BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged investors to capitalise on the State’s leadership in iron-ore and steel and take the benefit of landmark initiatives for ease of doing business to set up industries.Inaugurating the 7th Asia Steel Conference 2018 here on Tuesday, Naveen said Odisha is producing about half of the country’s iron ore and because of indigenous availability of such high grade iron ore, the critical input for steel making, the State has a competitive advantage for production of steel.
“Since we are a mineral rich State with abundant resources of iron ore, coal, chrome and other minerals, the State Government has been providing support for development of mineral-based industries through adoption of appropriate policies,” he said.
From the installed capacity of about four million tonne per annum of crude steel in 1999-2000, the State now has 47 steel industries with an annual capacity of over 33 million tonne, which is about one fourth of the country’s total installed capacity. The pellet plants in the State have an installed capacity of about 29 million tonne per annum.
Stating that the National Steel Policy-2017 envisages increase in per capita steel consumption from 61 kg to 158 kg by 2030, the Chief Minister said as the State is aiming to contribute substantially to the national target, both the steel manufacturers and Government have to work in tandem to achieve the objective.“A National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) is being developed at Kalinga Nagar in Jajpur district. Spread over 160 sq km, the zone is expected to become a self-contained ecosystem along with residential, commercial and social amenities.
It will enable the potential investors to set up value added downstream industries,” Naveen said. Odisha became the first State in the country to integrate industrial approvals with e-BIZ platform. The State’s central inspection framework for industries has been recognised as one of the best by the Centre and World Bank, Naveen said.
The Central Government has also appreciated Odisha’s Integrated Mines and Minerals Management System (i3MS) and successful implementation of GPS-based online vehicle tracking system and real-time monitoring of mineral carrying vehicles, which has been conferred with the Geospatial World Excellence Award this year, he added.Among others, Union Steel Secretary Aruna Sharma, Asia Steel International Conference Chairman Anand Sen and president of Indian Institute of Metals Biswajit Basu also attended the event.