Odisha Ideal To Be Called As India’s Steel Hub: Choudhary Birender Singh
Union Steel Minister Choudhary Birender Singh on Tuesday said Odisha has large potential in the field of steel production and manufacturing tools for heavy industries. He also said Odisha is ideal to be called as the steel hub of the country.
Birendra Singh was speaking at the conclave of Capital Goods for Steel Sector where he highlighted about the potential the industry offers in the state and the future plans of his ministry with the Odisha Government.
Singh said, “Here we have the lengthiest coastline, we have iron ore, coal, manganese and all other available resources and this could be the best location for creating a heavy industry tool manufacturing centre. We think Odisha is most suited to be called as the hub of steel industry.”
He also asked the state government to consider giving 500 acres of land to establish a heavy industries tool manufacturing unit in the state which would be the second in the country after a similar unit in Karnataka. He said, “If Odisha Government is ready to spare 500 acres of land in the state, machine tool part manufacturing units could be established here. This has already been established in Karnataka and this would be the second such facility in Odisha for heavy industry machinery and tools concerning the industry.”
The minister also said that the steel ministry is targeting steel production of 300 million tonnes per year and from Odisha, they wanted to produce one-third the amount i.e 100 million tonnes per year. “Let us see whether we would get such facilities. There are three places like Rourkela, Kalinga Nagar, Angul which are centres for steel production,” the minister said.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also spoke about the potential of the state in the steel sector. He said, “Odisha’s natural strength lies in being a mineral rich state. The state contributes 14 per cent of the total mineral production in India. Over the past two decades, my government has focused on enhancing the production levels of the key minerals along with manufacturing of value-added products of the state.”
Patnaik also said that Odisha produces about half of the country’s iron ore which makes it an ideal location for setting up of steel industries. The installed capacity of crude steel making in Odisha has grown to 33 million tonnes per annum today from just 4 million tonnes per year in 1990, the Chief Minister added.