NOVEMBER 20238TOP STORIESINDIAN SOLAR PANEL MANUFACTURERS CHALLENGED WITH SEA IMPORTSIndian solar panel manufacturers are finding it difficult to compete with the flood of low-cost Chinese imports coming into the country through countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore. Chinese companies are taking advantage of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) loopholes to sell their products in India.In April 2022, New Delhi imposed a 40 percent customs duty on solar modules and a 25 percent duty on solar cells in an effort to promote domestic production and decrease Chinese imports. However, Chinese companies have managed to circumvent these steep tariffs and maintain their supply to Indian solar farm developers.In the past, Chinese companies have successfully used this strategy to avoid local tariffs. In August 2023, a year-long investigation by US federal authorities uncovered that five Chinese solar panel firms had bypassed tariff regulations by conducting their operations in countries like Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.Since the introduction of tariffs, there has been a decrease in Chinese exports directly to India. However, from April to August 2023, the import of solar panel modules from Vietnam and Malaysia has seen a significant increase, making up 60 percent of all imports into India. It is worth noting that the majority of these products are from Chinese companies.Indian manufacturers have expressed concerns that imports are damaging the domestic industry, as Chinese firms are allegedly dumping their products by exploiting the FTA route. ASHOK LEYLAND TO INVEST RS.1,200 CRORE IN EV MOBILITY SOLUTIONSIn a fillip to India's semiconductor journey, Continental Device India (CDIL) on Thursday became the first Indian company to start production of Silicon Carbide devices for electric vehicles (EVs). With the new surface mount semiconductor packaging line, CDIL's total capacity at the facility will increase to 600 million units annually.Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, virtually inaugurated the new Surface Mount Semiconductor Packaging Line at CDIL's plant in Mohali, Punjab. The company said it has already initiated pilot production with 50 million units and delivered its inaugural batch to customers in both the domestic and international markets. This will help CDIL address the impending surge in electric vehicles, power management devices and solar panels. CDIL also signed an MoU with the Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL), a research institute in Mohali under the IT Ministry, to make Mohali the end-to end semiconductor hub in the country. They will aim to establish a comprehensive framework wherein SCL's specialised knowledge and wafer fabrication facilities are utilised to produce indigenized wafers for CDIL's semiconductor devices, using CDIL's proprietary manufacturing processes."India's semiconductor mission is a key focus for both the union and the state governments, and there have been many developments in the sector. Yet, India still has much to catch up, with a projected surge in demand to approximately $110 billion by 2030," said Amitesh Kumar Sinha, Joint Secretary, MeitY. "It's heartening to see CDIL taking the lead in packaging of discrete semiconductor devices. CDIL has capability for R&D, design, and packaging. Earlier, they also had a fabrication facility. I hope CDIL will also consider setting up a discrete fab in the country by availing financial support under the 'Semicon India' programme in future,".
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