Government has not come across any demand from domestic steel makers for removing steel from the purview of free trade agreements (FTAs) with Japan and South Korea or imposing ban on imports from the two countries, Parliament was informed today.
“No,” Commerce and Industry Ministry Anand Sharma informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply.
He was replying to a question whether indigenous steel makers have demanded the removal of countries like Japan, South Korea and China from the list of preferential Free Trade Agreement countries or for the imposition of ban on import of steel from these countries.
“Japan and Korea are pushing for more steel into India. There is more than 300 per cent increase in imports of steel in just one year from these countries. So, the government needs to sit back and take a look at this. Steel should be outside of the purview of FTA,” JSW Steel's Chairman Sajjan Jindal had said in September.
According to the Joint Plant Committee of the Steel Ministry, imports went up to 4.25 million tonne (MT) during April-October period of the current fiscal as against 3.27 MT in the same period of last year, a growth of 30 per cent.
Source: PTI,Economic Times
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