Mittal comes home tomorrow ; to meet PM

New Delhi, July 6: In his first visit to India after winning a major corporate battle in Europe acquiring the Luxumbourg-based Arcelor for 27 billion Euros, Mittal Steel Chairman Laxmi Niwas Mittal is coming home to a packed schedule which includes meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and a few cabinet ministers.

Besides meeting Dr Manmohan Singh, Mr Mittal will interact with Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Commerce Minister Mr Kamal Nath and Petroleum Minister Murli Deora.

His interaction with journalists is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, when he unveils some of the investment plans of the ONGC-Mittal Energy Ltd (OMEL) with the press, alongwith the Petroleum and Natural Gas Secretary S Srinivasan. The OMEL is a joint venture between the Mittal Steel and ONGC, which bids for oil and gas exploration all over the world.

His itinery includes a visit to Orissa, where he has announced big investment plans for setting up a steel unit. He is also likely to meet Chief Minister Navin Patnaik.

The visit is of prime importance in the wake of Mr Mittal's comments last month, which hinted at tapping the emerging markets of India and China.

Mr Mittal, after fighting out a strained five-month battle with rival Arcelor, succeeded in creating the world's biggest steel conglomerate, after the merging of his Mittal Steel with the company.

On his India visit, Mr Mittal is expected to look at the country's hydrocarbon sector, besides steel and mines.

UNI