State's crude steel capacity rises by 6.15MT in 5 years: Min
2
Kendrapada: Steel industry in Odisha has witnessed substantial growth, with the state now hosting 60 operational plants — 59 private and 1 public, Union minister of state for steel Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma has informed the Rajya Sabha.
The state's crude steel capacity has increased by 6.15 million tonnes over the last five years, reaching 31.48 MT, the minister added.
In response to a query from Rajya Sabha MP from Odisha, Muzibulla Khan, Varma said the steel sector is deregulated, with the govt providing a policy-friendly environment while companies must secure their own statutory approvals. Since Jan 2020, 34 environmental clearances have been granted, with approvals extending until July this year, the minister said.
Replying to a joint question from MPs Harsh Mahajan and Dr Kavita Patidar, Varma said several initiatives like the implementation of domestically manufactured iron & steel products policy and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for specialty steel, have been initiated to enhance domestic manufacturing, reduce imports and attract capital investments.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
33 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Go beyond politics to work towards improving city's infrastructure, urges Ashwini Vaishnaw
Going beyond politics, Karnataka and the Union government should work together to improve Bengaluru's infrastructure, urged Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology. He was delivering a virtual keynote address at the opening of SAP Labs' largest campus in India at Devanahalli here on Tuesday. He said the Union government was committed to working with the State government, despite political differences, to improve the infrastructure condition of the city. Rail connectivity The Minister further said that the government was keen to improve the transportation facility within the city and outside the city. 'We are planning to double the rail connectivity within the city and to the city from outside in the next three years,' he said. Earlier, inaugurating SAP Labs India Innovation Park, on 41 acres of land at Devanahalli, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, 'Both Airport Metro line and suburban rail were being fast tracked to be ready by 2029. He said he was committed to balancing, decentralising, and sustainable growth beyond the core of Bengaluru.' He said that his government was happy to partner with SAP Labs in areas like digital governance, smart cities, skilling, and sustainability to empower MSMEs, and enhance government services in the State. The new SAP facility represented the global enterprise's deep trust in Karnataka's capability, the Chief Minister said. Since 1998, SAP Labs India, headquartered in Bengaluru, has grown to become SAP's largest R&D facility outside Germany. 'As we advance in clean energy, sustainable mobility, and eco-conscious growth, investments like this demonstrate how economic progress and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand,' Mr. Siddaramaiah said. On education and skill development, he said, with an ambitious ₹2,500-crore programme supported by the World Bank, his government was strengthening first-grade colleges, establishing a Centre of Excellence, and enhancing R&D capabilities to build a skilled, future-ready workforce aligned with the demands of advanced technologies. Sindhu Gangadharan, managing director, SAP Labs India and head of customer innovation services, SAP said, 'India's rise as a global technology powerhouse is not just a story of scale — it's a story of ingenuity, resilience, and relentless innovation.' Thomas Saueressig, member of the executive board of SAP SE for Customer Services and Delivery said, 'It is a global innovation hub that will help our customers move from insight to action with enterprise-grade AI, data, and applications created right here in India.' Addressing the gathering Philipp Ackermann, German Ambassador to India, said, 'When SAP entered India in 1998, the country was future for the company and now, India a huge market for SAP.'
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Gujarat's Keshod Airport to facilitate operations of larger AB-320 aircraft by January 2027: Govt
The Keshod Airport in Junagadh will be able to facilitate operations of AB-320 type aircraft by January 2027, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Tuesday in its response to an unstarred question by a Rajya Sabha MP from Andhra Pradesh. Parimal Nathwani, the Director of Corporate Affairs at Reliance Industries Limited, and a member of the upper house of Parliament from the YSRCP, on Tuesday asked a series of unstarred questions about the Keshod Airport that were answered by Murlidhar Mohol, the MoS for Civil Aviation. In his response to questions regarding infrastructure upgradation at the airport, Mohol, in a written reply, said: 'The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has undertaken the extension of the runway at Keshod Airport in Gujarat, to a length of 2500 metres to facilitate the operation of AB-320 type of aircraft. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 190.558 crore and the timeline for completion of the project has been set at 18 project is underway with no reported delays. The projected date of completion of the project is January 2027.' Replying to a question regarding the terminal building upgrade and its capacity, the ministry replied, 'The AAI has undertaken the development of Keshod Airport in Gujarat at an estimated cost of Rs 364 crore which includes the New Terminal Building at a cost of Rs 142.17 Crore. The new terminal building, spanning 6,500 square meters, is designed to handle a peak hour capacity of 400 departing and 400 arriving passengers simultaneously. The tender for construction of the new terminal building has been floated, and the timeline for completion of the project is 15 months from the date of the award of the work.' Talking about the reasons behind him asking these questions, Nathwani said, 'By upgrading Keshod Airport to allow operation of large-body aircraft, it will become easier for wildlife enthusiasts across the globe to travel to Gir National Park to see the only remaining Asiatic Lions in the world. At the same time, the Somnath temple owns a special place amongst the twelve jyotirlings, and Keshod Airport will facilitate devotees of Lord Shiva from India and abroad to visit this famous temple with much greater ease.' Other questions asked by Nathwani related to flights at the airport were available on the Rajya Sabha website. According to the site, in a response to questions on the current flight schedule at Keshod Airport, the ministry said, 'Presently, there are no scheduled flight operations from Keshod Airport.' Regarding flights cancelled since January 2025, the reply stated, 'Since January 2025, 29 flights of Alliance Air on Ahmedabad-Keshod-Diu sector and 23 flights of Alliance Air on the Mumbai-Keshod-Mumbai sector were cancelled due to aircraft issues.' Nathwani also wanted to know about the steps taken by the DGCA 'to bring back the lost confidence of people to fly subsequent to the tragic incident of plane crash in Ahmedabad'. 'Post the tragic crash in Ahmedabad, DGCA has ordered enhanced safety inspection of Air India's Boeing 787 fleet and carried out heightened surveillance across various regions in India to ensure safe operations of aircraft. DGCA has also issued General Safety Circular 01 of 2025 for a comprehensive special audit to assess the aviation ecosystem and strengthen aviation safety architecture. The government has reviewed the safety practices of all major airlines and airports,' the ministry replied.
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
4.08 crore LPG connections blocked to curb misuse of subsidy
The Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG (DBTL) of the Centre, under which domestic cooking gas subsidy is paid into the bank account of consumers has helped block, suspend or deactivate 4.08 crore duplicate, fake/non-existent or inactive liquefied petroleum gas connections. The DBTL or PAHAL scheme has played a crucial role in identifying and blocking 'ghost' accounts, multiple accounts, and inactive LPG connections, thus curbing diversion of subsidised LPG for commercial use, Petroleum Minister Hardeep S. Puri said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha. Sharing details as on July 1, 2025, the Minister said the scheme, whose implementation began in January 2015, has contributed to transparent and effective disbursal of subsidies across the country. Besides the scheme, other initiatives like Aadhaar-based verification, biometric authentication and the weeding out of ineligible or duplicate connections resulted in significantly strengthening the system of transfer of targeted subsidies. All domestic LPG cylinders are sold at non-subsidised prices and the subsidy transferred directly to the respective bank accounts under the DBTL scheme, he said. Common database The government has also introduced a Common LPG Database Platform (CLDP) through which duplicate connections are identified and removed from the database. Deduplication is carried out using Aadhaar number, bank account details, AHL TIN number, ration card details, name, and address as key parameters. Aadhaar-based authentication for DBT schemes enables accurate, real-time and cost-effective identification, authentication and de-duplication of beneficiaries, ensuring targeted delivery of benefits. Public sector oil marketing companies have been advised to undertake and complete biometric Aadhaar authentication of PMUY and PAHAL beneficiaries. As of July 1, biometric Aadhaar authentication has been completed for 67% of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) beneficiaries. All new PMUY consumers have to undergo biometric authentication before release of connections, a release from the Ministry on Mr .Puri's reply said. Out of a total 33.05 crore active LPG consumers, 92.44% have their Aadhaar seeded in the OMCs' database. 86.78% of the total 30.63 crore DBTL consumers are Aadhaar-transfer compliant. While most subsidy transactions are completed successfully within two days of refill delivery, certain issues have led to transaction failures, including deseeding of Aadhaar from bank accounts, bank mergers, inactive Aadhaar numbers and account closures or transfers. Focused efforts are being made to ensure all consumers become Aadhaar transfer compliant, the Minister added.
