Minister of Steel and Mines Narendra Singh Tomar meets Andhra Pradesh & Telangana Chief Ministers in Hyderabad

Minister of Steel and Mines Narendra Singh Tomar meets Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu in Hyderabad

Discuss Investment Projects and Expediting Auction of Mines

The Union Minister of Steel & Mines Shri Narendra Singh Tomar met the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Shri N Chandrababu Naidu in Hyderabad today. Among other things, the meeting deliberated over proposed investment projects in the area of steel and mines, and the need to expedite auction of mines, and setting up of District Mineral Foundations in the state.


Shri Tomar said, “I have come to personally invite the CM to the proposed programme for dedication of modernized and expanded Vizag Steel Plant by the Prime Minister in the month of July this year. Vizag collective remembers the support of Andhra Pradesh government during Hudhud with gratefulness.” The Steel and Mines Minister sought support from the state government for quicker auction of mines in a transparent manner. Shri Tomar assured help in the area of detailed exploration by parastatal agencies, namely, GSI and MECL. Shri Tomar also proposed that the expertise of MSTC Limited, a PSU under the Ministry of Steel which conducted coal auctions, could also be harnessed for conducting mineral auctions in the states.

Shri N Chandrababu Naidu stated that Andhra Pradesh is rich in land, water, power, ports, airports and other infrastructure, so investments are welcome in the state. He proposed setting up of a joint task force of Ministry of Steel, its PSUs and Andhra Pradesh state government to assess the economic viability of setting up of steel plant. The CM requested for including APMDC in the list of exploration agencies, to which Shri Tomar assured positive action in 30 days. “We want to use every mineral for value addition in the state and we seek support from Government of India in the form of knowledge resources and sharing of international best practices,” the CM added. Shri Tomar apprised him about National Mineral Exploration Trust and assured all possible support in exploration.

Projects on the anvil in Andhra Pradesh, which were taken up for discussion, included setting up of an integrated steel plant in YSR District, grant of clearance and approval to state-owned steel PSUs for expanding their marketing network and allied production facilities, and support required to establish bauxite mining and Alumina refinery in the state. The status of mineral concession proposals, and reservation of mines for end-user industry, was also taken up for discussion.

****

Minister of Steel & Mines calls on Chief Minister, Telangana in Hyderabad

            Minister for Steel and Mines Shri Narendra Singh Tomar called on the Chief Minister of Telangana Shri K Chandrashekar Rao at latter's office in Hyderabad today. They discussed issues of mutual interest with special reference to steel and mines related issues in the state of Telangana. Shri Tomar presented a GSI booklet on geology and mineral resources of Telangana and district resource maps of all districts in Telangana to the Chief Minister.

            Shri Tomar assured all possible support in facilitating the state of Telangana to meet its targets of rapid growth and development. He proposed that GSI and MECL, two government organizations under Ministry of Mines can assist the state in assessing its mineral resources for revenue generation. Similarly state can consider utilizing the services of MSTC, a PSU under Ministry of steel, for auctioning of mines for monetization of mineral resources.

            Telangana Chief Minister thanked Shri Tomar for quick action taken on the points discussed during their last meeting in Delhi in February this year. He sought support in further expediting the steel plant project to boost economy of the state and for employment generation. The chief minister assured quick action on identification and auction of mines.

During the meeting, the issues that came up for discussion included

Present status of the proposal to set up a 3 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) integrated steel plant in Telangana. Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has prepared a feasibility report and carried out site inspection and market analysis for the same. Accordingly recommendations have been made for consideration by the state government and government of India. These include tax concessions, interest and capex subsiy and recalculation of IRR.
Considering the proposal to give preferential treatment to Vizag Steel products for steel needed to ensure infrastructure and industrial development of the state.
Proposal for allotment of land to Vizag Steel (RINL) in Varangal for better reach and distribution of steel to the state
Setting up of District Mineral Foundation in the districts of Telangana
Identification of mines for auction and further action on that front
*****