Birla, Ruia see MP project taking shape next year

Aditya Birla Group Head Kumar Mangalam Birla said his Mahan aluminum project of Rs 20,000 crore will come up in one year. “Work on the project is going on and I will see the project come up in next 12 months,” he said at the Global investors meet.

The company is setting up one of the biggest alumina project in Singrauli district. It has also started working on its three cement projects in Dhar and Satna district.

“With a diversified interest in cement, aluminum, textiles, staple fibre and telecom sector we are the largest employer in Madhya Pradesh with 8,000 employees already working and our ancillary businesses have created more than 25,000 jobs in the state,” he said.

“My grandparent G D Birla had put in Rs 5 crore (then a mega investment) in textile sector in Madhya Pradesh in 1950s when he was invited by the Scindias. Since them we have invested in staple fibre in Nagda. Now this is the largest viscose staple fibre plant in the world. We consider Madhya Pradesh our mother state as the group started business from this state. Now our cement manufacturing capacity is touching 52 million tones making us the largest cement producer in India and ninth in the world,” Birla added.

Birla also urged the state government to offer new areas like education where his company can explore possibilities. “Madhya Pradesh is growing in stewardship of the state chief minster and we hope it will grow further.”

Essar Group Chief Shashi Ruia said, “We have an investment in excess of Rs 8,000 crore in power sector”. Essar is setting up its power project in Singrauli.

Essar group is also setting up a ferro alloy plant with an investment of Rs 350 crore in Madhya Pradesh. His company signed a deal for the project today in Khajuraho. The plant will have 100,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) capacity and will meet the requirements of ferro-manganese and silicon manganese alloys of the existing plants located at Hazira and Algoma.

The plant will produce 50,000 tonnes per annum high carbon ferro manganese alloy, medium carbon silico manganese alloy of similar capacity.

Ruia urged the government to provide him an opportunity to setup some BPO business so that young entrepreneurs can avail opportunities.

“MP has a great potential for growth and it is an ideal location for manufacturing and distribution but I am more interested in grooming up of young entrepreneurs, I assure we will be party in the industrial development of the state.”