H D Kumaraswamy, Union Minister of Steel & Heavy Industries, along with Jual Oram, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, visited the SAIL Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) in Odisha on a two-day tour.
The visit highlighted the inauguration of the state-of-the-art Caster #4 in Steel Melting Shop-2, marking a significant milestone in the plant’s modernisation efforts.
Upon arrival at Rourkela Airport, Shri Kumaraswamy was accompanied by his wife, Mrs Anitha Kumaraswamy, Shri Amarendu Prakash, Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of SAIL, and other Ministry of Steel officials. They were warmly received by Shri Jual Oram, Shri Durga Charan Tanti, MLA of Raghunathpalli, Shri Alok Verma, Director In-Charge (DIC) of RSP (with additional charge of DIC, Bokaro Steel Plant), Shri Ratan Kumar, DIG of CISF, Shri Nitesh Wadhwani, IPS, SP of Rourkela, and senior officers from the Government of Odisha and RSP. A Guard of Honour was presented by the CISF RSP unit.
The dignitaries proceeded directly to the plant, starting their tour at the Model Room of the Learning & Development Department, where they were briefed on the plant’s overall operations. The highlight of the visit was the inauguration of Caster #4 at Steel Melting Shop-2.
Kumaraswamy observed the casting operations firsthand and praised the RSP team for successfully completing the project. He emphasised the Government of India’s commitment, under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s leadership, to support RSP’s growth and development.
Oram commended the RSP collective’s efforts, sharing his personal fond memories of the plant and assuring ongoing support for its progress. Shri Amarendu Prakash also addressed the gathering, highlighting the dedication and performance of the RSP workforce.
The ministers further toured key project sites, including the Pellet Plant and Coke Oven Battery-7, before concluding at Hot Strip Mill-2. At each location, they received updates on current operations, status, and future plans.
Senior executives present included Mr. Tarun Misra, ED (HR); Mr. B K Giri, ED (Mines Development-CMLO); Mr. Biswaranjan Palai, ED (Works); Mr. Anil Kumar, ED (MM); Mr. M P Singh, ED (Mines-CMLO); and Mr. Sudip Pal Chowdhury, ED (Projects).
This visit underscores the government’s focus on enhancing India’s steel production capabilities through technological advancements at public sector undertakings like SAIL.
