Need for a level-playing field

摘要

In a country like India, there is nothing called a level-playing field. This is more so in the industrial sector and a glaring example is in the zinc industry. Tariff reform is an integral p art of the economic; agenda today. While formulating sectoral policies, there is clearly a need to recognize the structural issues of that industry and its key players. The "one-size-fits-all" approach is definitely bad in both theory and practice. The zinc industry in India is a case in point. The pioneer in this field was Binani Industries (BIL), which set up the country's first primary smelter. Hindustan Zinc (HZ) was floated in the public-sector with its own captive mines and 3 smelters. While the then prevailing restrictive Industrial and Mining policies prevented Binani Industries from undertaking major expansions or backward integration, the company gained strength through periodic technology upgradation and revamping of plants, to incorporate state-of-the-art technology.