India’s stainless steel industry needs a separate policy and “not a mere chapter” in the National Steel Policy, Jindal Stainless Limited (JSL) managing director Abhyuday Jindal said in a statement on Friday, November 28.
“Adding just one chapter diminishes the value and importance of this industry,” he said.
The sector needs a standalone policy as it is distinct from carbon steel in many ways - the raw materials it uses, the applications it goes for, and the manufacturing processes, he added.
JSL, the country’s largest stainless steel producer, accounting for almost 50 percent of domestic production, sold 2.37 million mt in 2024-25.
“Nickel is critical for us, and we don’t have nickel in India. Like rare earth materials, nickel securitization should be encouraged,” Jindal said.
While chrome is available in India, the government must enable greater mining and exploration, and lower royalty burdens in order to incentivize investment, he said.
“We need a robust ecosystem for stainless steel with a policy level plan for education, awareness about it at the ground level and skilled manpower, because fabricating stainless steel is very different from fabricating steel,” he added.
