The SPUs would come up in joint venture with Supreme Alloys Ltd.
To boost rural steel consumption in Uttar Pradesh, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) is setting up five steel processing units (SPUs) in the state.
The SPUs would come up at Barabanki, Lakhimpur, Jhansi, Hardoi and Mirzapur in joint venture with Supreme Alloys Limited.
The agreement to set up SPUs at Barabanki and Lakhimpur were signed in the presence of steel minister Beni Prasad Verma here on Friday. He also handed over the letter of intent for setting up of the units at Jhansi, Hardoi and Mirzapur.
Verma said UP was a land of indefinite possibilities and it would develop faster once it started producing raw material for big industries.
“My vision aims at making the state a centre for production of primary steel and a reservoir of trained workforce.” Of late, the steel ministry is trying to augment steel consumption in rural hinterland by ramping up the pan-India network of rural dealerships of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) and Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). For instance, SAIL had 40 dealerships in 2006, which has increased to 332 at present, including 80 odd in rural areas.
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Verma was in town to inaugurate a seminar titled ‘Indian Steel Sector: Adopting HR practices, R&D initiatives and Green Technology’ organised by Assocham.
“I have instructed industry to focus more on adopting new technologies to help utilise low grade iron-ore and coking coal,” he said.
Verma noted if the state gave necessary clearances, national level R&D centre could be set up here. He announced that industrial training institutes (ITIs) would soon come up at Gonda, Barabanki and Jagdishpur to train 100-150 local youth every year in trades like fitter, welder, electrician and computer hardware.