Business: The government on Tuesday said that at present there is no proposal for a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for the manufacture of shipping containers in the country. Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha that the government has taken several measures to increase the availability of containers for exports as well as domestic shipments. He said there is no serious shortage of containers for exports due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Hamas and Red Sea pirates. Prasad said, “At present there is no proposal for a PLI scheme for the manufacture of shipping containers.” The PLI scheme was announced in 2021 for 14 sectors, including telecom, white goods, textiles, medical devices, automobiles, specialty steel, food products, high-efficiency solar PV modules, advanced chemistry cell batteries, drones and pharma, with an outlay of Rs 1.97 lakh crore. He said
The availability of containers at any port largely depends on the global supply and demand dynamics. “However, regular interactions are held with shipping lines, ports/terminal operators and export/import associations for possible intervention in this regard,” he said. He said Container Corporation of India Ltd (CONCOR) which is one of the leading domestic container operators in India has placed orders for procurement of containers from Indian manufacturers. Replying to a separate question, the minister said since the launch of the Startup India initiative in 2016, recognised startups have reportedly created over 15.53 lakh direct jobs. As per the eligibility conditions prescribed under a government notification dated February 19, 2019, entities are recognised as ‘startups’ under the Startup India initiative by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
