India's mines ministry has announced a change in the board of PSU aluminium producer National Aluminium Company Limited (Nalco). The ministry has replaced Nikunja Bihari Dhal from the Nalco Board of Directors with Subhash Chandra, a joint secretary in the mines ministry.
Dhal, a 1993-batch Indian Administrative Officer (IAS) from the Odisha cadre, is another joint secretary in the mines ministry, earlier heading the metals division which has now been handed over to Chandra. Dhal is also part-time official director on the boards of another PSU Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL).
Chandra also replaces Dhal as director on the board of HCL, according to government officials aware of the development. 
The change comes at the backdrop of India's ministry of commerce and Industry ruling out the proposition of imposing minimum import price (MIP) on aluminium. The ministry is of the view that non-compliant measure of the World Trade Organization will tarnish the image of the industry as well as that of the country globally.
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The total aluminium production capacity of India presently stands at 2.05 million tonnes (mt), of which Nalco contributes 0.374 mt. Analysts are of the view that there is no urgent need of MIP imposition on aluminium in India, as a majority of the metal is now imported in the form of scrap. "However, domestic demand of the metal is not high and large amount of aluminium is also being imported,” said Jayanta Roy, senior vice-president at Icra Ltd, a rating agency.
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