The Union Minister of Steel, Chaudhary Birender Singh, inaugurated the 11th Minerals, Metals, Metallurgy & Materials International Exhibition and Conference (MMMM 2016), one of the largest in this part of the world, in New Delhi today. Speaking on the occasion Chaudhary Birender Singh said, “Use of steel in unconventional sectors needs to be explored to increase the domestic consumption. Besides this, our focus is on research and innovation. This is precisely why we have set up Steel Research & Technology Mission of India (SRTMI), so that India, like developed nations, can produce futuristic products as well.” Commenting on MIP, he said, “It has been extended for two months for 66 products and the Government shall review the situation post that.” In her address Dr. Aruna Sharma, Secretary Steel, Government of India said, “If we recycle 90 million tonnes of steel from Auto-Shredding, we can save to the tune of Rs 100,000 crores worth of raw materials and this shall reduce the imports too.” On industry’s concerns regarding dumping in the steel sector, she said, “MIP is a short term measure but if any country resorts to dumping, India will do whatever is possible to protect its interests. The only way to mitigate the impact of low international prices is to achieve operational efficiency and optimal use of resources. The quality of steel produced and its domestic consumption need to be enhanced aggressively, and infrastructure growth is the main driving factor for it.” “The Ministry of Mines has started mapping natural resources across the country. A national database of quality and quantity of resources available shall be helpful in many ways including managing clearances from the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change,” added Dr. Aruna Sharma, Secretary Steel.
Steel is crucial to competitiveness of manufacturing in at least nine industries out of nearly two dozen sectors identified by the Government as focus areas under ‘Make in India’ including automobile, automobile components, construction, defence manufacturing, electrical machinery, railways, renewable energy, thermal power, and oil & gas. The International Conference on Minerals & Metals and their contribution to ‘Make in India’ deliberated the measures including regulatory costs; effective utilization of low grade mineral resources; technologies for operation efficiency; infrastructure efficiency for inbound and outbound transportation of raw materials and finished goods; and availability of energy at competitive costs. There are technical sessions on comparison of Indian steel sector with global scenario; Indian super alloys industry; Indian non-ferrous industry; role of infrastructure sector and financial sector in shaping the future of metal sector, during the 3-day event. MMMM 2016, the biennial B2B event for the industry professionals is being held in Pragati Maidan on August 10-12, 2016 and is supported and co-sponsored by Ministry of Steel; Ministry of Mines; Ministry of Earth Sciences; Ministry of External Affairs; Ministry of Commerce & Industry; Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises and Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises besides Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR). The Indian Institute of Metals (IIM) organizes MMMM every two years in association with ITE Group, PLC, one of the world’s leading organizers of international trade exhibitions and conferences with the participation from the domestic and International investors and exhibitors. The concurrent and co-located trade shows include TechIndia - Engineering and Manufacturing Expo; Machine Tools Expo; Cutting and Welding Equipments Expo, Hand Tools Expo and Fastener Expo. Supporting industry bodies and associations include All India Steel Re-Rollers Association; Cold Rolled Steel Manufacturers Association of India; All India Induction Furnaces Association; Aluminium Extruder's Council besides others.