India bans imports of power equipment from Pakistan, China

Indian Power Minister RK Singh on Friday said that India will not import power equipment from Pakistan and China, Indian media reported.

During a virtual press conference with state counterparts, the Indian minister also asserted that the equipment import from China and Pakistan would not be permitted especially on the basis of inspection.

He further said state discoms should not give orders for supply of equipment to Chinese firms. "We manufacture everything here. India imported Rs 71,000 crore worth power equipment including Rs 21,000 crore from China," Singh said in the state energy ministers conference chaired by him Friday morning in his opening remarks.

He said: "This (huge import of power equipment) is something we cannot tolerate that a country will transgress into our territory....we will not take anything from China and Pakistan."

He further said, "We will not give permission for import from Prior Reference countries. We are affected. There could be malware or trojan horse in those (imports from China) which they can activate remotely (to cripple our power systems)."

The announcement has come days after Indian Minister Nitin Gadkari said that Chinese companies won't be allowed to participate in India's highway projects. Gadakri also said the government will ensure that Chinese investors are not entertained in various sectors like Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).