by Naginder Singh Kishor
Steel has been the major commodity which supported India's infrastructural as well as economic developemnt since Indian Republic.
India's steel demand is expected to grow at around 10% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over the next ten years and production capacity in India would double to 120 million tons(mt) by the year 2020 from the present capacity of 78 million tones.
If the use of steel in the ruaral areas increases, the country would be increasing the production capacity from the present projection.
Both the private as well as the public sector is contributing to the risisng demand of steel for the country and also helping to add the capacity required for the India's future.
The private companies like JSL, Tata steel, SR steel while the public sector comapanies include Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), and Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL).
SAIL one of the biggest Publis Sector enterprise (PSE) under the Ministry of Steel plans to ramp up its Hot Metal capacity to 23.4 Mt by 2012-13, improving over its current production capacity of 13.82 Mt.
SAIL’s massive modernization and expansion plan at an expenditure of about Rs. 72,000 crore is under advanced stage of implementation. This would increase the saleable steel capacity from the current 11.07 Mtpa to 20.23 Mtpa.
The modernization is expected to be completed in the year 2012-2013 at SAIL’s Bokaro, Bhilai, Rourkela and Durgapur Steel Plant.
