Centre Reaffirms Commitment to Strengthen SAIL as India Targets Steel Growth

India’s largest state-owned steel producer, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), is set to play an even bigger role in the country’s industrial expansion after the Union government reiterated its commitment to strengthening the Maharatna company.

During a visit to the Durgapur Steel Plant in West Bengal, Union Steel and Heavy Industries Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said the Centre remains fully committed to transforming SAIL into a globally competitive steel producer capable of meeting India’s rising demand for steel across infrastructure, manufacturing, railways and strategic sectors.

The minister reviewed SAIL’s operational performance alongside senior officials, including Minister of State Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, Steel Secretary Sandeep Poundrik, SAIL Chairman and Managing Director Ashok Kumar Panda, Members of Parliament from the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Steel, and company executives.

Kumaraswamy highlighted that FY2025-26 marked SAIL’s best-ever performance across several operational parameters. The company achieved record crude steel production, higher saleable steel output, improved blast furnace productivity and significant gains in operational efficiency through lower coke rates and better energy consumption.

According to the minister, these achievements provide a strong foundation for SAIL’s next phase of expansion. Future growth will focus on increasing production of value-added and specialty steel while accelerating digital transformation, automation and advanced manufacturing technologies across its integrated steel plants.

The Centre also wants SAIL to strengthen its sustainability initiatives by improving energy efficiency and adopting modern technologies that enhance productivity while lowering environmental impact. These measures are expected to improve the company’s global competitiveness as India expands its manufacturing capabilities.

As part of the visit, Kumaraswamy inspected SAIL’s Wheel and Axle Plant at Durgapur, which manufactures forged railway wheels and axles supplied to Indian Railways, including Vande Bharat trains. He stressed the need to expand domestic production of critical railway components to reduce import dependence and support the country’s rapidly growing railway infrastructure.

India is targeting significant growth in steel demand over the coming years, driven by large investments in highways, railways, ports, urban infrastructure and industrial corridors. Against this backdrop, SAIL is expected to remain one of the country’s most important steel producers, supporting the government’s vision of building a globally competitive manufacturing ecosystem while contributing to long-term industrial and economic growth.