State-run MMTC has so far not considered any proposal to merge Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd's (NINL) with any steel PSU, Parliament was informed today.
NINL, jointly promoted by MMTC and Industrial Promotion and Investment Corp of Orissa, has a pig iron manufacturing facility in Odisha. MMTC is under the administrative control of the Commerce Ministry.
Steel and Mines Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said in August last year that the Centre would seriously examine Odisha government's proposal for steel behemoth SAIL taking over NINL.
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"MMTC has so far not considered any proposal to merge NINL with any public sector steel company," Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
The Board of NINL, Sitharaman said, has approved in-principle to expand plant capacity from its existing capacity of 1.1 million tonnes (MT) to 5.0 million tonnes in two phases.
In the first phase the capacity expansion will be made from 1.1 MT to 2.2 MT, while in the second phase the capacity will be further enhanced from 2.2 MT to 5 MT. The first phase is to be completed by FY 2021.
MECON has been entrusted with the task of preparation of techno economic feasibility report for expansion of plant to 5 MT in two phases," Sitharaman said.
