The Union Minister of Steel and Mines, Narendra Singh Tomar, led a high-level delegation of Indian mining and steel representatives, in a meeting held with Deputy Prime Minister, Republic of Poland, Janusz Piechociski, along with the visiting Polish delegation. The meeting was organised on the sidelines of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in Ahmedabad on January 11. Leaders on both sides discussed areas of mutual collaboration, particularly in the mining sector, to further trade ties between the two countries. Addressing the Polish delegation, Tomar emphasised the focus of Indian government in transforming India as a pulsating investment ground. He expressed openness to amend the governing policy framework in order to enable speedier decision making, and to foster ease of doing business in the subcontinent.
Appreciating the expertise of Poland in underground mining and coal technologies, the Minister stated that Indian steel and mines PSUs like SAIL, NMDC, MECON and GSI would explore possibilities to forge partnership wherever feasible. Polish Minister Mr Janusz Piechociski hailed the historical alliance between India and Poland, and appreciated the role played by Indo-Poland Joint Business Council in promoting partnership between the two countries. Informing the Indian delegation about the ‘Go India’ policy of Poland, Mr Piechociski stated that considering a growth of 16% in Indo-Polish trade over the last year, it could potentially grow from the current level of US$ 2 billion to US$ 5 to 10 billion in near future. He apprised the meeting of advancements made by Poland in the areas of coke making, mining, geology, health and safety, and invited Indian counterpart to explore collaboration in R&D, training, skill development, development of new mines etc. He further suggested that exploring synergies in nuclear energy and mining education. Besides, he propounded the idea of creating an Indo-Polish working group comprising CEOs of leading businesses on both sides.
Tomar was accompanied by Joint Secretary, Ministry of Steel, Shri Sunil Barthwal, Chairman, Steel Authority of India Limited and International Coal Ventures Limited Shri CS Verma, Chairman, NMDC Shri N Kothari and other senior officers of PSUs and Ministries concerned. A similar meeting was organised in December 2014 in the Ministry of Steel where Shri Tomar headed the Indian delegation to meet State Minister of Economy, Republic of Poland, Mr Jerry W Pietrewicz along with the Polish delegation.