 42 million tonnes by the end of 2026-27.
- This will ensure that approximately 2.5 lakh crores worth of speciality steel will be produced and consumed in the country which would otherwise have been imported.
- Similarly, the export of specialty steel will become around 5.5 million tonnes as against the current 1.7 million tonnes of specialty steel getting FOREX of Rs 33,000 crore.
By-Amar Mani Upadhyay