Modi in Kolkata: Inaugurates Steel Plant Having India's Largest Blast Furnace in Burnpur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated Steel Authority of India Limited's (SAIL's) upgraded IISCO Steel Plant in Burnpur in West Bengal's Burdwan district. The plant boasts the country's largest blast furnace, modernised at a cost of Rs 16,000 crore.

With West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee by his side, Modi dedicated the upgraded plant to the nation by unveiling a plaque at the Asansol Polo Ground in Burdwan.

Reaching out to states, Modi said the Centre and the states should work together as a 'Team India' to solve the nation's problems the way they worked to resolve issues like the Indo-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement.

"If issues with foreign countries can be resolved through the spirit of 'Team India', solving domestic issues will be very easy," he said after inaugurating the modernised IISCO plant. Observing that the bill to give effect to the Indo-Bangla accord was passed unanimously by Parliament, Modi said all political parties and states like West Bengal, Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Tripura worked "shoulder to shoulder with the Centre" to resolve the issue.

Vowing to work with the states to "take India forward", the PM said it was a "misfortune" that in the past there were tensions between the states and the Centre.

"I too have been a chief minister for many years and I know that this attitude (of the Centre) towards states will not help anyone. Our Constitution has given us a federal structure. But, unfortunately the Centre-state relations have always come under stress", he said.

Reiterating that PM and CMs would act as a team to take India forward, he said, "Delhi alone will not rule India. Delhi will not be the only pillar on which the country will stand... it will be supported by 30 pillars (states)" as he referred to the establishment of Niti Aayog, which has all states as partners.

The prime minister said his government's effort was to make the eastern India powerful, for which Bengal needed to be strengthened first. "West Bengal will lead India's 'Act East' policy to cooperate with the nations of Southeast Asia," Modi said.

Modi took a dig at the previous UPA regime, saying the media would always be full of reports on all kinds of "scams" during that period. "Now, the reports are not about coal scam, but about the coal auction," he said, adding there has been no report of any scam even as his government is going to complete one year this month.

Talking about the districts where coal mines have been allotted, the PM said that a foundation will be created in each of them and a portion of the royalty earned through auction will go to it to benefit local people.

Chief Minister Banerjee stressed that the Centre and the states will have to work hand-in-hand for taking the country's progress forward.

 IISCO Steel Plant's capacity up by over 240%

After modernisation, the plant's production capacity has increased from 0.85 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to 2.9 mtpa.

"This steel plant has been reborn and has the nation's largest blast furnace with a capacity to produce 2.9 million tonnes of steel. In times to come, the capacity of this steel plant will be increased," Minister of Steel Narendra Singh Tomar said during the plant's inauguration.

Tomar said the central government had planned to attain a capacity to produce 300 million tonnes of steel by 2025 to meet the industry demands.

"SAIL (Steel Authority of India Ltd) has targeted to achieve a capacity of 50 million tonnes. As its capacity will increase further, West Bengal will be benefited from it," he said.

IISCO (Indian Iron and Steel Co) was taken over by the central government in 1972 as part of a nationalization drive and made a fully-owned subsidiary of SAIL in 1978.

The revamped plant in Burnpur, now hosting the nation's largest blast furnace, is spread across 953 acres is the fifth integrated steel plant of SAIL.