Efforts made to revitalize Vizag Steel Company through PM's ambitious programs: Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy

Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], July 11 (ANI): Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy conducted an inspection visit to the prestigious Vizag Steel Plant on Thursday and said that efforts will be made to revitalize the Company through Prime Minister's ambitious programme including Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India.
He said that the Prime Minister has set a target to produce 300 million tons of steel annually.
The Union Minister, who arrived in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday evening, visited all the departments of the plant on Thursday morning to assess the current situation.
Senior officials present included the Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Steel, Bhupathiraju Verma, Company CMD Atul Bhatt; Visakhapatnam MP Sribharat, local MLA Palla Srinivas, Director of the Steel Authority of India Limited Kashi Vishwanath Raju, and other senior officials
Addressing the labor leaders after his visit and various meetings, the minister said, "After assuming office as the steel minister, I have conducted a series of meetings regarding the Vizag Steel Company. I have had discussions with senior officials and the banks that provided loans. I have visited the plant within just a month of taking office. This reflects the functioning of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government," Kumaraswamy said.
Efforts will be made to revitalize the Vizag Steel Company through Prime Minister's ambitious programs, Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India. The Prime Minister has set a target to produce 300 million tons of steel annually.
"Vizag Steel will play a decisive role in achieving that goal", the Minister stated.
"I have just assumed office. Please give me some time. In the last 20 days, I have spent 16 days working on Vizag Steel. Under the guidance of the Prime Minister, efforts will be made to revamp this plant," he assured.
The company's president, Atul Bhatt, briefed the Minister on the plant's operations, expansion plans, and departmental details. The Minister gathered information about the capacity, staffing, management, and performance of all departments.
He also visited the iron ore processing and steel manufacturing departments, collecting technical information from the officials. In all departments, the Union Minister interacted with the workers, listening to and understanding their issues.
Following this, he gathered comprehensive information about the plant's administration, financial transactions, profit and loss statements, production capabilities, operational capacity, iron ore supply, and worker-related issues in a meeting at the administrative office.
Participating in the meeting, Lok Sabha member Sribharat and other representatives emphasized the importance of preserving the Vizag Steel Company, calling for the central government to provide the necessary capital or merge it with the Steel Authority of India.
After this meeting, the Union Minister held a separate meeting with leaders of various labor unions of the Vizag Steel Company. The labor leaders insisted that the company should not be privatized and must be run by the government.
The labor leaders requested the Minister to allocate the essential iron ore mines needed for the plant. (ANI)