Be prepared against tariff walls on exports by nations undergoing green transition: FM to industry

New Delhi, Dec 16: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday asked the Indian industry to be prepared against "tariff walls" which are likely to be imposed by nations undertaking green transitions, on Indian exports, especially steel products.

"Many nations want to fund their green transition and are imposing tariff walls on products from other nations. If we export steel to such places, it is likely to face this tariff wall or tax for green transition. Indian industry needs to reset itself accordingly," she said while addressing the industry body FICCI's annual general meeting (AGM).

Sitharaman further noted that with many European nations looking to relocate to other countries for setting up manufacturing facilities, out of China, India should look to make use of this opportunity and present itself as a viable manufacturing hub for Europe.

She urged the industry to prepare strategies for bringing manufacturers to India.

The minister said that during the tenure of India's G20 presidency, Government would showcase the country as a destination to go for, to investors from G20 nations, especially for manufacturing.

Stating that India continues to remain a resilient economy amid fluid geopolitical situation, Sitharaman quoted World Economic Forum's data, saying that by 2030, there would be 140 million middle income households and 14 million high net worth households in the country.

This, she highlighted, shows the scale of India's growth in the future. In this context, the focus of the industry should be on widening the technological growth, making use of the robust framework provided by the Government, the finance minister suggested.