In a bid to be a self-reliant nation, the government has opened the mining sector for commercial auctioning which will bring in big investments and revenue says Puneet Vidyarthi, Brand Leader, Case India.

New tenders are opening in the coal mining sector, how is this poised to impact the mining sector?
The coal mining sector is going through a major reform currently. Under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’, the government auctioned 41 coal blocks with liberal terms and conditions, for commercial mining to ensure competition, transparency, participation of the private sector and ease of doing business. The mining sector and subsequently the government will see more revenue and free trade which will scale up the industry. Some reports cite that the private sector involvement will bring in Rs 33,000 crore of capital investment in the next five years. This amount of investment is sure to boost the sector and the economy to great heights.

We are hopeful that the government will take more steps like these to bring our economy back on track.

The switchover to Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) emission norms, has increased the product prices by 15-20 per cent, how has it impacted the sale of your mining portfolio products?
At Case India, we value the environment and believe that each and every change contributes to the betterment of the world we inhabit. We’re always happy to invest in change that protects the environment even if it means increasing our product prices. Like us, our customers also understand that the increase in price is getting them a better machine with low emissions along with the solid promise of Case.

How are you managing the sales and service in the post lockdown period? By when do you feel businesses will be back to pre Covid period?
Covid-19 has affected multiple aspects of a business such as manufacturing, supply chain, sales, delivery etc. For Case, commitment to the customer is paramount and even in these challenging times we are delivering parts and scheduling services keeping all the safety precautions in mind. Case Sitewatch is also being monitored by the Case after sales and service team to ensure that timely action can be taken in case of any potential disruption to working.

Case also offers optional extended warranties on major components, so customers can use their machines more confidently knowing that Case will support them through the machine’s lifecycle. For fleet owners, Case offers maintenance contracts with dedicated service manpower available at site to ensure uptime. At Case, we walk shoulder to shoulder with our customers and never shy away from going the extra mile for them.

The government is doing its best to bolster the economy and has announced an economic stimulus and multiple reforms in various sectors for the same. The impact that each of these have remains to be seen but we’re hopeful we’ll be on the path of recovery soon. It may be slow but it will definitely be a full recovery.

Given the cash crunch which has come into play, what are the equipment finance options you have available for your customers?
We’ve come up with a new scheme where customers can buy equipment and pay for the same after 90 days. Through CNH Capital, our financial arm, we’re making sure there’s enough capital available for customers who wish to make purchases. To provide faster solutions to our potential customers we have come up with a 48 hour loan approval policy as well.

Looking at the recent developments in bilateral relationship with China, how do you think it will impact the mining sector in India?
As mentioned earlier, under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’, the internal factors at play in the mining sector currently are bigger than any external factors. In a bid to be a self-reliant nation, the government has opened the mining sector for commercial auctioning which will bring in big investments and revenue. We’re hopeful that this will have a huge positive impact on the sector overall.