India is beckoning no doubt about it, as one of the most vibrant economies of the world, with an average GDP growth rate of more than 9% in each of the last five financial years and a 300 million strong middle class population, this is a country to watch out for in coming years. AIIGMA (All Indian Industrial Gas Manufacturer’s Association) conducted it’s 30th seminar about the industrial gas industry, on the Eastern coast of the country and in a state massively endowed with rich iron ores.
gasworld travelled to the vibrant city of Bhubaneswar to take part and assess the strength of the Indian industrial gas industry.
‘Gases for sustainable growth’ was the theme of the seminar, held over two days at the Mayfair Lagoon Hotel & Resorts and with around 280 delegates from major gas manufacturers across different parts of India and around the world.
The foreign delegates, numbering over 50, included members from neighboring countries such as Bhutan, China and Sri Lanka as well as other countries like the US, UK, Israel, Switzerland, UAE, Kuwait, France, Singapore, Malaysia, the Republic of Yemen and Germany. Mr Ajai Nigam, Chief Controller of Explosives, PESO, Government of India was the Chief Guest of Honour and inaugurated the seminar. Senior Government officials like Shri S K Thade, Director – IPP, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India; Shri S Bhattacharya, Deputy Chief Controller of Explosives, East Circle, Kolkata; Shri B Rengaswamy, Deputy Chief Controller of Explosives, Rourkela Sub-Circle Office; Shri D K Gupta, Controller of Explosives and stalwarts like Professor H H Dash, Chief of Neurosciences Centre, AIIMS, New Delhi and Mr N K Pal, Director of BIS also shared their views with the participants.
Bhubaneswar was selected as the venue for this 2008 meeting, because many steel mills are coming up in the region and the prospects for the growth of its gas industry are extremely promising. Orissa, with its rich natural reserves count, has 4177 million tonnes of iron ore reserve and accounts for 34% of India’s total ore deposits, while a significant chunk of that lay in this coastal city. As many as 45 steel producers have signed MOU’s (Memorandum of Understanding) with the state Government, to set up their manufacturing facilities with a combined capacity of 75 MTPA, and that includes ten mega projects.
... to continue reading you must be subscribed
