Das against total ban on iron ore export

Jamshedpur, Nov 14: Union minster of state for steel Akhilesh Das today said the government would soon formulate a new mineral policy to regulate iron ore export and distribution of raw materials to steel industries.

Talking to reporters on the sideslines on occasion of the National Metallurgists' Day celebration here, Mr Das said a blanket ban on exporting of iron ore was not possible adding the government could only lessen the export volume of the commodity.

He said the country possessed plenty of iron ore and the government would provide the raw material to both domestic as well as the overseas companies who were interested to set up steel plants.

Mr Das streesed the need on development of Research and Development facility in the steel industries and said the government would give emphasise on the subject. ''R and D is a big subject and we'll encourage all the steel industries to invest more funds on R and D.In fact, we have already directed the SAIL to allocate more budget on R and D facility''.

To a question Mr Das said the government was against acquiring of agricultural lands for setting up of industries and always preferred for waste lands. But in some special cases the government were foreced to acquire agricultural lands, he added.

He said the steel industries should produce cheap and good quality steel which would help the common people to consume more steels.

UNI