Ministerial panel on raw material supply to meet on Nov 26

The state government has expedited its efforts for ensuring long term supply of raw materials to industries in the state.

The three member ministerial panel formed for ensuring regular availability of raw material for the end use industries is likely to have its maiden meeting on November 26.

The committee is chaired by the state finance minister with industries minister and steel & mines minister as its members.

The ministerial committee's mandate will be to suggest measures for making iron ore, manganese, bauxite and chrome ore available to the mineral based industries located in the state. The mineral ores will be made available in a fair and equitable manner through the Odisha Mining Corporation and other mining lessees.

Raw material supply is key to Odisha's ambition to become the largest steel producer of the country with highest deposits of iron ore as it has signed MoU (memorandum of understanding) with 50 producers. Of these 50 MoUs, 30 have gone into either partial or full scale production.

In addition, the committee is likely to suggest modalities for making the ore available on a sustained basis to such industries through appropriate long-term ore linkage arrangements. It may also suggest a framework for making the ore available to local industries through a transparent process.

Of late , PL Kandoi, president, All Odisha Steel Federation had said that the three-member inter-ministerial committee of the state government should instruct all working mines to feed the state-based steel units.