Let’s make the year 2019 the “Year of Expansion”
Come up with new technology and innovation for steel, so as to fulfill the aspirations of the government for Make in India – said Union Minister for Steel – Shri Chaudhary Birender Singh.
At the inaugural session of India Steel 2019 exhibtioin and conference which was held in Mumbai today, the Union Minister for Steel, Shri Chaudhary Birender Singh has exhorted the steel industry to make the year 2019 the “Year of Expansion” – expansion in terms of reaching out to new regions and areas of the country, to new markets and user industries and to other countries for exporting our steel.
He has called upon everyone to accelerate the pace of work towards achieving the target of 300 million tonnes by 2030-31, as envisaged by National Steel Policy. He aspires to motivate the people to work differently and think of innovative ways of doing things, new thinking, new investments, new ideas and new synergies. With the introduction of new technology and innovation the government wishes to fulfill the aspirations for Make in India vision.
He welcomed the international and domestic delegates to the India Steel Exhibition and Conference with the objective of improving trade, dialogue and international outreach of Indian Steel industry.
He said that the Indian steel industry is vibrant and robust today, with 8.4 % growth in steel consumption and 4.5 % growth in steel production in the first nine months of 2018-19. The Minister said that this has been due to a series of initiatives taken by the Government of India, since 2014. He said that the sector, which was down and depressed, has been brought back to a state of normalcy by 2017, and has now become one of the most promising sectors.
The Minister stated that Year 2018 was the “Year of Consolidation” for the steel industry. The steel industry structure has undergone an overhaul with NPA resolution developments under IBC (Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code). We took a giant step in the direction of self-sufficiency and Make in India, when stakeholders from India and abroad came forward to commit investments in making capital goods for steel industry in India.
Shri Singh said that growth trend in steel consumption in India will continue, due to strong manufacturing sector, diversified demand demographics, accelerated expenditure on infrastructure, anticipated increase in GDP and strong focus on ‘Make in India’. He noted that a budget of around Rs. 6 lakh crore was allocated for spends on infrastructure in this financial year.
Minister said that the focus areas of Ministry of Steel are denoted by word PRIDE –
P for production and productivity,
R for Research & Development,
I for Indian-made Steel,
D for demand increase and
E for Excellence in Quality of steel.
The Minister said that the Ministry of Steel has successfully established this mega platform- INDIA STEEL so that investors and exhibitors can showcase India’s strength in the steel sector through the latest products, technology, and machinery of Indian steel industry, which would ultimately help in disseminating knowledge about new applications of steel to diverse user segments. He said that the event will be a convergence point for manufacturers, suppliers, machinery companies, consultants, engineers, agents, traders, distributors, and experts in the steel industry.
Shri Singh stated that the conference being organized at India Steel 2019 would serve the underlying purpose of ushering the next era of growth for Indian steel industry as it focuses upon the entire value chain, from raw materials to production technology to end-user demand and delivery. The event is an important platform where the Government can hear from the Industry and the inputs received can be used for policy formulation and implementation.
Whilst interacting with the media, the Minister announced that the new National Steel Safety Board will be constituted shortly.
The Secretary informed that sixteen more steel products were recently brought under Quality Control Order, which now covers a total of 53 products. The Government endeavours to bring more products under the Quality Control Order in its efforts towards prohibiting production, import and distribution of substandard products, said Shri Kumar.
Anil Kumar Chaudhary, Chairman, SAIL & Chair, FICCI Steel Committee were present on the occasion, besides international and domestic delegates and buyers attending the event.
About India Steel 2019
India Steel 2019 Exhibition and Conference is being held in Mumbai from 22nd to 24th January, 2019. The three-day event, being organized by Ministry of Steel, will help chart out the growth path of the steel industry.
The event will witness the participation of the companies across the industrial spectrum ranging from MSMEs to the biggest names in the Indian and international steel sector. The event provides an opportunity for all the stakeholders to deliberate and identify ways to contribute towards building a robust roadmap for the further growth of the steel sector. The presence of international technology providers is an added attraction for the Indian companies to interact with them for technology upgradation or technology transfer. The products, technologies and the best practices of steel production around the globe will be on display at the exhibition.
Over 250 exhibiting companies from 15 countries, over 200 International hosted buyers and large number of delegates are expected to hold business meetings during this event. More than 10,000 business visitors both from India and abroad are expected to visit.
