Speaking at a conference on Thursday, Indian Power Minister Power Piyush Goya urged LED manufacturers to correct LED bulb prices, reported Can-India News.
Goyal urged the lighting industry to correct LED bulb prices, noting there should not be a situation where the government is procuring LED bulbs at INR 72 (US $1.13) per unit, when LED prices continue to be very high in the market, according to a report from The Hindu.
Although, the Indian government is highly capable of delivering LED bulbs to every household at lower rates, “it will remove the competitive edge from the industry,” said Goyal.
“I hope some of the players can also now start manufacturing LED lights and not just assemble,” he added.
The Indian government aims to replace all incandescent bulbs in the country with LED lights in the next three years, said the Minister, adding it would create business opportunities for the lighting industry.
As for ensuring the quality of LED products, Goyal appealed to members of the lighting fraternity to become whistleblowers. The minister encouraged the lighting fraternity to establish quality standards for imported products. He went on to highlight self-regulation by the industry will protect the nation from spurious products.
Goyal also said the government would support LED industry’s R&D efforts to bring innovation into the industry.
The minister said that there is scope for more innovation in the products related to LED and that the Government is willing to support research and development to bring innovation into this industry.
