The Development of Iron and Steel Industry in India's Five Year Plans

Many thousands of years separate us from the historic Iron Age when man first learned how to smelt iron from ore and shape it into tools and weapons. Since then, the number of metals and alloys developed by man for his needs has been greatly extended, but still iron and steel hold the uncha-llenged supremacy as can be seen from the fact that during the first quarter of the present century the quantity of iron and steel produced and used throughout the world
was much more than that of any other metal. In the recon-struction and economic development of our country.Whether it relates to greater industrial production or increased development of water and power resources, transport and agriculture or development of cottage industries, it is the iron and steel industry that forms the backbone allot provides scope for maximum employment of ever increasing population.