Latest news with #Mulgund
Mint
30-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
India looks east to this new ally to ease China's grip on EV batteries
With a globally dominant China tightening controls on exports of some critical minerals used in manufacturing of electric vehicles (EVs), Indian and Japanese companies are huddling in Delhi this week to figure a way out of the supply-chain logjam, according to two people aware of the matter. More than a dozen major Japanese players from the EV battery and critical mineral supply chain, including Panasonic, Mitsubishi Chemicals, Sumitomo Metals and Mining, Asahi Kasei and Nichia, among others, are currently in India to explore partnerships with Indian companies. All these companies are part of Japan's industry body, Battery Association of Supply Chain (BASC). From the Indian side, businesses 'like Amara Raja and Reliance are participating in discussions with the Japanese industry", one of the persons mentioned above said on condition of anonymity. The talks are expected to focus on developing a diversified supply chain for lithium-ion batteries used in EVs and energy storage systems, as well as for critical minerals like lithium and graphite, with discussions likely to explore technological collaboration and joint R&D to counter China's dominance across these markets. Mintcould not independently verify the full list of Japanese and Indian companies who will be part of discussions. Queries sent to the Japanese and Indian firms remained unanswered till press time. For Indian companies, the need to collaborate with other countries has become important as they struggle to source rare earth magnets from China, which controls 90% of their global supply and imposed restrictions on their exports this April. Alongside, several estimates peg China's global market share in lithium battery production at around 80%, while Japan is estimated to have about 10% share. Experts, though, are sceptical. Srihari Mulgund, partner at consultancy EY-Parthenon, said Indian players have to look for technology transfer and invest jointly in efforts to localise the battery technology. But partnerships with Japanese companies can only offer limited benefits, he argued. 'Collaborations with Japanese players in the EV battery and critical mineral chain offer limited scope because of the fact that China controls most of the value chain," Mulgund said. 'Mining, refining, and processing are dominated by China. Japanese players can help with battery material and technology, but their work has been more substantial on the hybrid front." In 2021, around 55 companies in Japan came together to form the BASC to strengthen the domestic industry's competitiveness in the battery supply chain. While the total number of members in the grouping isn't available, some publicly reported numbers keep it around 150 companies. Other major names include Nissan Motor Co and Toyotsu Lithium Corporation. The background Currently, Indian EV companies import more than three-fourths of their batteries from China, specifically from firms such as BYD, CATL, and EVE. Other countries that supply batteries include South Korea and Japan. While Indian companies are building their own battery factories that are likely to go live between this fiscal and FY27, they are worried about the ability to match prices of cheaper Chinese batteries as domestic players are currently fully reliant on imports of key raw material lithium. 'I think everybody would have observed that the pricing coming out of China right now is quite aggressive," Vikramadithya Gourineni, executive director for new energy business at Amara Raja Energy, told analysts in an earnings call on 30 May. 'The cell pricing, the energy storage system (ESS) pricing. So definitely, that's been on a downward trend." According to an industry executive working on EV cells, India-made batteries from domestic companies such as Amara Raja, Exide Industries, and Ola Electricare expected to be 20-30% costlier than Chinese counterparts who don't have to rely significantly on imports for sourcing key raw materials. The country's government has set a target of achieving 100GWh of lithium-ion battery capacity that can feed the surge in EV sales, which touched nearly 2 million in 2024, growing at 27% over 2023, data from Vahan portal showed. In 2021, the government announced a ₹18,100-crore production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for building battery capacity. Ola Electric, Reliance Industries and Rajesh Exports are among the firms that received a nod from the government to build the gigafactories. However, none of them has so far managed to achieve the required milestones under the scheme and are behind their schedule of commercial production. They face a possible fine from the government but the companies have cited issues with sourcing raw materials and required technology to progress at the previously stated pace. Other firms like Amara Raja, Exide Industries, and Tata Group's Agratas are also building their own lithium-ion plants. Sajjan Jindal's JSW Group, too, had previously expressed interest in making an EV battery plant.
The Hindu
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Govt. released additional water to industries from Hidkal dam, say farmers
Activists and farmers leaders have complained that the State government had released more than twice the amount of water than stipulated for industries from the Hidkal dam in Belagavi district. The Department of Irrigation, under requests from the Department of Industries has released over 0.229 tmcft. of Ghataprabha river water for industries, against the allocation of 0.1 tmcft. of water from the Raja Lakhamagouda reservoir. The full reservoir capacity is 51 tmcft. The government's response has become important in the wake of reports that the department of industries has obtained the release of a further 0.5tmcft. of water from the dam to the Dharwad industrial area. A Right To Information application by activist Sujit Mulgund has revealed that from the dam State government had released 'excess water' to industries. 'This is legally and ethically wrong. While the rule says that only 0.1 tmcft. is to be set aside for industries. Secondly, the cities of Belagavi, Bagalkot and en route villages depend on the Hidkal dam for drinking water. In fact, they suffer from water scarcity during summer months as the water levels in the dam are reduced. In such a situation, it is a cruel joke on the people of north Karnataka to divert drinking water for industries,'' he said. 'The State government has also acted in a non-democratic manner, by not taking into confidence, the local irrigation consultative committee of the Hidkal dam, in deciding to release water to industries,' he said. This dam was not built to benefit just a few industries. Its primary task is to support the rural poor, Mr. Mulgund said. 'The State government has violated the National Water Policy of 2011, that gives preference to drinking water and agriculture, over industrial usage,' he added. A delegation of farmers led by former Minister Shashikant Naik has urged the State government not to draw water from Hidkal for Dharwad industrial area. Another team led by water expert B. Anand Kumar, advocate Nitin Tolbandi, Mr. Mulgund and others have suggested that treated sewage water from Belagavi and Dharwad could be utilised for industrial purposes, rather than drinking water from dams. Mr. Naik said they would appeal to the State government again, to stop supply of Ghataprabha waters to industrial areas. 'If the government does not listen to us, we will protest and stop the water supply pipeline works,' he said. Established in 1961, the Hidkal Dam was meant exclusively for irrigation and drinking water. It is named after Raja Lakhamagouda, the erstwhile head of a local princely state, and philanthropist who donated land and resources to several educational institutions in British India.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
RTI revelation exposes massive over-allocation of Hidkal dam water to industries
Belagavi: In a significant development that could intensify the ongoing opposition to the diversion of Hidkal Dam water to industries in Hubballi-Dharwad, activist and whistleblower Sujit Mulgund unveiled official documents revealing that industrial units received nearly 22 times more water than the original allocation. Mulgund shared a letter from the assistant executive engineer of the Karnataka Niravari Nigam Limited (KNNL), CBC subdivision No. 2, dated July 6, 2024. The letter, addressed to the executive engineer, discloses that only 0.1 tmcft of water was initially allocated to industries under the project report. However, the allocation surged to 0.2 tmcft gradually, and there is an additional fresh demand of 0.5 tmcft under the Bengaluru-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project, part of the Suvarna Karnataka Corridor initiative. Crucially, the letter indicates that the excess allocation already far surpassed the sanctioned limit. If the additional 0.5 tmcft is approved, it would come at the cost of irrigation water meant for farmers, a point likely to fuel further unrest among farming communities. Last month, the Karnataka govt approved the controversial diversion of 0.5 tmcft from Hidkal Dam to industrial areas in Hubballi-Dharwad, sparking widespread protests across Belagavi and neighbouring districts. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Farmers and civil society groups decried the move, arguing it threatens their livelihood and violates the dam's original purpose. Earlier, water resources minister MB Patil claimed that the water being diverted was within the allocated limits. However, Mulgund's findings—obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act—contradict the minister's statement. Pipeline construction for the water diversion began over four months ago—without formal approval, tenders, or even informing the local administration, including district minister Satish Jarkiholi. The work only came to light when local farmers discovered pipelines being laid across their fields. In response, several organisations launched protests under the slogan 'Namma Neeru, Namma Hakku', prompting the Belagavi DC to halt the work temporarily. Despite the opposition, the project resumed following a green signal from the state cabinet. Activist Mulgund sought further details under RTI—including the tender cost, official approvals, and progress reports—but KNNL denied the information, citing confidentiality. Constructed in 1961 and named after former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, the Hidkal dam was built to provide irrigation and drinking water. Though it has a storage capacity of 51 tmcft, effective availability is only around 44 tmcft due to siltation and unusable reserves. Speaking to the TOI, Mulgund criticised the lack of transparency. "The RTI documents clearly prove that more water has already been diverted to industries than originally sanctioned. Any additional diversion will directly impact farmers in Belagavi, Bagalkot and Vijayapura," he said.
