The Steel Ministry is considering the establishment of a special mining department in the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) to assist in increasing iron ore output. One senior government official stated that the proposal is still under discussion at the high level. The aim is to streamline SAIL’s mining operations and assist it with its future growth plans.

SAIL is among India’s largest steel firms and operates several iron ore mines around the nation. The Ministry is considering how to establish this new mining division and will present the proposal to SAIL in the near future.

The new division of mining would be engaged in making more iron ore. This is crucial because SAIL is keen to raise its capacity for steel-making to 35 million tonnes a year by 2030. Iron ore is an integral raw material in the production of steel.

SAIL is India’s third-largest iron ore producer and operates under the Ministry of Steel. It operates 15 iron ore mines in Jharkhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh, in addition to 4 coal mines and 3 other material mines. During the financial year 2024–25, SAIL produced:

• 33.78 million tonnes of iron ore
• 0.59 million tonnes of coking coal
• 0.84 million tonnes of thermal coal
• 1.31 million tonnes of limestone
• 0.40 million tonnes of dolomite