In order to increase the demand of steel in rural areas and to boost steel consumption, the Union Minister of Steel, Shri Beni Prasad Verma has been stressing on the need for setting up Steel Processing Units (SPUs). The effort aimed at bridging the disparity between the national consumption of 60 kg of steel per man per year and rural consumption of 10 kg per man per year. With the setting up of these factories various steel products will be made available to remote rural districts at cost effective prices. Apart from this these units will also provide avenues for employment and facilitate for rapid development of the region.
In this series, the Minister of Steel laid the foundation stone of a Steel Processing factory at Koyle Jungle, Gonda on 9th September, 2013 for production of 1,00,000 tonnes of TMT. This factory will be set up by RINL, a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Steel.
The Minister of Steel laid the foundation of a similar unit at Dimroni, Jhansi on 8th August. The factory will produce 1,00,000 tonnes of TMT every year. Another SPU set up by SAIL was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Minister of Steel at Chunar, Mirzapur on 13th July. This unit being set up by SAIL will have a production capacity of 1,00,000 tonnes of TMT per annum.
Earlier the Minister laid the foundation of a 72,000 tonne per annum steel processing factory at Kurke, Ambedkar Nagar. Shri Verma also inaugurated two other steel processing units, one at Risia, Bahraich on 24th June and another at Parsapur, Gonda on 16th June.
It is noteworthy that all these units have been set up by PSUs under the Ministry of Steel in association with private companies. The raw material for steel processing in these factories will be provided by the PSUs and the products will be sold in rural markets at affordable prices.