Indian steel ministry calls for banning iron ore exports.

Mr Atul Chaturvedi steel secretary said voiced for completely banning export of iron ore saying the mineral is a non renewable resource like coal and petroleum products and should be preserved.

Mr Chaturvedi said that "It will be good to completely ban iron ore exports as these are non renewable resources once you exhaust them you won't get them. How coal, gas, petroleum products different from iron ore. Why don't we export them? You can't have different standards."

Mr Atul Chaturvedi further added that "Iron ore rich Karnataka had recently written for ban on iron ore exports. Now states are themselves asking for banning iron ore exports. The Mining Ministry has to take a call on this. We have been saying that iron ore should not be exported."

Both the ministries of Steel and Mines have been at loggerheads over the issue of exports of iron ore on which the latter have been opposing any move to put a blanket ban on the overseas shipments of the mineral.

Mr BK Handique mines minister had earlier said that banning iron ore exports could render thousands jobless. The mines ministry had also said that the country does not possess technology to make steel from iron ore fines and thus exports should continue. Miners mainly export iron ore fines to China which is technically equipped to make steel from the powdery variant of iron ore.

Mr BK Handique added that "We should not be exporter of primary products we should be exporter of value added products. Production of value added products will help in creation of employment here else jobs will be created in China. You should create employment in India rather than creating it somewhere else."

However the steel ministry have been pitching for hiking export duty on iron ore and exports of value added products like steel which will create jobs in the country.

Source : PTI