SHIVAMOGGA:The Union government is hoping to cross 50,000 million tonnes in steel production per year by 2025. Union Minister for Steel and Mines Narendra Singh Tomar said that to this end, expansion and modernisation of all Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) units are in process, which is expected to be complete by December. “The Union government is committed to increasing steel production in the country. After modernisation, SAIL expects production to reach 35,000 million tonnes per year,” he said. The minister said SAIL has entered into Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh on increasing steel production under the PPP model. Similar MoUs will be signed with the Karnataka and Odisha governments, he said. “Modi is the first prime minister to visit a steel plant to understand the problems faced by workers in the industry. The PM has assured to support the sector.”