Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday, 24 June 2026 declared that digitalisation is no longer optional but essential for the long-term survival and global competitiveness of India's steel sector. Speaking at the Chintan Shivir 2026 on Digitalisation in the Steel Sector in New Delhi, he said the industry's future would be determined not just by production volume but by its capacity to build intelligent, connected, data-driven manufacturing ecosystems.

Steel as a Strategic Pillar

Kumaraswamy invoked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, positioning the steel industry as a strategic pillar of India's economic transformation. He described steel as the backbone of nation-building, underpinning infrastructure development, manufacturing, renewable energy, urbanisation, transportation, and defence production.

The minister noted that India has held its position as the world's second-largest steel producer since 2018, a standing maintained even as demand softened across several advanced economies — a signal, he argued, of the sector's underlying resilience.

Key Production and Consumption Numbers

Kumaraswamy pointed to robust sectoral momentum: crude steel production has expanded at an average annual rate of nearly 8 per cent since FY22, while finished steel consumption has grown by approximately 13 per cent annually over the same period. He reiterated the government's capacity targets — 300 million tonnes of steelmaking capacity by 2030, scaling further to 400 million tonnes by 2035.

Technologies Set to Transform Steel Manufacturing

The minister underscored the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Digital Twins, Robotics, and Advanced Data Analytics in reshaping how steel is made globally. 'These technologies can help minimise unplanned downtime, reduce human errors and improve workplace safety,' Kumaraswamy said.

This comes amid a broader global shift in heavy industry, where digital integration is increasingly separating competitive producers from laggards. Notably, Indian steel plants — particularly public sector units — have historically trailed their East Asian counterparts on automation and real-time data adoption.

Who Attended and What It Signals

The event, organised by the Ministry of Steel, brought together senior government officials, industry leaders, technology experts, startups, and heads of major public sector steel companies including Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), NMDC, and MOIL. The breadth of participation signals that the Centre is treating digital transformation in steel as a policy priority rather than a sectoral aspiration.

With India's steel capacity expansion targets among the most ambitious in the world, the government's push to pair that growth with digital infrastructure will be closely watched by both domestic producers and international investors in the months ahead.