By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: Meeting of the Consultative Committee of the Members of Parliament for the Ministry of Steel was held here on Monday. The Minister of Steel and Petroleum & Natural Gas DharmendraPradhan chaired the meeting on “Steel Cluster Development”.
Minister of State for Steel Faggan Singh Kulaste, and Honourable MPs- Vijay Baghel, Chandra Prakash Choudhary, Janardan Singh Sigriwal, Bidyut BaranMahato, Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Satish Chandra Dubey and Narendra Kumar Swain also took part in the meeting.
Welcoming the members, Pradhan said that Steel has been playing an important role in the industrial development of India, as it is a key input for critical sectors such as infrastructure, construction and automobile.
Indian Steel capacity has steadily grown to 142 MTPA, with the country becoming the world’s second largest producer of steel. Total steel consumption is expected to nearly 160 MTPA by 2024-25, and the Government is promoting domestic production and consumption of steel.
The Secondary Steel producers contribute about 55% of the total steel production, and it also contributes significantly to employment generation across the value chain.
Pradhan said that globally, the steel industry has thrived in a cluster model, as they enhance competitiveness of these units. He said that the Central Government is keen to facilitate creation of new steel clusters in line with the global benchmarks, and establish the right institutional mechanism to systemize the existing clusters.
Pradhan said that draft policy for development of steel clusters in India prepared by the Ministry of Steel is an endeavor to help resolve the existing challenges faced by the steel units and unlock their growth potential.The Policy will take into account the role and responsibilities of various stakeholders, particularly the State Governments, Industry and the people. MPs made many important suggestions regarding the Steel sector, and particularly about the Cluster Policy.
