Odisha has recorded a significant surge in its crude steel production for the current financial year, showcasing robust growth in a key industrial sector. This development was highlighted in the Rajya Sabha on Friday by the Minister of State for Steel, Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma.
Substantial Growth in Steel Output
In a detailed reply to a question from MP Debashish Samantaray, the minister revealed that Odisha produced 18.07 million tonnes of crude steel between April and October 2025. This figure marks an impressive increase of 18.8% compared to the same period in the previous year. The steel sector, being deregulated, sees production and expansion decisions driven by market conditions and individual companies' techno-commercial analyses, with government support coming through enabling policies.
Multi-Pronged Push for Green Steel
Minister Varma outlined several critical measures the government has undertaken to promote environmentally sustainable steel manufacturing, or 'green steel', across India, including in Odisha. The initiatives form a comprehensive strategy to reduce the industry's carbon footprint.
The Steel Ministry has released a pivotal report titled 'Greening the Steel Sector in India: Roadmap and Action Plan'. This document, aligned with recommendations from 14 ministry-formed Task Forces, charts the future course for green steel and sustainability, aiming for India's net-zero target by 2070.
The key government actions include:
- Releasing a taxonomy for green steel to establish clear standards for defining low-emission steel.
- Awarding four pilot projects for using hydrogen in steelmaking under the National Green Hydrogen Mission.
- Promoting solar energy adoption through the National Solar Mission, launched in January 2010, to help cut emissions.
- Notifying the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy in 2019 and introducing the Environment Protection (End-of-Life Vehicles) Rules, 2025, which set annual scrapping targets for vehicle producers.
Ensuring Raw Material for MSMEs
Addressing concerns about raw material availability for smaller players, the minister assured that steps are being taken to secure iron ore supply for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) steel units. These steps encompass mining and mineral policy reforms, the early operationalisation of forfeited and non-working mines, and efforts to ramp up production and capacity utilisation by Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) iron ore producers.
In a separate reply to MP Manas Ranjan Mangaraj, Minister Varma reiterated the government's commitment to a sustainable steel sector, underscoring the integrated approach combining production growth with environmental responsibility.
