Urgent need to move towards green steel: Ram Chandra Prasad Singh

Steel minister Ram Chandra Prasad Singh on Sunday highlighted the need to move towards green steel, saying the use of hydrogen in the iron ore and steel sector would help reduce coal imports.

He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has an ambitious vision on Hydrogen.

"Iron and steel industry will be big beneficiary as coal can be replaced by hydrogen and our dependency on import of coal also will reduce," he said.

Speaking during the day-long National Conference on 'Making India Atmanirbhar in Steel Role of Secondary Steel Sector', Singh said the suggestions from the industry will be considered and seamless, transparent and flexible process is the avowed aim of the Centre.

He said that industry has made great strides in production by moving from 22 million tonnes in 1991 to 120 million tonnes in 2021-22.

He said that strategy needs to be devised to reach the target of 300 million tonnes by 2030 and 500 million tonnes by 2047.

The Minister of State for Steel Faggan Singh Kulaste in his address urged the industry to be vocal about their requirements and put views of the industry forward with the confidence that they will be heard and the Government will work towards establishing an industry friendly environment in our country.

Secondary steel sector is a diverse industry in itself. Ideas generated through the conference will be helpful in setting policy directions for the government.

The Minister of State for MSME Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma brought out various assistance being extended to the MSMEs by the government and further exhorted upon the industry to come up with their suggestions which can strengthen the MSME sector in general and steel sector in particular.

The conference has been organised with aim of providing a platform to players in the Secondary Steel sector to share their views on the challenges faced by the sector and ways in which the Ministry can create an ecosystem in which the industry can thrive.