Janjivan Bureau / New Delhi: The Second Meeting of the National Steel Consumers’ Council, on the theme of “Current Status of Steel Industry and the Way Forward’’ will be held under the Chairmanship of the Union Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh in Bhubaneswar on Friday. The function of the Steel Consumer Council is to advise Government on matters relating to supply, availability, quality and the market trends of iron and steel.
India is currently the third largest steel producer in the world; while the domestic steel consumption remains at only 60 Kgs per capita which is quite less in comparison to the world average of 208 kgs. There has been continued thrust from the Ministry of Steel to boost domestic steel consumption by exploring versatile steel uses. Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved the policy for providing preference to Domestically Manufactured Iron & Steel Products in Government procurement. The meeting comes at a good time to address all steel related issues.
Steel Industry particularly Public Sector in Odisha has played a prominent role in development of the steel industry. States like Odisha, are expected to be large centres of rural consumption of steel in the country. Odisha is one of the favoured destinations for steel making in India due to its geographic advantage and talented population of the state. Bhubaneswar, Odisha is the ideal choice for the conference considering the state’s contribution to the steel making prowess of the country.
This meeting would provide a vibrant platform to discuss the viable options for generating domestic steel consumption, domestic steel industry scenario, global steel trends and advantages of using steel over any other construction materials. This meeting would be attended by representatives of various ministries, several industry associations, producers and consumers of iron & steel Industry, house builders and related industries, industry experts and leading domestic steel makers.
