Iron is the most important and widely used metal in the world, due to its hardness, strength and durability. Actually we live in an iron and steel age. The iron and steel industry is the basic or the key industry as all other industries depend on it.
Growth and Development:
i. The science and art of making steel is very old in India and this is evident from the famous Iron Pillar of Delhi, dating back to AD 350.
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ii. The first attempt to produce iron and steel, on modern lines, was made in 1830 at Porto Novo in Tamil Nadu. However, it could not succeed and the mill was closed down in 1866.
iii. The steel mills were also set up at Beypore (Kerala), Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), Birbhum (West Bengal) and Kaladhungi (Uttar Pradesh) during the period 1830 to 1860. All these attempts were unsuccessful.
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iv. The modern iron and steel industry, actually had its beginning in 1870, when the Bengal Iron Works Company was established at Kulti in West Bengal.
v. A turning point in the history of iron and steel production in India came in 1907, when the Tata Iron and Steel Company was set up at Sakchi (now Jamshedpur) by Shri J N Tata.
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vi. Later on, the Indian Iron and Steel Company was set up at Burnpur in 1919 followed by the Mysore Steel Works at Bhadravati in 1923.
The iron and steel industry made rapid growth after independence. During the first two Five Year Plans (1951- 1961), three integrated steel plants were started at Bhilai, Raurkela and Durgapur. The capacity of TISCO and IISCO was also increased. The Bokaro Steel Plant started its production in 1972.
The Steel Authority of India (SAIL) was established in 1973. It is a government undertaking, which is responsible for the management of steel plants at Bhilai, Raurkela, Durgapur, Bokaro and Burnpur.
Four new steel plants were set up after the Fifth Plan. These are at Salem in Tamil Nadu, Vijayanagar in Karnataka, Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Paradweep in Orissa.
Locational Factors:
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The iron and steel industry uses large quantity of heavy and weight-losing raw materials, such as iron ore, coking coal and limestone. On the basis of the minimum cost of transportation, the steel plants can be located at three possible places, viz.,
a. Near the coalfields,
b. Near iron-ore mining areas, and
c. At places between coal and iron ore producing areas.
i. Most of the steel plants in India are located in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. All these states are rich in coal and iron ore reserves.
ii. The other raw materials needed for making iron and steel are manganese, limestone, dolomite, chromite, silica, scrap iron, etc. These are needed in small quantities and can be transported easily from other places.
iii. The high grade haematite and magnetite ores are available from the mines in Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka.
iv. Coking coal for fuel is supplied by the mines in Jharia, Raniganj, Bokaro, Giridih and Korba.
v. The flux-grade limestone can be had from Sundargarh (Orissa), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Durg (Chhattisgarh), Satna (Madhya Pradesh) and Shimoga (Karnataka).
vi. Since the raw materials used in this industry are heavy, steel plants are located in their proximity.
vii. In the modern steel industry the use of natural gas and electricity is also increasing.