BJP MP Anurag Thakur chaired a sitting of the Standing Committee on Coal, Mines and Steel in Parliament on Friday, 3 July 2026, holding detailed deliberations with the Ministry of Steel on environmental sustainability in steel public sector undertakings and a comprehensive review of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL)'s financial revival and worker safety.

Context

The committee's agenda covered two broad subjects: environmental and green initiatives across steel PSUs, and a full-spectrum review of RINL — the Navratna PSU that operates the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant in Andhra Pradesh. Representatives from the Ministry of Steel, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), and RINL briefed the committee on ongoing measures.

Thakur said the panel was briefed on 'emission control measures, waste management practices, and green steel technologies being implemented by Steel PSUs to balance rising steel production with environmental responsibility.' The sitting also examined the Green Steel Policy, decarbonisation strategies, and Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) initiatives.

Policy Backdrop

India's steel sector sits at the intersection of industrial ambition and climate obligation. The National Steel Policy 2017 set long-term capacity targets while emphasising technology upgradation and environmental compliance. India's updated Nationally Determined Contributions (2022) committed to net-zero emissions by 2070, with steel identified as a priority hard-to-abate sector.

The Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 further pushed circular economy practices to reduce dependence on virgin raw materials and lower the sector's carbon footprint. These policy anchors form the foundation on which the current Green Steel Mission — the government's flagship initiative for low-carbon steel production — is being built.

India is the world's second-largest steel producer, and expanding capacity under the Atmanirbhar Bharat framework while meeting climate commitments made at multilateral forums, including the G20, has made parliamentary oversight of PSU environmental performance increasingly consequential.

Stakeholders and Impact

RINL's review is particularly significant: the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant has faced prolonged financial stress, and the committee's scrutiny of its 'operational performance and worker safety reforms' signals sustained legislative attention to both the enterprise's viability and the welfare of its workforce. SAIL, which operates multiple integrated steel plants across the country, also came under the committee's lens for its green transition measures.

For steel sector workers, the dual focus on financial revival and safety reforms is directly material. For the broader industry, the committee's examination of CCUS pilots and green steel technologies signals the direction in which regulatory and policy pressure is likely to move as India's climate commitments tighten.

What's Next

The committee is expected to table its report in Parliament, after which the Ministry of Steel will be required to submit an action-taken reply. Progress on pilot green steel projects and CCUS demonstration plants will be closely watched as markers of whether policy intent translates into on-ground decarbonisation. The trajectory of RINL's financial turnaround plan will also remain under legislative scrutiny in the sessions ahead.