Govt sets up task forces to drive decarbonization, quality enhancement in steel industry

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New Delhi: In a move towards a greener and more sustainable future for the steel industry, the government on Tuesday announced the formation of 13 task forces comprising key stakeholders such as industry experts, academia, think tanks, scientific and technological bodies, as well as various ministries. These task forces have been tasked with the mission of deliberating on strategies and recommendations to facilitate the decarbonization of the steel sector.

“The task force on skill development is constituted to carry out discussions on skilling, up-skilling and re-skilling of the workforce towards production of green steel, thereby ensuring the just transition of the steel sector," the ministry of steel said in a statement. Aiming at sustainability, the government has implemented an array of measures to propel the production and utilization of high-quality steel derived from recycled materials.

These measures also encompass stringent adherence by steel producers to specified quality standards. To realize this vision, the ministry of steel has duly notified 145 Indian Standards applicable to steel and steel products under the ambit of the Quality Control Order (QCO).

This step aims to guarantee that the public receives top-notch products regardless of the source materials. Furthermore, the steel scrap recycling policy of 2019 stands out as a key milestone in the endeavor to bolster the availability of domestically generated scrap.

By enhancing the accessibility of scrap materials, this policy simultaneously contributes to curbing the reliance on coal in the steel manufacturing process, fostering a more environmentally friendly production landscape. To augment the availability of scrap within the steel sector, the Motor