'Centre to set up 15 MT power plant in J'khand'

Ranchi, Jul 21: Steel Minister Ramvilas Paswan today said the Centre was ready to set up a steel plant having a capacity of 15 million tonnes in Jharkhand if the state government ensures to provide two out of three billion tonnes of iron ore produced by Chiria mines.

Talking to reporters at the Birsa Munda airport here, Mr Pawswan said the plant would be set up as per state government's choice as soon as the matter of Chiria mines was sorted out.

He asserted that installation of plant would also give employement opportunity to the people in the state.

The matter of Chiria mines was lying in Jharkhand High court as the state government and Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) were staking their claim over it.

Steel baron Laxmi Mittal had also asked the state government to provide parts of Chiria mines for establishing power plants for which an MoU had already been inked during erstwhile NDA government.

UNI