Hyderabad: The Central government has decided to take serious action, including filing of criminal cases, for violation of its policy of banning the use of imported solar cells and modules.
The Union Ministry of New& Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued a circular to all state governments to this effect.
To encourage domestic manufacturers of solar cells and modules, the central government had banned the use of imported solar cells and modules particularly from China and Malaysia. It has now told state governments to take action if a developer violates this order, including filing of criminal cases and blacklisting of the company for a period of 10 years.
The central government has received complaints that some solar power plant developers are using imported solar cells and modules in solar power plants. Sanjay Karandhar of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said the central government through MNRE has been encouraging domestic manufacturers of solar cells and modules by way of a policy of domestic content requirement in all solar power projects wherever permitted by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). However, there are apprehensions that imported solar cells and modules are being used in solar power projects instead of domestically produced cells and modules.
He said that with respect to solar power projects under MNRE’s schemes and programmes, where domestic content requirement (DCR) has been mandated in a WTO complaint manner, the MNRE or any agency acting on behalf of MNRE can take action for violation of DCR provisions prescribing use of domestically produced cells and modules.
