India needs more trained metallurgical professionals, says Secretary of Union Ministry of Steel

The Indian Institute of Metal (IIM) organised the event in collaboration with TATA Steel.

Along with T V Narendran, CEO TATA Steel, Binoy Kumar was the chief guest at the function.

The National Metallurgists’ Day awards, instituted by the Union Ministry of Steel & Mines in 1962, and now awarded by the Union Ministry of Steel, are also given out during the annual event.

Said Binoy Kumar, “Through the awards, we recognize some of the most distinguished scientists and academician in the field of metallurgy. We hope to encourage more students to pursue metallurgy as there is a dearth of metallurgical professionals in India today. India has a lot of metal resources which has helped this industry to grow at a steady rate and now we are the second largest steel producer in the world.”

“The per capita consumption of steel in India still continues to be very low, which is a matter of concern for the government," he said. "India consumes 69kg of steel per year according to a Joint Plant Committee report when the world average in 694kg. To improve our position, we need more professionals working in this field.”

T V Narendran spoke about the various aspects of the metallurgical industry, including the steel industry.

Said Narendran, “We need to think about how to use technology for the industry to grow. We should use technology and invent new methods to make work more efficient.”

"Students getting good grades coming out of prestigious institutions aren’t enough. They need to learn skills to work in the industry. Research and development is one aspect and working on field is another. Academicians need to make sure that the next generation learns more skills to improve the quality of the metal industry,” he added.

The next annual NMD-ATM will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

(Reporting by Tirna Chatterjee)