Government today asked the steel sector to come up with more research based projects for large scale plants to make them energy efficient. Addressing a conference on Energy efficiency in secondary steel sector in New Delhi today the Union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh said an amount of 118 crore rupees have been allocated this fiscal for the purpose. He elaborated that the industry should also come up on its own in developing technology of world standards. The Steel Minister asserted since India is becoming the fastest growing steel producing an consuming country in the world, it is high time for developing for world class technology in this sector to make it more energy efficient. The Minister extended full support of the government in achieving this objective. On measures taken by the government in the steel sector to reduce the use of energy he said it is part of the action plan to reduce the green house gases. The Minister said that Public Sector steel Companies have been asked to set energy efficiency and emission reduction targets. This he said, will not only enhance the profitability of the companies but also lead to capacity expansion and modernization in this steel sector. The Steel Secretary P K Mishra and several other captains of Industry addressed the inaugural session of the Conference organized by FICCI.