Recently the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and NACE International Gateway India Section (NIGIS) signed a MoU to form a Task Force for Mitigating Corrosion, in the presence of Shri Surjit Kumar Chaudhary, Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers; John McCaslin, Minister Counsellor for Commercial Affairs, US Embassy – New Delhi; and Dr Baldev Raj, Chairman, CII – Corrosion Management Committee & Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies and other dignitaries.

NACE International (formerly NACE – National Association of Corrosion Engineers), established in 1943, is a professional organisation for the corrosion control industry with headquarters in Houston, TX. NACE’s main focus of activities includes cathodic protection, coatings for industry, inspection, corrosion testing, and material selection for specific chemical resistance. NIGIS is the India chapter of NACE International, established in 1992 to promote corrosion awareness. NIGIS has accomplished its eminence by increasing its membership, organising annual conferences, seminars, conventions, technology meetings, educational and training programs, lectures, workshops, certifications and other corrosion programs of NACE International. NIGIS is committed to enhance the quality and range of its services in the field of corrosion awareness, protection and control of corrosion in India and globally.

According to the MoU, CII and NIGIS will work together to complement each other’s strength to work towards corrosion mitigation in India. Following activities will be looked as joint initiatives and reference point:

• Form a task force to bring in white paper on corrosion and approach Government of India
• Collaborate to bring in Corrosion Standards in India
• Conducting sector specific training and awareness sessions on corrosion, and
• CII and NIGIS can jointly bring in technology providers and industry together.

Research and development plays a vital role in developing new technologies and it should be a continuous endeavour on the part of the industry to adopt better corrosion control and mitigation measures in order to save huge direct and indirect corrosion-related expenditures.