Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu
Credit: X/@OffDSB
Hyderabad: Telangana's IT and Industries Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu, has said that China’s restrictions on rare earth exports are having a serious impact on the manufacturing sector in the state, and urged the Centre to intervene immediately and focus on viable alternatives.
To this end, he met Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, in New Delhi on Wednesday and submitted a formal representation.
“Rare earth magnets, critical raw materials, and chemicals required for the production of electronics and electric vehicles are largely imported from China.
"That country has recently imposed restrictions on the export of such materials. This has affected the industries manufacturing electronics and EVs. If this situation continues, it could lead to significant losses. Telangana’s manufacturing sector is particularly vulnerable to this impact,” he said.
He also said that the need for the Union Government to assess the real-time situation and focus on establishing alternate supply arrangements to avoid disruption to the electronics and EV industries.
Minister Sridhar Babu urged Union Minister Piyush Goyal to extend full support from the Centre for the development of industrial infrastructure in the State. He elaborated on plans for the Hyderabad–Nagpur, Hyderabad–Warangal, Hyderabad–Bengaluru, and Hyderabad–Vijayawada industrial corridors.
He requested the sanction of Rs 400 crore under the PM Gati Shakti scheme for essential infrastructure under the Industrial Smart City project being developed at Zaheerabad.
He brought to the Union Minister’s attention that the Hyderabad–Warangal Industrial Corridor (HWIC) had come to a standstill due to negligence by the previous government. However, the current government is now developing the Pharma City, which is part of this corridor, into a "Future City." He requested central cooperation in this initiative. He also urged the Centre to release funds for the development of Warangal Airport and several associated industrial nodes.
The Minister reminded that the Telangana government has shown strong interest in the Centre’s proposal to develop 100 industrial parks and has already submitted its views on the matter. He requested that sufficient funds be allocated for these projects.
Minister Sridhar Babu stated that Telangana is strengthening its industrial sector in alignment with the goals of Atmanirbhar Bharat, and that the state will play a leading role in achieving the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 in collaboration with the Union Government.