Steel Companies Have To Sustain By Being Competitive: Union Minister

Steel Companies Have To Sustain By Being Competitive: Union Minister

The government’s policy approach for exit of financially stressed units certifies transparency in the process with the possibility of takeover by alternate efficient management under the new bankruptcy law, steel minister Chaudhary Birender Singh said.

The statement comes a few days after the government promulgated an ordinance to bar wilful bank loan defaulters as well as those with NPA accounts from bidding in auctions being done to recover loans. “Steel companies have to sustain by being competitive and having a disciplined approach towards loan management,” an official statement quoted the minister as saying. He was speaking at the Global Forum on excess steel capacity in Berlin.

In view of the optimistic possibilities of the future of the steel sector, India is going to be a major destination for steel investors, he said. “Steel being a deregulated sector in India, setting up of capacities is based on the investor’s own assessment of profitability in the sector,” he said.

Investment also depends on the nature of the market based on present and future demand in the sector, he said adding the state-owned enterprises and private companies compete on equal footing in the steel sector in India. In order to take effective steps to address the challenges of excess steel capacity, members of the Global Forum agreed to share information, cooperate and develop concrete policy solutions.