No threat of job losses in auto sector: Minister tells RS

There is no threat of job losses in the automobile sector and no reason for worry, Minister of State for Heavy Industries Arjun Ram Meghwal said in Rajya Sabha on Monday.

“The automobile sector is presently in a transitional phase where it has to migrate to BS VI from BS IV by April 1, 2020, the deadline given by the Supreme Court. We also have to move towards electric vehicles,” he said during Question Hour.

“Therefore, the worry (over job losses) that has been expressed, this is a recycle. There is no reason to worry. No jobs are in danger and the government has taken all required measures for improvement after speaking to stakeholders,” he said.

In a written reply, Union Heavy Industries Minister Prakash Javadekar said no closure of any automobile or ancillary manufacturing units has been reported in the past three years.

Passenger vehicle sales in India rose marginally in October aided by positive festive season sentiment and introduction of new models in utility vehicle space, just about managing to snap 11 continuous months of decline in sales, according to figures released last month by auto industry body SIAM.