In the TEDxKanke Webinar Series titled ‘The Rise of a New World’, the speaker for the event on May 30 was Atul Bhatt, Chairman cum Managing Director, MECON Limited, India and he spoke about the future of the Indian Steel Industry. The session was moderated by CM Chugh General Manager CET, SAIL
The series which was started on May 2 is slated to host more than 10 speakers in one month from the fields of technology, innovation, leadership, creativity and art and culture of national and international acclaim. The sessions are being streamed live on the facebook page fb.me/tedxkanke20.
“The steel industry has become synonymous with a very strong Indian identity. Any steel plant in the world be it in USA or Europe, it whas a very strong Indian imprint of people either running the plant or those who have been associated with it. The steel industry plays a very important role in the development of a country. In Jharkhand, the way Jamshedpur and Bokaro have developed is phenomenon,” said Bhatt.
“Having served in global as well as Indian steel companies, the Indian development is quite proportionate to the kind of development in the industry. In the midst of a pandemic, the steel industry will definitely show the way for the economy to come back on track. Steel is one of the few commodities where we have become number two in the world and MECON in Ranchi has contributed in it to a great extent. India has overtaken USA and Japan and is only behind China,” added Bhatt.
“Steel is a very capital intensive industry. To become a three hundred million tonne company, it will require an investment of about 22 billion dollars. If we grow at a rate of about six- seven percent per annum which will happen considering the per capita consumption is low, this three hundred million is quite achievable. India will become a big consumer of steel in the next 10- 20 years. Make in India is a possibility and steel industry can lead the way for an ‘Amtanirbhar Bhatar’ for other industries to follow,” added Bhatt.
Rajeev Gupta curator of the event said, “Whenever there is a crisis, there is hope. The idea behind TED is ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’ and with that in mind TEDx Kanke Webinar series has been started to connect great speakers from various spheres with local communities to seek a deeper understanding of ourselves and our changing world and to inspire ideas and action for a better future for us all. The lockdown and social distancing has inspired us to take the event online and reach out to more and more people, keep them inspired, positive and be ready for the new world post Covid-19.”
The series is being co-organised by Kanishka Poddar, Kanika Malhotra, Priti Gupta, Santosh Sharma, Rashmi Saha with an audience from corporate, government, and different institutions pan India.