Background & History

Background & History

October 03,1972
Blast Furnace #1 of Bokaro Steel Plant was inaugurated By prime Minister Smt Indira Gandhi.
Blast Furnace #1 of Bokaro Steel Plant was inaugurated By prime Minister Smt Indira Gandhi.
December 16,1957
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on visit of Rourkela Steel Plant with grandson Rajeev. Seen in the picture with him are Orrisa Chief Minister Dr H Mahatab and the Burmese Premier U Nu.
 Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on visit of Rourkela Steel Plant with grandson Rajeev. Seen in the picture with him are Orrisa Chief Minister Dr H Mahatab and the Burmese Premier U Nu.
December 10,1959
Dr Zakir Hussain, Governor of Bihar, Visiting the Rourkela Coke Ovens.
Dr Zakir Hussain, Governor of Bihar, Visiting the Rourkela Coke Ovens.
February 1961
Queen Elizabeth with Mr PC Niyogi, then General Manager, during her visit to Durgapur Steel Plant.
 Queen Elizabeth with Mr PC Niyogi, then General Manager, during her visit to Durgapur Steel Plant.
October 27,1960
Pandit Nehru inaugurating the Rail and Structural Mill at Bhilai.
 Pandit Nehru inaugurating the Rail and Structural Mill at Bhilai.
1957
Pandit Nehru alighting from a Train at Rourkela Steel Plant. Premier U Nu of Burma accompanied him on this Visit.
 Pandit Nehru alighting from a Train at Rourkela Steel Plant. Premier U Nu of Burma accompanied him on this Visit.
December 26,1960
Shri HV Pataskar, then Governor of Madhya Prades, inaugurating the merchant Mill at Bhilai.
Shri HV Pataskar, then Governor of Madhya Prades, inaugurating the merchant Mill at Bhilai.
September 01,1967
Shri YB Chavan, then Union Finance Minister, inaugurating Bhilai's Wire Rod Mill.
Shri YB Chavan, then Union Finance Minister, inaugurating Bhilai's Wire Rod Mill.
February 04,1962
Union Home Minister Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Watching Bhilai's steel - making process.
Union Home Minister Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Watching Bhilai's steel - making process.
January 19,1962
Dr BC Roy, West Bengal Chief Minister, commissioning the Merchant Mill at Durgapur Steel Plant.
Dr BC Roy, West Bengal Chief Minister, commissioning the Merchant Mill at Durgapur Steel Plant.
November 27,1967
Levelling work in Progress at the site of Bokaro Steel Plant
Levelling work in Progress at the site of Bokaro Steel Plant
December 30,1966
Shri TN Singh, Minister of State for Iron & Steel, on a visit to inaugurate coke ovens at Rourkela Steel Plant.
 Shri TN Singh, Minister of State for Iron & Steel, on a visit to inaugurate coke ovens at Rourkela Steel Plant.
April 06,1968
Prime Minister Smt Indira Gandhi addressing a gathering on the occasion of concrete pouring of the first blast Furnace of Bokaro Steel Limited.
 Prime Minister Smt Indira Gandhi addressing a gathering on the occasion of concrete pouring of the first blast Furnace of Bokaro Steel Limited.
Construction work of Bokaro Steel Plant in progress.
Construction work of Bokaro Steel Plant in progress.
November 23,1959
General Manager Mr KK Sen lighting Up Coke Oven battery #1 at Durgapur Steel Plant.
General Manager Mr KK Sen lighting Up Coke Oven battery #1 at Durgapur Steel Plant.
February 18,1961
Pandit Nehru on the occasion of commissioning of Section Mill at Durgapur Steel Plant.
 Pandit Nehru on the occasion of commissioning of Section Mill at Durgapur Steel Plant.
January 11,1964
Prime Minister Shri Lal Bahadur Shstri reviewing work on Durgapur Steel Plant's Capacity Expansion to 1.6 million tonnes with Mr DJ Bell, General Manager.
Prime Minister Shri Lal Bahadur Shstri reviewing work on Durgapur Steel Plant's Capacity Expansion to 1.6 million tonnes with Mr DJ Bell, General Manager.
January 24,1962
Pandit Nehru on the occasion of inauguration of Wheel Plant at Durgapur Steel Plant.
Pandit Nehru on the occasion of inauguration of Wheel Plant at Durgapur Steel Plant.
1965
A View of the Construction site of Bloom Cast Mill at Alloy Steels Plant, Durgapur.
A View of the Construction site of Bloom Cast Mill at Alloy Steels Plant, Durgapur.
Raw Material Storage and Blending Yard at Bokaro Steel Plant in the late 1970s.
Raw Material Storage and Blending Yard at Bokaro Steel Plant in the late 1970s.
November 1963
Alloy Steel Plant under construction.
Alloy Steel Plant under construction.
June 13,1972
Shri Mohan Kumaramangalam, Steel Minister, inaugurating construction of Salem Steel Plant.
Shri Mohan Kumaramangalam, Steel Minister, inaugurating construction of Salem Steel Plant.
January 31,1974
Mr MA Wadud Khan, SAIL Chairman, commissioning Bokaro Steel Plant's Second blast Furnace.
Mr MA Wadud Khan, SAIL Chairman, commissioning Bokaro Steel Plant's Second blast Furnace.
January 26,1978
SAIL Chairman Mr RP Billimoria breaks the around for Salem Steel Plant's CRM complex.
SAIL Chairman Mr RP Billimoria breaks the around for Salem Steel Plant's CRM complex.
1970
Prime Minister Smt Indira Gandhi with Major General BP Wadhera, the Director-in-Charge, Durgapur Steel Plant, During her visit to the plant
Prime Minister Smt Indira Gandhi with Major General BP Wadhera, the Director-in-Charge, Durgapur Steel Plant, During her visit to the plant
July 31,1971
Steel Minister Shri Mohan Kumaramangalam(center) inaugurating Blast furnace # 6 at Bhilai.
Steel Minister Shri Mohan Kumaramangalam(center) inaugurating Blast furnace # 6 at Bhilai.
March 07,1976
To commemorate 25 million tonnes of ingot steel production, Bhilai Steel Plant erected the 'Wheel of Industry' monument.
To commemorate 25 million tonnes of ingot steel production, Bhilai Steel Plant erected the 'Wheel of Industry' monument.
May 01,1972
Prime Minister arrives at Bokaro Steel Plant to inaugurate Hot Strip Mill.
 Prime Minister arrives at Bokaro Steel Plant to inaugurate Hot Strip Mill.
September 9,1972
Steel Minister Shri Mohan Kumarmangalam inaugurating a coke oven battery at Bokaro Steel Plant.
Steel Minister Shri Mohan Kumarmangalam inaugurating a coke oven battery at Bokaro Steel Plant.
May 25,1970
Shri KC Pant, Minister for Steel & Heavy Engineering, inaugurating refractory work in coke ovens at Bokaro Steel Plant.
Shri KC Pant, Minister for Steel & Heavy Engineering, inaugurating refractory work in coke ovens at Bokaro Steel Plant.
May 1,1978
Indian Iron Steel Company Limited was made a subsidiary of SAIL, a panoramic view of IISCO's plant at Burnpur on the banks of the Damodar
Indian Iron Steel Company Limited was made a subsidiary of SAIL, a panoramic view of IISCO's plant at Burnpur on the banks of the Damodar
June 17,1977
Shri M Sondhi, Secretary(Steel & Mines), inaugurating the Cold Rolling Mill Bokaro Steel Plant
Shri M Sondhi, Secretary(Steel & Mines), inaugurating the Cold Rolling Mill Bokaro Steel Plant
December 1981
Visit of a Mines Safety Committee to Bhavanathpur Limestone Mines of Bokaro Steel Plants
Visit of a Mines Safety Committee to Bhavanathpur Limestone Mines of Bokaro Steel Plants
March 13,1982
Minister for Steel and Mines Shri ND Tiwari dedicates Salem Steel Plant to the Nation.
Minister for Steel and Mines Shri ND Tiwari dedicates Salem Steel Plant to the Nation.
January 5,1981
Union Minister for Commerce, Steel & Mines Shri Pranab Mukharji Visits Bokaro Steel Plant
Union Minister for Commerce, Steel & Mines Shri Pranab Mukharji Visits Bokaro Steel Plant
May 1982
View of the Bloom-cum-Slab Mill during the Stage I expansion of Alloy Steels Plant
View of the Bloom-cum-Slab Mill during the Stage I expansion of Alloy Steels Plant
January 02, 1982
President Shri Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy Laying the foundation stone of the second Captive power plant of Rourkela Steel Plant
President Shri Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy Laying the foundation stone of the second Captive power plant of Rourkela Steel Plant
February 04, 1984
Minister for Steel & Mines Shri NKP Salve Commissions a Plate Mill on the silver jubilee of Bhilai steel plant.
Minister for Steel & Mines Shri NKP Salve Commissions a Plate Mill on the silver jubilee of Bhilai steel plant.
February 19, 1983
A proud moment.
A proud moment.
January 23,1985
Minister for Steel, Mines & Coal Shri Vasant Sathe announcing the Modernisation plan for Durgapur Steel Plant
Minister for Steel, Mines & Coal Shri Vasant Sathe announcing the Modernisation plan for Durgapur Steel Plant
May 24, 1984
Bokaro Managing Director Mr DR Ahuja at the Kiriburu Iron Ore Mines on the occasion of its silver jubilee.
Bokaro Managing Director Mr DR Ahuja at the Kiriburu Iron Ore Mines on the occasion of its silver jubilee.
July 6,1985
Bhilai Steel Plant Produce Rail quality Steel for the first time.
Bhilai Steel Plant Produce Rail quality Steel for the first time.
November 29,1986
SAIL Chairman Mr V Krishnamurthy inaugurating the additional coil yard at Bokaro Steel Plant.
SAIL Chairman Mr V Krishnamurthy inaugurating the additional coil yard at Bokaro Steel Plant.
August 18,1989
Visvesvarya Iron & Steel limited becomes a SAIL
 Visvesvarya Iron & Steel limited becomes a SAIL
May 09, 1987
Inauguration of Blast Furnace #7 at Bhilai by Minister of Steel and Mines Shri ML Fotedar.
Inauguration of Blast Furnace #7 at Bhilai by Minister of Steel and Mines Shri ML Fotedar.
Panoramic view of Durgapur Steel Plant During its inception phase.
Panoramic view of Durgapur Steel Plant During its inception phase.
December 26,1959
President Rajendra Prasad After inaugurating Blast Furnace #1 at Durgapur Steel Plant.
President Rajendra Prasad After inaugurating Blast Furnace #1 at Durgapur Steel Plant.
June 1957
Concreting of Blast Furnace #1 of Bhilai.
June 1957: Concreting of Blast Furnace #1 of Bhilai.
February 04,1959
Dr Rajendra Prasad Commissioning Bhilai's first Blast furnace.
February 04,1959: Dr Rajendra Prasad Commissioning Bhilai's first Blast furnace.
June 06,1955
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Pt Ravi Shankar Shukla Pouring over project drawing of Bhilai Steel Plant with Mr SN Mehta General Manager, and Mr Lobotsky, Deputy Chief Engineer.
June 06,1955: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Pt Ravi Shankar Shukla Pouring over project drawing of Bhilai Steel Plant with Mr SN Mehta General Manager, and Mr Lobotsky, Deputy Chief Engineer.
February 03,1959
President Rajendra Prasad Delivering his address at the inauguration of Blast Furnace #1 at Rourkela Steel Plant.
February 03,1959: President Rajendra Prasad Delivering his address at the inauguration of Blast Furnace #1 at Rourkela Steel Plant.
SAIL Milestone HisTree
1954

Hindustan Steel Limited (HSL) is formed. It comprised of four plants:

  1. Bhilai Steel Plant
  2. Rourkela Steel Plant
  3. Durgapur Steel Plant
  4. Alloy Steel Plant
1972

Bokaro Steel Plant: First blast furnace inaugurated

Salem Steel Limited formed in Tamil Nadu

RDCIS established in Ranchi

1968

Construction of Bokaro Steel Limited starts

Facilities commissioned at various HSL plants

1985

Inauguration of integrated trial run of Meghahataburu iron ore project

1997

SAIL becomes a Navratna company

2006

IISCO merged with SAIL

1989

Raw Material Division formed

Subsidiary Visvesvaraya Iron & Steel Plant (VISL) merged into SAIL

2004

SAIL environment policy released

Bhilai produces first 80 meter long rail

2009

SAIL led consortium forms International Coal Ventures Limited (ICVL) for acquisition of coal assets

2013

Durga, India’s second largest blast furnace (Capacity: 4060 m3) comes up at RSP

Special grade steel from Bhilai and Rourkela used for building India’s first indigenouse aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant

2017

Rail Mill at BSP produced world’s longest single piece rail measuring 130 mtr

2018

Modernised and expanded BSP dedicated to the Nation by Hon’ble Prime Minister

LHB wheels developed and supplied by DSP

SAIL Launched its new ‘NEX’ brand Parallel Flange Section

2019

SAIL launched its new branded TMT bars SAIL SeQR

2015

Modernised steel plants at Rourkela and IISCO dedicated to the Nation by Hon’ble Prime Minister

2010

SAIL becomes a Maharatna company

2001

SAIL enterst into JV with NTPC to form NSPCL for captive power generation

2007

Modernisation and expansion plan initiated to increase crude steel production to 21.40 MTPA

1995

Rourkela Steel Plant’s first modernisation commissioned

1986

First modernization phase initiated at Durgapur

SAIL takes over Maharashtra Electrosmelt Limited (MEL), subsequently renamed Chandrapur Ferro Alloy Plant (CFP)

1992

SAIL gets listed in Bombay Stock Exchange

1978

Indian Iron & Steel Company (IISCO) taken over as subsidiary

1962

Wheel & Axle plant inaugurated at Durgapur

1973

Formation of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL)

1959

Rourkela: Parvati, first blast furnace lighted up

Bhilai: First blast furnace lighted up. First coke oven battery commissioned

Durgapur: First blast furnace lighted up.

1960

Rail & Structural mill commissioned at Bhilai Steel Plant

The Precursor

SAIL traces its origin to the formative years of an emerging nation - India. After independence the builders of modern India worked with a vision - to lay the infrastructure for rapid industrialisaton of the country. The steel sector was to propel the economic growth. Hindustan Steel Limited was set up on January 19, 1954.

Expanding Horizon (1959-1973)

Hindustan Steel (HSL) was initially designed to manage only one plant that was coming up at Rourkela. For Bhilai and Durgapur Steel Plants, the preliminary work was done by the Iron and Steel Ministry. From April 1957, the supervision and control of these two steel plants were also transferred to Hindustan Steel. The registered office was originally in New Delhi. It moved to Calcutta in July 1956, and ultimately to Ranchi in December 1959.

The 1 MT phases of Bhilai and Rourkela Steel Plants were completed by the end of December 1961. The 1 MT phase of Durgapur Steel Plant was completed in January 1962 after commissioning of the Wheel and Axle plant. The crude steel production of HSL went up from .158 MT (1959-60) to 1.6 MT. A new steel company, Bokaro Steel Limited, was incorporated in January 1964 to construct and operate the steel plant at Bokaro.The second phase of Bhilai Steel Plant was completed in September 1967 after commissioning of the Wire Rod Mill. The last unit of the 1.8 MT phase of Rourkela - the Tandem Mill - was commissioned in February 1968, and the 1.6 MT stage of Durgapur Steel Plant was completed in August 1969 after commissioning of the Furnace in SMS. Thus, with the completion of the 2.5 MT stage at Bhilai, 1.8 MT at Rourkela and 1.6 MT at Durgapur, the total crude steel production capacity of HSL was raised to 3.7 MT in 1968-69 and subsequently to 4MT in 1972-73.

Holding Company

The Ministry of Steel and Mines drafted a policy statement to evolve a new model for managing industry. The policy statement was presented to the Parliament on December 2, 1972. On this basis the concept of creating a holding company to manage inputs and outputs under one umbrella was mooted. This led to the formation of Steel Authority of India Ltd. The company, incorporated on January 24, 1973 with an authorized capital of Rs. 2000 crore, was made responsible for managing five integrated steel plants at Bhilai, Bokaro, Durgapur, Rourkela and Burnpur, the Alloy Steel Plant and the Salem Steel Plant. In 1978 SAIL was restructured as an operating company.

Since its inception, SAIL has been instrumental in laying a sound infrastructure for the industrial development of the country. Besides, it has immensely contributed to the development of technical and managerial expertise. It has triggered the secondary and tertiary waves of economic growth by continuously providing the inputs for the consuming industry.