South Asian Steel Company Histories

India’s modern steel industry dates from 1907, when Jamsetji Tata’s vision led to the Tata Iron and Steel Company at Jamshedpur. The works produced its first steel in 1912. For four decades TISCO was the country’s dominant producer.

After independence, steel became a centrepiece of state-led planning. Integrated plants were built at Bhilai, Rourkela and Durgapur with Soviet, German and British assistance, under Hindustan Steel, formed in 1954. Bokaro followed, and in 1973 the public-sector works were brought together as the Steel Authority of India (SAIL). Rashtriya Ispat Nigam (RINL) was incorporated in 1982 to build India’s first shore-based integrated plant, at Visakhapatnam.

Economic liberalisation from 1991 opened the industry to private investment. JSW Steel and Jindal Steel & Power grew rapidly, and Tata expanded abroad, acquiring Corus in 2007. India overtook Japan in 2018 to become the world’s second-largest steel producer, and the National Steel Policy targets 300 million tonnes of capacity by 2030–31.

Private Sector

Public Sector

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