Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, HD Kumaraswamy
| Photo Credit:
HANDOUT E MAIL
India’s Steel Ministry will be reviving the Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant (VISL) at Bhadravati at a cost of nearly ₹8,000 to ₹1,0000 crore.
Located 260 km north-west of Bengaluru in Karnataka, the VISL plant is currently a part of Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), the largest PSE steel-maker in the country.
According Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, HD Kumaraswamy, a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the revival of VISL is currently being prepared and will be completed within the next two months. Once the DPR is finalised, subsequent procedures, including approvals and groundwork, will move forward.
“The entire plant will be rebuilt with state-of-the-art infrastructure, and the revival project will be formally launched by the end of this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself will lay the foundation stone,” said the Minister during a press conference on Friday.
He added that a total investment of ₹8,000 to ₹10,000 crore is under “active consideration” for the reconstruction.
The plant is already under the administrative control of the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), which is planning a ₹1 lakh crore investment across the steel sector nationally. The Bhadravati VISL revival is an integral part of this larger investment strategy.
VISL specialised in alloy steel, peciality steel and pig iron-making. The Minister also reiterated the national steel production target of 300 million tonnes annually by 2030, set by Prime Minister Modi. He emphasised the Central government’s commitment to strengthening public sector steel plants in alignment with this goal.
Published on May 23, 2025