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Iron And Steel Industry
The government has received 73 applications under the second round of production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for specialty steel, Sandeep Poundrik, secretary in the Union steel ministry, said on Wednesday. The PLI schemes were launched as part of government's efforts to increase production of special steel in India to make the country self-reliant in high grade steel, the official said on the sidelines of 'Catalyzing R&D in Indian Steel Sector' event in the national capital. "We are ensuring that substandard steel is not imported into the country. So we are focusing on quality control orders so that both domestic and imported steel is of adequate quality and the products sold here are of adequate quality," he said. In addition to that the government launched two rounds of PLI. "We recently did a second round of PLI and we have received very good response in that. We have received 73 applications, 73 projects applications and this will add about 16.5 million tonnes of specialty ..
The government has imposed mandatory quality orders for stainless steel seamless pipes, and tubes to curb the import of sub-standard goods, boost domestic manufacturing and ensure consumer safety. A notification 'Stainless Steel Pipes and Tubes (Quality Control) Order, 2025' was issued in this regard by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on February 10. It will come into effect from August 1 this year. Under the order, the item cannot be produced, sold, traded, imported and stocked unless it bears the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) mark. According to the notification, this order would not apply for 500 kilograms of these goods imported for the purpose of research and development by manufacturers of stainless steel pipes and tubes per year with the condition that such imported goods and articles shall not be sold commercially and can be disposed of as scrap. Violation of the provision of the BIS Act can attract imprisonment of up to two years or a
Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, H D Kumaraswamy, announced on Sunday plans to revive the Sir M Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Factory in Bhadravati with an estimated investment of Rs 15,000 crore. Speaking at the 87th All India Kannada Literary Conference in Mandya, the Minister stated that this decision aligns with the Modi government's efforts to address unemployment and focus on industrial growth in Karnataka. The Minister highlighted the historical significance of the Bhadravati factory, established under Mysuru Maharaja Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya. Once a source of employment for thousands and a livelihood for lakhs, Kumaraswamy expressed confidence that the glorious days of the steel factory would soon return. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has entrusted me with the critical responsibilities of the Heavy Industries and Steel portfolios. I am working diligently to ensure these responsibilities benefit Karnataka," said ...
Union Steel Minister H D Kumaraswamy has said that steelmakers need to collaborate with leading institutions like Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and IITs for research to create a globally-competitive and technologically-advanced steel industry. He said India's steel sector stands as the backbone of its industrial strength and a cornerstone of nation-building. "From skyscrapers to highways, railways to defence, steel powers our progress and fuels our ambitions." Speaking on the occasion of the National Metallurgists Awards ceremony here on Wednesday, he said: "To create a globally-competitive and technologically-advanced steel industry, our steelmakers need to collaborate with leading institutions like IISc and IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) for research." Specialty steel, Kumaraswamy said, is also a crucial sector where research and innovation is the need of the hour. The Minister said that under the leadership Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country is on a path t
Over 10,000 steel user units are facing a crisis due to prolonged port delays and burdensome regulatory requirements, and the government should look at streamlining import processes and digitise systems to help the sector, think tank GTRI said on Monday. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) also said that policies aimed at protecting domestic steelmakers, including import restrictions and quality control measures, have unintentionally penalised industries dependent on imported steel. Over 10,000 units are struggling with operational and financial challenges, threatening their production and export capabilities, it added. It also said that Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) need careful scrutiny as some FTAs allow Indian firms to partner with foreign producers and re-import steel at concessional rates, raising concerns about competition. "Port delays and red tape are choking India's steel user industries. Over 10,000 steel user units face financial strain due to delays at ports and
SAIL on Monday said it has signed an agreement with global resources company BHP to work on strategies for low-emission steel manufacturing technologies. Both companies signed the memorandum of understanding to support decarbonisation in steel making, the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) said in a statement. "This collaboration is an important step for SAIL and BHP in promoting lower carbon steelmaking technology pathways for the blast furnace route in India. Under this MoU, the parties are already exploring a number of workstreams supporting the potential decarbonisation at SAIL's integrated steel plants which operate blast furnaces (BF) with an initial study to assess various strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG)," it said. These workstreams will consider the role of alternate reductants such as the use of hydrogen and biochar for blast furnaces, to build local research and development capability to support the decarbonisation transition. SAIL Chairman Amarendu .
To increase the usage of available raw materials, the Ministry of Steel has directed integrated steel players to make use of iron ore fines in steel making after its beneficiation. As per sources, the ministry has also suggested that players look at options like acquiring coking coal mines abroad. This is aimed at increasing the availability of raw materials at competitive prices, they said. "It has been conveyed to them that iron reserves are limited in the country and to preserve that, players must also use low grade ore through beneficiation process. They can also look for coking coal mines outside India," the sources said. Iron ore and coking coal are the two key raw materials used for manufacturing steel through blast furnace route. While iron ore is available in abundance, for coking coal, India remains heavily dependent on imports. Major players use only high grade ore (lumps), with 65 per cent and above iron content, to make steel through BF (blast furnace). Fines are low
The Congress on Saturday attacked the government over attempts to privatise steel plants, alleging the country's industrial base is being "suffocated" and Union Steel Minister H D Kumaraswamy is party to it. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh cited a written reply in the Rajya Sabha by Kumaraswamy. "Yesterday in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister for Steel revealed that the Modi Government has attempted and failed to privatise 4 steel plants and is currently attempting to privatise another 2," Ramesh said on X. None of these six privatisations were necessary, he argued. "Perhaps the Government's incompetence in enacting its own decisions, however ill-founded, is a small mercy," he said. However, these PSUs are now in a state of inactivity, and will be for an indeterminate period of time, Ramesh said. "The Government will not invest in them - in fact, there is evidence that the Government is actually systematically trying to further throttle these units t
Germany's proposed Low Emission Steel Standard (LESS) is expected to pose new challenges to Indian industry which is already reeling with lower exports, higher imports and Europe's carbon tax, think tank GTRI said on Friday. India's steel exports have dropped by 31.2 per cent from USD 31.7 billion in 2021-22 to USD 21.8 billion in 2023-24, while imports have increased by 37 per cent, from USD 17.3 billion to USD 23.7 billion, making India a net importer, it said. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that the Indian steel industry is not legally bound to follow the new German steel standard, but ignoring it could hurt domestic exports. "Global markets are demanding low-carbon products, and Indian steel producers not aligning with LESS may struggle to compete," GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava said. He added that India's steel industry must prepare to comply with new steel standards introduced by Germany, but may soon be adopted by other developed countries. LESS is a volunt