China to not participate in highway projects! Recently, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has said that in recent times, Chinese firms have not made investments in highway projects in India. Amid the border standoff with the neighbouring country- China, the Road Transport and Highways Minister, in July 2020, had said that the Modi government will not allow companies from China to participate in India’s highway projects, including the ones through joint ventures. While addressing a query by PTI on whether Chinese firms have invested in highway projects of India in the recent times, the Union Minister replied in the negative. However, Gadkari didn’t elaborate on the issue.
The Union Road Transport and Highways Minister, in a recent interview with PTI, also mentioned that India will have to increase its exports as well as reduce imports. While responding to another question on Tesla’s demand of import duties’ reduction on electric vehicles (EVs) in India, the minister said the decision on giving any tax concession to US-based electric car firm Tesla will be taken by the Union Ministry of Finance. In a letter to the Road Transport and Highways Ministry, the firm from the United States had stated that the effective import tariff of 110 per cent on vehicles with customs value of more than USD 40,000 is “prohibitive” to zero-emission vehicles.
