The government of the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh has applied to India’s central government seeking a 30 percent discount on iron ore mined and supplied to steel mills located in the state, a government official said on Tuesday, November 17.
The Chhattisgarh government official said that considering that, Chhattisgarh had vast reserves of iron ore across the state and that state-run miner NMDC Limited operated some of its largest flagship mines in the state, steel mills located in the region should get the benefit of the location by being able to source raw materials mined in close geographical proximity at a discount.
State chief minister Bhupesh Baghel in a communication to the central government said that a discount on iron ore mined in the state would not only facilitate the growth of existing steel mills in the region, but also trigger investments in new steel mills, generating economic growth and employment particularly in parts of the state affected by extremism and violence from ultra-left wing extremists.
He said that such discounted sales of iron ore mined in the region would also support the central government’s plans to set up ‘steel industrial clusters’ across the country, including Chhattisgarh.