New Delhi, Jan 17 (KNN) Ministry of steel is working on several fronts to increase availability of coking coal along with other raw materials like iron ore, nickel, pellets and steel scrap, Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh has said.

The Minister said Government is taking measures like includes import duty reduction, more washeries, more production from Coal India and discouraging use of coking coal in power plants.

“We are working on policy interventions and other strategic initiatives to enhance their availability,” he said.

Singh said his ministry would explore the possibility of setting up scrap-based steel plants in Northern India and Western India. These plants will be energy efficient, eco-friendly, cost-effective and with capacity to produce high quality steel. 

He said the government is trying to develop indigenous capability to produce value added steels that are imported like CRGO steel and auto-grade steels.

“We are trying to remove bottlenecks that could hamper efforts to increase steel production. Inter-ministerial interventions are being made to reduce the logistics costs through reduction in rail freights and to improve raw material transportation by approval for laying of slurry pipelines,” Singh said.

He is optimistic that 300 million tonnes steel production target is achievable with the support and cooperation of the Members of the Parliament.

 India is likely to be net exporter of steel in this financial year, the Minister said.

Singh said that the draft National Steel Policy has been prepared by Ministry of Steel after detailed deliberations and it has been uploaded on the website of Ministry of Steel last week, for seeking comments and suggestions from different stakeholders.