BHUBANESWAR: Strongly pitching for Odisha as a prime destination for investment in mineral-based industries, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday unveiled an ambitious roadmap to transform the state into India’s steel powerhouse.
Addressing a gathering of industry leaders from the steel and metal sectors during the ‘India Steel-2025’ conference in Mumbai, he said steel is the mother industry of Odisha. At present, Odisha leads the country in the production of both crude steel and stainless steel, with 54 integrated steel plants and an installed capacity of 41.21 million tonne (MT) per annum. The target is to produce over 130 MT of steel a year by 2030, he said.
“The state has played a pivotal role in the success of the steel sector in the country, accounting for more than 55 per cent (pc) of the iron ore production. My home district Keonjhar alone contributes over 50 pc of Odisha’s iron ore production and numerous companies have flourished through their mining operations in the district,” he added.
He said Odisha has successfully auctioned 44 major mineral blocks following the amendment to the MMDR Act in 2015. Currently, the state is auctioning eight more blocks with reserves of around 323 MT and plans to auction 22 additional blocks by March 2026. India’s iron ore consumption is projected to reach 340 MT by 2030-31, and Odisha aims to contribute nearly 240 to 245 MT, increasing its share in national production from 58 pc to 70 pc.
“Not only iron ore, the state with 16 operational coal mines accounts for 24 pc of the country’s total output. We have produced 178 MT of iron ore, 269 MT of coal, and 3.18 MT of chromite in the last fiscal alone,” he said.
The chief minister said the government is now focused on transitioning from a model of raw material extraction to value creation.
