Mumbai / Raipur, October 10, 2026: The medium to smaller steel players of Central India, particularly in and around the steel hubs of Chhattisgarh, need to adopt a collaborative approach to compete effectively with the large integrated steelmakers which are aggressively going for major capacity expansions, industry leaders said at mj STEELATHON conference held at Raipur on Friday.

“The steel sector of Central India should take a collaborative industrial approach as the plants are small while ISPs are putting up large capacities. Environmental issues are also coming up with tightening norms. The solution for the smaller players is to go co-operative like approach for forming SPVs common facilities like a central DRI unit,” V.R. Sharma, Managing Director, Jindal Steel Ltd said at the conference, reflecting the theme of the conference – ‘Connecting Businesses. Creating Opportunities’.

 

Niladri Bhattacharjee, Partner, Metals & Mining Industry Leader, Grant Thornton Bharat suggested that Central Indian players should look at the new growth sectors beyond their traditional focus on long steels.

“Regional associations in Vidarbha, Raipur should work with the Centre for suitable end-use sector development – such as in Defence Production, Capital Goods, Automotive, Warehousing & Logistics sector to create a base on which steel can thrive,” he said.

Highlighting Chhattisgarh’s importance to India’s evolving steel map, Vinaya Varma, MD & CEO, mjunction services ltd said: “It is here where India’s next phase of the growth story is being scripted. India is now looking at 600 million tons of steelmaking capacity by 2047. And I have no doubt that Chhattisgarh will play a key role in fulfilling this dream.”