The two engineering giant Public Sector Undertakings - BHEL & NTPC - have joined hands to form a JV Company in the power field. This is surely a landmark in the direction of professionalism on the part of the two PSUs. This will also usher in an era of competence and capacity building for the indigenous power industry enabling it to successfully meet the challenge of competition from the global companies.
Even though power equipment manufacturing industry in India is nearly fifty years old, yet the emergence of BHEL as the single largest power sector company in early '70s heralded the solid growth of this industry. HEIL, Bhopal - the country's first power equipment manufacturing company - was merged with BHEL in 1974 - thanks to the foresight and farsight of the then BHEL CMD V Krishnamurthy fully supported by the then Central Government. BHEL started the programme of acquisition and merger under which the two Karnataka Government sick undertakings - Mysore Porcelain and REMCO - were merged with BHEL to form EPD & Electronics Division at Bangalore. Both the new acquired companies have done well.
And, now, thanks to the visionary, pragmatic and farsighted approach of the top managements of BHEL & NTPC, Joint Venture Company has been formed. Throughout the world, the Governments (USA, UK, Germany, France etc) wholeheartedly support their indigenous industries like the power industry within and outside their respective countries. In fact, this support occupies the top slot in the priorities of those Governments. Government of India should also support the indigenous industry in its march towards total self-reliance. India does not need to go shopping in the global market when its own power industry has come of age. It is as efficient, even more, as any global company in its field.
CK Sardana (former GM/BHEL), Bhopal