Govt issues new domestic procurement norms for 49 steel products

06 Jan 2021 Editorial Team

Atmanirbhar Bharat took the next incremental step yesterday, as the government mandated the use of domestically manufactured metal and alloy items. Per this directive, locally made metal products should be preferred in public projects.

Such preference will be accorded to 49 domestically manufactured iron and steel products in public contracts. These products include:

Pipes
Railway coaches
Railway tracks
Containers
Rolling stock
Wires
Tables and household items
Tanks

In essence, this means that project managers need to revise their procurement norms. The norms apply to all central schemes.

The norms will apply to procurement exceeding Rs 5 lakh for local body projects. The government has specified minimum local value addition ranging from 20% to 50%.

“Domestic” will be interpreted on the basis of whether a company is incorporated in India.

Imports are restricted from countries that preclude Indian companies from procurement processes. This could mean a retaliation against countries like China, where Indian companies have complained of unfair treatment. While the World Trade Agreement (WTO) guidelines could see this move as restrictive, India did not sign the public procurement agreement.

Procurement managers, including public ones like the Railways, have previously argued that domestic capacity in steel items is limited. Experts have repeatedly called for domestic capacity augmentation. More immediately, steel prices have been climbing steeply. Some experts say prices will continue to rise for a few months.

Infrastructure Urban

02 Jun 2026

VECV Sales Rise 7.8 Per Cent In May 2026

VE Commercial Vehicles recorded sales of 7,978 units in May 2026, compared to 7,401 units in May 2025, registering growth of 7.8 per cent. This included 7,789 units from the Eicher brand and 189 units from the Volvo brand.Eicher branded trucks and buses reported sales of 7,789 units during the month, up 7.3 per cent from 7,258 units a year earlier. In the domestic commercial vehicle market, Eicher sales rose 9.1 per cent to 7,375 units from 6,758 units in May 2025.Exports declined 17.2 per cent to 414 units from 500 units in the corresponding month last year. Volvo Trucks and Volvo Buses recor..

Table Space Strengthens DESYN Leadership Team

Table Space has announced strategic leadership appointments within DESYN, its integrated Design and Build business, as it looks to strengthen operations across key enterprise and GCC markets in India. DESYN was launched as a strategic extension of Table Space’s workspace solutions portfolio to meet rising demand for agile, high-quality and rapidly deployable enterprise workspaces.Shruti Ookabhoy has joined DESYN as Executive Director and will lead the Design vertical, focusing on design capability, operational excellence and team development across markets. She brings over 22 years of experi..

Concord Associate Bags Rs 2.79 Bn Kavach Order

Concord Control Systems said its associate company, Progota India, has received a Rs 2.79 bn domestic order from Indian Railways for the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of on-board Kavach 4.0 loco equipment.The order is scheduled for execution within 12 months and strengthens Concord’s role in India’s railway safety and signalling ecosystem. Kavach is India’s indigenous automatic train protection system, designed to improve operational safety by helping prevent signal passing at danger and reducing collision risks.Gaurav Lath, Joint Managing Director, Concord Control Syst..