Aluminium duty

NEW DELHI: India is examining a request to double the import duty on aluminium to 10 per cent, the country’s trade minister said on Friday, after firms like Vedanta Ltd warned of job cuts due to low world prices and rising supplies from overseas.

The trade ministry has forwarded a request from the Aluminium Association of India to the revenue department for necessary action, Nirmala Sitharaman told parliament.

The department had rejected similar requests earlier, she said. India’s per-capita consumption of aluminium, used in everything from aeroplanes to lemon squeezers, is about 2.2 kg. But demand is growing at an annual rate of 11 per cent against global growth of six per cent.