The Union Minister for Mines and Steel, Mr. Narendra Singh Tomar meeting the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Mr. N. Chandra Babu Naidu, in Hyderabad on June 22, 2015.
Investment Projects And Expediting Auction Of Mines Discussed
Hyderabad (PIB-GR-TYP-BIN): The Union Minister of Steel & Mines Mr. Narendra Singh Tomar met the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Mr. Nara Chandra Babu Naidu in Hyderabad on June 22. Among other things, the meeting deliberated over proposed investment projects in the area of steel and mines, and the need to expedite auction of mines, and setting up of District Mineral Foundations in the state.
The Union Minister said, ‘I have come to personally invite the Chief Minister to the proposed programme for dedication of modernized and expanded Vizag Steel Plant by the Prime Minister in the month of July this year. Vizag collective remembers the support of Andhra Pradesh government during Hudhud with gratefulness.” The Steel and Mines Minister sought support from the state government for quicker auction of mines in a transparent manner. He assured help in the area of detailed exploration by parastatal agencies, namely, GSI and MECL. He also proposed that the expertise of MSTC Limited, a PSU under the Ministry of Steel which conducted coal auctions, could also be harnessed for conducting mineral auctions in the states.
Mr. Chandra Babu Naidu said that Andhra Pradesh is rich in land, water, power, ports, airports and other infrastructure, so investments are welcome in the state. He proposed setting up of a joint task force of Ministry of Steel, its PSUs and Andhra Pradesh state government to assess the economic viability of setting up of steel plant. The CM requested for including APMDC in the list of exploration agencies, to which Mr. Tomar assured a positive action in 30 days. “We want to use every mineral for value addition in the state and we seek support from Government of India in the form of knowledge resources and sharing of international best practices,” the CM added. Mr. Tomar apprised him about National Mineral Exploration Trust and assured all possible support in exploration.
Projects on the anvil in Andhra Pradesh, which were taken up for discussion, included setting up of an integrated steel plant in YSR District, grant of clearance and approval to state-owned steel PSUs for expanding their marketing network and allied production facilities, and support required to establish bauxite mining and Alumina refinery in the state. The status of mineral concession proposals, and reservation of mines for end-user industry, was also taken up for discussion.
(Source: PIB/GR/TYP/BIN/USPA/WN)