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 Chhotanagpur plateau region has the maximum concentration of iron and steel
industries. It is largely, because of the relative advantages this region has for the
development of this industry.

Advantages of Chhotanagpur plateau region

1. Low cost of iron ore and high grade raw materials inproximity.
2.Cheap labour provided by tribal people in thesurrounding areas
3.Availability of coal as a power mineral.
4.Availability of water from River Subarnarekha
5.Availability of railway transport
6.Vast growth potential in the home market.

Challenges

 Though, India is an important iron and steel producingcountry in the world yet, we are
not able to perform toour full potential largely due to:
(a) High costs and limited availability of coking coal
(b) Lower productivity of labour
(c) Irregular supply of energy and
(d) Poor infrastructure.
 We also import good quality steel from other countries. However, the overall production
of steel is sufficient tomeet our domestic demand.
 There is a need to allocate resources for research anddevelopment to produce steel
more computatively.

 Aluminum Smelting

Main Features
 Aluminium smelting is the second most importantmetallurgical industry in India.
 It is light, resistant to corrosion, a good conductor of heat, mallable and becomes strong
when it is mixed with other metals.
 It is used to manufacture aircraft, utensils and wires.
 It has gained popularity as a substitute of steel, copper, zinc and lead in a number of
industries.
 Regular supply of electricity and an assured source of raw material at minimum cost are
the two prime factors for location of the industry.
 There are 8 aluminium smelting plants in the countrylocated in Orissa (Nalco and Balco),
West Bengal,
 Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra andTamil Nadu.
 In 2004, India produced over 600 million tons ofaluminium.
 Bauxite, the raw material used in the smelters is avery bulky, dark reddish coloured rock.