A brief history of the Indian iron and steel industry

Transcription

1 A bief histoy of the Indian ion and steel industy K. N. P. R A 0, B.Sc. (Met.), F.I.M. EARLY HISTORY THE ART of making ion by smelting ion oe was known and pactised in India fom vey ealy times, and the ion and steel poduced wee shaped into vaious useful aticles. Sushuta, (3d o 4th centuy B.C.) a geat authoity on medical science in ancient India, descibed in his book a hunded diffeent sugical instuments. Ancient Indian liteatue abounds in vivid desciptions of swods, speas, and othe steel weapons. Thee is ample evidence that the manufactue of ion and steel in India is of geat antiquity and that India excelled in the quality of he manufactue. To give a few examples : King Pous is said to have pesented 100 talents of Indian ion to Alexande the Geat, when he invaded India. The famous Damascus swods of olden days wee fashioned out of Indian steel. The most stiking evidence of the skill attained by the ealy ionmastes is to be found in the well-known Ion Pilla (300 A.D.) in Delhi (Fig. 1). Nealy 20 ft high and weighing ove 6 tons, this unique pilla is not a casting. It was made by welding togethe discs of foged ion and is emakably fee fom coosion. How it was poduced is as much a mystey as the Pyamids of Egypt. The following quotations bea testimony to the skill of the ancient ion caftsmen in India : `The antiquity of the Indian pocess is no less astonishing than its ingenuity. We can hadly doubt that the tools with which the Egyptians coveed thei obelisks and temples of pophyy and syenite with hieoglyphics wee made of Indian steel. Thee is no evidence to show that any of the nations of antiquity besides the Hindus wee acquainted with the at of making steel. The efeences which occu in Geek and Latin wites on this subject, seved only to add to thei ignoance of it ; they wee acquainted with the qualities and wee familia with the use of steel, but they appea to have been altogethe ignoant of the mode by which it was pepaed fom ion The claims of India to a discovey which has execised moe influence upon the ats conducing to civilisation and the manufactuing industy than any othe within the whole ange of human invention is altogethe unquestioned'. T.A. Heath (1839). `The Hindus excel in the manufactue of ion. They have also. wokshops wheein ae foged the most famous sabes in the wold. It is impossible to supass the edge you get fom Indian steel.' Aab Edisi. `Without doubt, theefoe, the pocess of making ion and steel has been used in India fo thousands of yeas It may, theefoe, easily have been the case that the ancient Egyptians wee familia with Indian ion and steel and eithe impoted the mateial o obtained the sevices of Indian wokes in metals to poduce the necessay mateial fo the tools employed on the geat stone monuments.' Si Robet Hadfield. Histoy is a ecod. of the ise and decay of civilizations. India's is no exception. With the passage of time, the at of the manufactue of ion and steel in which the M Rao is with the Tata Ion and Steel Co. Ltd, Jamshedpu. ancient Indian had attained such poficiency languished and died. Meanwhile, in Euope and Ameica an industial.evolution was taking place. The most impotant development was the manufactue of ion and steel on a commecial scale on moden lines. Science and technology combined to pefect an industy, the impotance of which is immense. Poduction was stepped up fom decade to decade at a spectacula ate, and with it the wealth, powe, and geneal pospeity of the poducing counties inceased. Ionically enough, duing this peiod of intense activity and pogess in othe pats of the globe, all that India possessed was a few pimitive devices fo poducing small quantities of ion fom indigenous oe mined in an equally pimitive way. Duing the 18th and 19th centuies, some attempts wee made to develop an ion and steel industy in India, but these poved a failue. The fist attempt to establish an ion and steel industy on moden lines was made in 1830, by Josiah Mashall Heath, a membe of the Civil Sevice of the East India Company. Afte leaving the public sevice, he invested the whole of his fotune in a steel plant consisting of funaces, foges, and olling s which he eected at Poto Novo on the Madas coast in The steel poduced was of good quality and was expoted to England, whee some was used fo the constuction of the Menai and Bitannia tubula bidges. The ventue failed, howeve, because of insufficient finance, the inexpeience of the men, and the inadequacy of the equipment. At one time, Heath's blowing machine was un by bullocks! Thee was also difficulty in obtaining sufficient fuel. The foundation of India's pesent ion and steel industy was not laid until 1875, when a blast-funace plant was built at Kulti, 145 miles west of Calcutta. The undetaking suffeed many ups and downs until it passed into the hands of the Bengal Ion and Steel Company and late the Indian Ion and Steel Company. BEGINNINGS OF THE MODERN IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY It was in the eighties of the last centuy that Jamsetji Nussewanji Tata, the fa-sighted Indian industialist, set to wok on his deam of a moden plant. He stated pospecting fo the pincipal law mateial, ion oe. Fo ove twenty yeas, he could make no pogess, because of the estictive mining laws in foce at the time. Refeing to these laws, Lovat Fase emaks `The Indian egulations fo mining and pospecting seemed caefully devised to obstuct and pevent development. It is hadly possible to estimate all the mischief that single enactment did in etading the development of the mineal esouces of India.' Undaunted, Tata made pesonal appoaches to Si Geoge Hamilton, then Secetay of State fo India in the Bitish Govenment, and the Viceoy, Lod Cuzon, and by shee pesistence succeeded in getting the laws amended in Thus it was only at the tun of this centuy that the way was paved fo industial steelmaking in India. In 1903, Tata stated pospecting opeations with the help of C.M. I

2 Weld, an Ameican geologist. The fist discovey was that of the Dhalli Rajhaa ion-oe deposits of Madhya Padesh, fom which the Govenment steel plant at Bhilai is now dawing its supplies. Fo a time, it was thought that the site fo the Tata plant would be located in Madhya Padesh. Howeve, the subsequent discovey by P. N. Bose of the ich ion-oe belt of Mayubhanj and Keonjha in Biha and Oissa decided the location of the Tata Ion and Steel Woks at a village named Sakchi, aound which Jamshedpu has gown. The situation was ideal, as the oe could be had fom Goumahisani 45 miles away, coal fom the Maia coal fields 100 miles away, and the busy pot of Calcutta, which was the natual outlet fo the expot of the geate pat of the saleable steel and impot of machiney was only 150 miles away. The ives Subanaekha and Khakai povide a constant souce of wate supply, vital fo the steel plant and-the township. The Tata Ion and Steel Co. Ltd The Tata Ion and Steel Company was fomed in 1907, and the constuction of the steelwoks was stated a yea late. Pig ion was fist made in 1911, and the fist ingot of steel was olled in The plant was oigi- *flatly designed to poduce tons of saleable steel 3 Coke ovens, Tisco a yea. It consisted of two 350 ton blast-funaces, fou 40 ton.open-heath funaces, a steam-diven blooming, and a ail and stuctual, togethe with the necessay coke ovens, a machine shop, and a foundy. The plant was able to achieve full capacity poduction by 1916, and was in a position to meet the demands of the Allies duing Wold Wa I. It supplied miles of ails and no less than tons of steel. Afte the wa, the company, which had planned fo expansion even befoe 1918, launched on the geate extensions designed to tansfom the plant and to incease its poduction to tons of saleable steel a yea. The pogamme was completed by about 1924 and poduction exceeded the taget capacity. The duplex method of steelmaking was intoduced which met 2 A view of the Tata Ion and Steelwoks, Jamshedpu 2

3 4 The new 46in blooming, Tisco with outstanding success. Afte expansion, the Jamshedpu plant became the lagest integated ion and steelwoks east of Suez. By 1939, the poduction had isen to tons. The outbeak of Wold Wa II put a heavy buden on the woks, which had to wok to its full capacity to meet the ugent demands. The peak poduction of tons of saleable steel was attained in Then began a new phase of eseach and development which esulted in the poduction of not only high-tensile stuctual steels such as Tisco and Tiscom, but also othe special alloy steels such as bullet-poof plates, stainless steel fo sugical instuments, and high-speed and othe types of tool steel. The Tata Ion and Steel Company had fimly established itself on the steel map of the wold. Figue 2 is a geneal view of the Tata woks at Jamshedpu. The Indian Ion and Steel Co. Ltd. The Indian Ion and Steel Company stated opeation in 1918 at Hiapu, situated about 4 miles fom Asansol and 140 miles fom Calcutta. The company was set up solely fo the pupose of manufactuing pig ion fo expot. The plant oiginally consisted of two blastfunaces with a ated capacity of 500 tons a day. In 1936, the Indian Ion and Steel Company acquied the Bengal Ion and Steel Company. In 1937, the Steel Copoation of Bengal was fomed and stated poduction of steel in association with its neighbou, the Indian Ion and Steel Company. It had an initial ingot capacity of tons pe yea, which was subsequently doubled by the addition of two basic Besseme convetes. Howeve, it is not until 1953 that the two companies wee amalgamated and the Indian Ion and Steel Company became an integated ion and steel plant. As a esult of this integation, the poduction inceased to tons of saleable steel pe yea. Figues 3-5 show some of the TISCO plant. Mysoe Ion and Steel Woks In 1918, a small chacoal blast-funace was eected at Bhadavati, by the Govenment of Mysoe to poduce tons of pig ion a yea. In 1936, a small steel plant was added to ensue moe economic opeation of the unit. A poduce gas-fied 25 ton open-heath funished 5 A view of skelp, Tisco the ingots. A simila funace was added i.n Having no blooming, the steel was bottom-cast into a cluste of small ingots fo diect olling in the finishing. The plant also began olling billets puchased fom outside into mechant bas. Electic funace fo poduction of feosilicon was also established. The plant had a capacity of tons of saleable steel pe yea,. which was to be gadually inceased to tons. Othe small steel-poducing units In addition to the thee steel plants descibed above, a numbe of small steel-poducing units with electic funaces, foundies and e-olling s as well as auxiliay industies poducing efactoies and the like, spang up in diffeent pats of the county duing the thities and foties of the pesent centuy. Vaious allied industies such as mining fo oe, coal, limestone, etc., plants fo poducing tinplate, wie, and wie poducts, foundies, which depended fo aw mateial on the steel industy, and steel fabicating wokshops wee established in diffeent pats of the county..raw mateials fo the ion and steel industy India is one of the best-endowed counties in the wold, in so fa as the quality and quantity of ion oes ae concened. The eseves of ion oe ae undoubtedly the lagest and best in Asia, with the possible exception of the USSR. The eseves ae estimated to total ove 8'0 billion tonnes, a lage popotion of which is of potential economic significance. Accoding to one ecent estimate, 3

4 Rao : Bief histoy of Indian ion and sled industy 3e at- 2 V le, e- e- e 72' 70 so' Le Be' BO 96' loe wts 7 4tuis to 1, 0 2 JAMMU XASMA46,...\ fife, ouv.ma \.-i i..., c., MAL SH -43e * , f. s -cie s RAJAS i 6 Ni e..,,. '., A, `-', C.., /' e,,,,,,,,... I, e. - ',,.., --...,,,...ISIAH,, -04. GU I A P - a.^ h k ci ',,...).-, './.?...X.A s.,.,...,...,.,...es ',,/,7t.,..,;.em...c 4 S M A OHM. P O A 0 f 5 H " `00 q...,..., is ,. `."../....? of - ) -;!,,Ece, ; Xt MAHARASHYOA, =: s Y, ' ' l'"' toe,... / '., '. 1,... Af s Ot :' ` BAY g t ' 0 * e" % 0 BENGAL.., *I' 0 -,.,%..,... LE CEND laailaian.-'..."-' 0 Monoontle we IL AAOS - U.,, t., -, Coot o o D..., 4... a Fi.osg. t Latesic.le ion oft deposits smocked o tod oe deposits not yet..11.ed - e mcoaar IiiscAtas 6., 7i 76* 60*. e incease. is e 92' Ion & steel industy in India showing he occuence of pincipal aw mateials ion tonnes ae high-gade oe containing about 60% of metallic ion. Figue 6 shows the distibution on the Indian sub-continent of the p:-incipal aw mateials fo the ion and steel industy. The pincipal oe is hematite. It occus in association with had cystalline ock of igneous o metamophic oigin. The deposits consist of lage lenticula masses located at the tops of hills in the easten, cental, and cetain southen pats of the Indian peninsula. Along with the high-gade had hematites thee is usually associated a lage popotion of soft hematite, which is populaly known as 'fines' o 'blue dust'. The lagest concentation of ion-oe bodies lies on the noth-easten uplands of 13iha and Oissa. The bulk of the ion oe is at pesent extacted fom this aea. Mining methods consist of opencast mining o simple quaying on the tops and sides of the hills. The othe ich aeas ae Madhya Padesh and Mysoe State. The Salem distict of Madas has siliceous magnetite oe of a lowe metallic content. Of ecent inteest is the development taking place fo the expot of ion oes to the extent. of nealy 2 ion tonnes annually fom the Oissa belt and Goa deposits on the westen coast. In contast with the immense oe deposits, the supply of coking coal is meage, baely ion tonnes. The ash content is high and the caloific value is low. The location of the coking coal deposits is mostly in the easten egion (the Jhaia fields) and this has natually confined lage-scale ion poduction to this aea. To meet the gowing demands and impove the quality of aw coal, new coal mines ae being opened, and washeies ae being established to supply low-ash coal to the steel plants. To extend the use of the limited quantity available, long-ange consevation expeiments ae being caied out by blending with weakly coking coals and by othe methods. Coking coal is absent in the southen pat of the peninsula. Howeve, the lignite deposits of Neyveli ae being developed, and it is expected that the poposed ton ion and steel plant to be located in the south will daw its equiements of fuel fom this souce. Limestone eseves, fom which the steel plants ae cuently dawing thei equiements, have hitheto been consideed plentiful, but ecent suveys have shown that they ae likely to pove inadequate. In paticula, deposits of the flux gade equied fo steelmaking lie fa away fom the steel-based aea. Chome oe eseves ae limited, but manganese oe and efactoy clays ae available in abundance. Howeve, the esouces of the othe.aw mateials fo an alloysteel industy, such as vanadium, nickel, tungsten, and molybdenum, ae neithe adequate no of a suitable quality. EXPANSION OF THE IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY AFTER INDEPENDENCE Befoe Wold Wa I, India was poducing about tons of pig ion and tons of steel pe annum. Poduction eached a maximum of 2 ion tons of pig ion in 1941 and 1'13 ion tons of finished steel in The level went down in post-wa yeas, howeve, because of the intensive use of plant and machiney duing the wa and the lack of adequate eplacements. This downwad tend was aested in 1948, since when poduction of ion and steel has once again ecoded an The idea of planned development of the county was conceived by leades of the industy in the thities and stessed by the Indian National Congess. Not being independent at the time, India. could not easily develop he basic industies and the idea of a planned economy did not mateialize until afte independence. Soon afte independence, the Govenment of India lost no time in appointing a Planning Commission, and the Fist, Second, and successive Five Yea Plans ae the outcome of thei labous. Fist Five Yea Plan The Fist Plan coveed the peiod Apil 1951 to Mach It was estimated that the equiements of steel would ise fom 2'1 ion tons to 2'8 ion tons by The futue demand fo steel was estimated at 4'5 ion tons by , allowing about tons fo expot. Indigenous poduction being below the demand,.the gap had to be filled by impots fom aboad. In the Fist Five Yea Plan, although the main emphasis was laid on agicultue and allied fields, a sum of Rs. 76 coes was allotted fo the development of the ion and steel industy, paticulaly fo modenization of the machiney won out as a esult of wa poduction and fo aising the existing plants to full capacity. It was also ealized, that the elatively small output of the ion and steel industy affected the development of othe industies dependent upon ion and steel fo aw mateial, and that the State should assume diect esponsibility fo futhe.expansion of the steel output ; at the same time pivate entepise would be encouaged to expand thei output. In 1951, the Tata Ion and Steel Co. Ltd undetook a pogamme of modenization and expansion-aimed at inceasing the capacity of its plant fom 1 ion to 1.3 ion tons of ingot steel pe annum. The Indian Ion and Steel Co. Ltd also had a suitable pogamme to aise its capacity fom about tons to 0.5 ion tons of ingots a yea. The Mysoe Ion and Steel Woks decided to install electic pig-ion funaces These development pogammes of the thee majo ion and steel concens in the county wee included in the Fist Five 4

5 7 Rail and stuctual, Bhilai Yea Plan, and the Govenment of India extended the necessay financial assistance. Second Five Yea Plan The Fist Plan peiod was egaded essentially as one of pepaation fo lage-scale industial development in the county. The Second Plan, which began in Apil 1956, was. the most eventful so fa as the histoy of steel in India is concened. Highest pioity was given to the expansion of the ion and steel industy, since the level of steel poduction detemines the tempo of economic pogess. It was a bold decision to aise the capacity in one step fom 1.5 ion ingot tons to 6 ion ingot tons. The next pioity went to the heavy engineeing industies, as they povide fom within the county a wide ange of industial machiney and capital equipment, such as locomotives fo ailways and powe plants fo the geneation of electicity. These industies ae among the lagest consumes of steel. The taget of 6 ion tons of steel ingots a yea, yielding appoximately 4.5 ion tons of saleable steel, was to be achieved by (a) installing thee integated steel plants in the public secto, each with a capacity of 1 ion tons of ingot steel pe yea, and (b) inceasing the capacity of the Tata Ion and Steel Co. Ltd to 2 ion tons of ingot steel pe yea and that of the Indian 9 No. 1 blast-funace and stoves, Dugapu Ion and Steel Co. Ltd to 1 ion tons of ingot steel pe yea. Accodingly, the Govenment of India set about eecting the fist integated steel plant of the public secto at Roukela (Oissa) in collaboation with Geman fims, the second plant at Bhilai (Madhya Padesh) with the help of the Govenment of the USSR, and the thid at Dugapu (West Bengal) in collaboation with a Bitish consotium. Figues 7-9 show aspects of these plants. The Tata Ion and Steel Co. Ltd, even befoe the completion of its modenization and expansion pogamme, launched a pogamme fo inceasing the plant capacity to 2 ion tons of ingot steel pe annum. The Indian Ion and Steel Co. Ltd undetook an expansion pogamme fo aising its capacity to 1 ion tons of ingot steel a yea. All the expansion pogammes undetaken by five majo steel pojects, thee in the public 8 A bid's eye view of the Roukela Steelwoks 5

6 TABLE I Ingot steel and finished steel in the Indian steel plants, metic tons Yea Tisco I isco Bhilai Dugapu Roukela Bhadavati Total 1960/61 Ingots Finished steel /62 Ingots Finished steel secto and two in the pivate secto, unde the Second Five Yea Plan, have been completed. In the public secto, all the thee new steel plants have thee blast-fanaces each, with capacities anging fom tons a day at Roukela to tons a day at Dugapu. Both Bhilai and Dugapu plants ae making steel by the basic open-heath pocess. Roukela has adopted the L-D pocess fo making thee-quates of its total steel output, and the emainde is made by the basic open-heath pocess. On the olling side, Roukela, which is specializing in flat poducts, has a blooming and slabbing, a heavy plate ; a continuous 60in wide stip, cold-educing s fo sheets, and a tinning line. Bhilai has, besides the blooming, a ail and stuctual, a continuous billet, and a light stuctual. Dugapu has moe o less the same finishing equipment as that at Bhilai, except that it has a mechant and a wheel tye and axle plant. All the thee plants have the necessay coke ovens, maintenance shops and othe ancillaies necessay fo integated steel plants. The figues of the actual poduction of ingot steel and saleable (finished) steel at the six majo steel poducing centes in India duing the last two financial yeas (1961 and 1962) ae given in Table 1. The capacities of the majo steel plants ae shown in Table II. The actual poduction has fallen shot of the taget set in the Second Five Yea Plan. This was due to vai- ous easons. Constuction took somewhat longe than scheduled ; tanspot facilities fo caying aw mateials wee inadequate, and thee was deteioation in the quality of the aw mateials supplied. With.the schemes fo mechanized mining and beneficiation of oe and impoving the quality of coal washing, it can be confidently expected that the Second Plan taget will be fully achieved in the nea futue. Ancillay industies Much of the county's equiements of efactoy bicks wee in 1948 being impoted fom aboad. Fo the efactoy industy the Planning Commission fixed a taget of tons, against an estimated demand of tons annually fo aising the steel output to 6 ion tons by The expansion of existing efactoy plants has aleady been initiated and moe plants ae being put up to augment the supplies so as to meet the futue demands. An allied industy of impotance, the feomanganese industy, was established lagely duing the Second Five Yea Plan peiod fo meeting India's own equiements and fo expot. At pesent thee ae six majo poduces of electic funace feomanganese in India with an installed capacity of about tons. A capital of about Rs. 100 ion,a substantial pat of which has been spent in foeign exchange, has been TABLE II Capacity of existing majo steel plants Roukela Dugapu Bhilad Tata Ion & Steel Indian Ion & Steel Capacity I ion ingot tons 1. Coke ovens 3 batteies of 70 ovens 2. Blast-funaces 3 each of I 000 metic tons pe day 3. Steel melting shop 3 40-ton L-D convetes 4 80-ton basic OH 4. Rolling s mm blooming and slabbing 1 3'Implate I wide-stip (hot) Roughing ta i n- I im Finishing tain- 1'7m 1 cold-olling 1 1'7m cold educing I tinplate (hot dip) 1 ion ingot tons 3 batteies of 78 ovens 3 each of metic tons a day 7 basic OH of 200 tons each 1 basic OH of 100 tons I blooming 1 intemediate 1 continuous billet 1 med. stuctual 1 mechant 1 sleepe ba plant 1 wheel tye and axle plant 1 ion ingot tons 3 batteies of 65 ovens 3 each of tons capacity 6 basic OH of 250 tons each 1 blooming 1 continuous billet ail and stuctual 1 mechant 2 ion ingot tons 5 batteies 6 vaying fom 800 to tons pe day 4 90-ton basic OH ton basic OH tilting funaces (duplex) with 3 25-ton acid convetes 7 fixed 200-ton basic OH funaces with 3 convetes 2 blooming s 2 continuous sheet ba and billet s 1 28in billet 1 ail and stuctual 1 medium and light stuctual I plate - 2 mechant s 1 skelp 1 sheet 1 wheel tye and axle plant I ion ingot tons 5 batteies 4 vaying fom 650 to tons pe day 3 convetes 5 OH 225 tons each 1 OH 300 tons 1 blooming l continuous billet 1 heavy stuctual 1 medium stuctual 1 mechant 1 sheet 6

7 invested in this industy. India has always been one of the majo expotes of manganese oe, anking second in the wold, with nealy 1 ion tons of high-gade oe pe yea. It was expected that the expot of the finished poduct, instead of the low-piced aw oe, would impove the economic position. Unfotunately, with the high cost of poduction and othe advese factos, the outlook fo the feomanganese industy has not been bight. Thid Five Yea Plan As has been mentioned ealie, India has natual advantages and is well endowed with the aw mateials and othe facilities necessay to poduce steel moe cheaply than many othe counties in the wold. It is theefoe natual that the county should not only seek to achieve self-sufficiency in steel as ealy as possible, but should also aim at making expots at competitive tems in the wold maket. The compaative advantage of India in espect of steel manufactue may be judged fom the fact that Japan, with impots amounting to two-thids of its total equiements of ion oe and about one-half of its coking coal at appoximately fou times the awmateial costs incued at Indian steel plants, could still expot (in 1960) nealy 1.5 ion tons of finished steel. Despite all these advantages and possibilities, steel poduction pe capita in India is less than 10 kg as against 200 kg in Japan. A ecent study, made in connection with a peliminay epot on the fouth steel plant at Bokao, estimated the steel 'equiements by the 'end-use' method at about 10 ion ingot tons by , to meet the vaious poduction and constuction tagets as set down in the Plan. This level of poduction is by no means lage when viewed in the light of India's vast population. It may be mentioned that at the beginning of this centuy Gemany advanced fom 6 ion tons in 1900 to about 14 ion tons in 1910 ; the USA moved up fom about 4 ion tons in 1890 to ove 10 ion tons in 1900 and 26 ion tons in Tagets of Thid and Fouth Plans The Thid Five Yea Plan peiod stated fom Apil The Plan aims at a total capacity of 10 ion tons pe yea by It is intended to expand the capacity of the thee Govenment-owned plants to tons of ingot steel, add a new 1 ion-ton plant, also Govenment owned, at Bokao (Biha), and incease the capacity of the Mysoe Ion and Steel Woks to tons, making a total of 7 ion tons. The ton expanded capacity of the Govenment owned plants will be distibuted as follows : Bhilai 2.5 ion tons, Dugapu 1.6 ion tons, and Roukela 1.8 ion tons. These 7 ion tons, with the 2 ion tons of the Tata Ion and Steel Co. Ltd and 1 ion tons of the Indian Ion and Steel Co. Ltd would total 10 ion tons. In connection with the poposed integated steel plait at Bokao, a team of US expets has visited India to cay out the peliminay suvey. Pojects fo the expansion of the thee existing plants in the public secto and the convesion of the Mysoe Ion and Steel Woks fo making high-gade steels ae eceiving the attention of the authoities. The patten of expansion of steel poduction by the end of the Fouth Plan ( ) may possibly be as follows : Million ingot tons Hindustan Steel Woks : Bhilai 3.0 Roukela 2 5 Dugapu 2'5 f t f f f Bokao 3'0 Tata Ion and Steel Co. Ltd 3'0 Indian Ion and Steel Co. Ltd 2'0 Othes 2 2 Total 18;2 India at pesent poduces ails and accessoies ; heavy, medium, and light stuctuals ; black and galvanized plates ; plain and cougated sheets ; dynamo-gade electical steel sheets ; skelps ; bas ; ods ; wies ; hoops and stips ; tinplate, and some tool and alloy steels. The manufactue of new poducts is also being developed. With the object of developing new pocesses and new poducts, oganized eseaches ae caied out by eseach units attached to individual concens ; the National Metallugical Laboatoy, Jamshedpu has done some outstanding eseach in these fields. Alloy and special steels The pesent poduction of alloy and tool steels in India is negligible. The Thid Plan has set a taget of tons of finished poducts in , to be achieved as follows : Tons of finished poduct Alloy and Tool Steel Plant. Dugapu Defence plants Pivate secto plants Total The public secto poject at Dugapu, which is unde constuction, is planned to have an initial capacity of tons ( tons of ingots), to be expanded apidly to tons ( tons of ingots) in the next stage, and ultimately to tons (coesponding to tons of ingot capacity). The convesion of the Mysoe Ion and Steel Woks to a special steel plant is also being examined. Along with the expansion of the output of ion and steel poducts in the integated plants, a numbe of plants to manufactue tubes, wies, and such othe seconday poducts ae being set up in the diffeent pats of the county. A heavy machine-building plant with a heavy foge and foundy (including the making of steel olls) and seveal othe poduction units ae being established to supply the capital equipment fo the futue ion and steel plants. The apid industialization of the county has ceated an unpecedented demand fo steel, which it is hoped will be met successfully. CONCLUSION In the foegoing pages, an attempt has been made to give a bief account of the gowth and development of the ion and steel industy in India which, it is hoped, will seve as backgound infomation to the delegates attending the Symposium. India, it will be appeciated, is lagely an agicultual county with an enomous population. The standad of living of the people is vey low. The nation as a whole, is making a massive effot fo co-odinated pogess ove a wide font to attain apid economic development. 7