As SAIL struggles, private players race ahead

The government has a dream and SAIL can't afford to be a spoilsport

The ambitious modernisation and expansion plan of the public sector steel major, Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), was conceived in 2006, when Sushil Kumar Roongta was the chairman. By the time Chandra Sekhar Verma took charge in 2010, the economic meltdown had sent the steel market in a tizzy, and the expansion programme had to be revisited. It was in only 2015, under current chairman Prakash Kumar Singh, that the expansion of Rourkela and Burnpur plants were dedicated to the nation.

In short, the modernisation of SAIL has spanned the tenure of three chairmen and two Prime Ministers: Manmohan