India’s Ministry of Steel has estimated that the country’s per capita steel consumption could be pushed up by at least 10 kg from the current level of 61.1 kg over three years through the proposed mandatory use of domestic steel in government projects, a senior government official said on Wednesday, March 8.
The official said that the current Indian per capita steel consumption of 61.1 kg compares poorly with the international average of 202.2 kg and the ministry hopes that mandatory use of domestic steel in government projects will contribute significantly to bridging this gap.
At present, domestic steel consumed by various government agencies and companies involved in implementing infrastructure projects accounts for 20 percent of Indian steel consumption of 82 million mt.
The Ministry of Steel is currently awaiting approval from the federal cabinet of ministers before issuing directives to various government agencies and companies to procure only “Made in India” steel for government-funded projects, the government official added.