New Delhi. The Union Minister for Steel, Shri Virbhadra Singh said that more concerted efforts are required to see that steel capacity goes beyond 200 million tonnes by 2020. Addressing the 23rd meeting of the National Steel Consumers’ Council here today, he said, the massive technology change in industrial production that has taken place in the past few decades has almost completely changed the way steel industry does business today.

The Minister said, we need the new technology by which we can produce better quality steel on low cost. He said that the Government is trying to acquire new technology from South Korea and Japan. Government is also aiming to double the steel production from present 60 million tonne to 120 million tonne by 2012. Shri Virbhadra Singh said that the Government is planning to expand steel production through brown field and green field projects. The POSCO Project in Orissa will produce 12 milliom tonne and two projects of Arcelor Mittal in Orissa and Jharkhand with the capacity of 12 million tonne each, he added.

Shri Virbhadra Singh was of the view that the displaced persons should be given proper compensation with proper rehabilitation. He said that at least one of the people of displaced family should be given job through skill development. He has asked the industry to do this responsibility not on the behalf of locale’s cost but on their own cost.

The Minister said, Steel producers and consumers form two vital, interdependent and inseparable segments of the steel industry, despite the well known and routine business and strategic conflicts between them. Steel being an industrial intermediate holding strategic position in the development of any economy and in the line of value chain, it has been the endeavour of the Ministry of Steel for a long time to see that the two sides of the steel business follow a harmonious and synergetic path to achieve synchronized growth of this vital industry in the larger interest of the country.

The Minister has also unveiled two books of SAIL containing information about warehouse and Dealer Network.

In the meeting, issues in respect of steel prices, supplies, imports, exports and government’s policy initiatives were discussed.

The Minister of State for Steel, Shri A. Sai Prathap, the Secretary, Ministry of Steel, Shri Atul Chatruvedi, Chairman of SAIL, Shri C. S. Verma, Chairman of RINL, Shri P.K. Visnoi, Chairman of NMDC, Shri Rana Som and representatives from States, Steel producers and consumers were also present on the occasion.