The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has asked the Indian steel industry to develop technologies for manufacturing specialised products in order to reduce the country's reliance on imports.
He was speaking at an award giving ceremony in New Delhi. Lauding the domestic steel industry for making India the fourth largest steel making nation in the world, the Prime Minister said that wiht the ongoing capacity additions, the country is likely to become the world's second highest steel maker.
Dr. Singh said despite impressive progress in the steel sector, our per capita steel production still lags substantially behind the global average of 215 kilogram. He said in the last six years the consumption in the country of steel has grown by about 8 to 9 per cent each year.