Mission Purvodaya

Union Minister of Steel, Petroleum and Natural Gas has launched Purvodaya Mission for the development of eastern India through an integrated steel hub in Kolkata, West Bengal. 

The article will provide in-depth information on the Purvodaya mission and related facts. 

Purvodaya Mission forms an integral part of the current affairs questions for different competitive exams as it has been in the news recently. Therefore candidates preparing for various Government Exams must go through the article carefully.  

Aspirants of IAS exam can expect questions related to the topic in Prelims as well as GS in UPSC.  

Purvodaya Mission – Overview

1. Union Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan unveiled the Mission Purvodaya on 12th January 2020 in Kolkata.
2. The Mission Purvodaya is aimed at the accelerated development of eastern India through the establishment of an integrated steel hub.
3. The focus will be on eastern states of India (Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal) and the northern part of Andhra Pradesh which collectively holds 80% of the country’s iron ore, ~100% of coking coal, and a significant portion of chromite, bauxite and dolomite reserves.
4. The objective of this hub would be to enable swift capacity addition and improve the overall competitiveness of steel producers both in terms of cost and quality.
5. The Integrated Steel Hub would focus on capacity addition through easing the setup of Greenfield steel plants.
6. Transformation of logistics and utility infrastructure would change the socio-economic landscape in the East.
7. Development of steel clusters near integrated steel plants as well as demand centers.

Latest Context on Mission Purvodaya

50000 crore Mega Steel plant in Odisha – ArcelorMittal-Nippon Steel India and the Odisha government signed a pact for setting up the 12 million tonnes integrated steel plant in Kendrapada district of the Odisha state. This mega steel plant in Kendrapada will bring a new wave of economic development and employment generation in Odisha.

The mission is in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of driving growth of eastern India and will contribute to achieving National Steel Policy’s envisioned capacity of 300 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) by 2030.

Mission Purvodaya Key Facts

1. Japan is the partner country that will guide India in making the Indian steel ecosystem bigger both in qualitative and quantitative terms.
2. The Ministry of Steel in partnership with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Government of Japan and Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) organized a workshop on “Enabling Procedures for Increase of Steel Usage for the Growth of Economy”.
3. Japan and India have also launched the India Japan Steel Dialogue to ensure the sustainable growth of the steel sector. Iron ore exports from India, particularly Odisha, helped Japan in becoming a leading economic power.
4. Odisha is the highest steel producing state in the country, hence, Odisha is going to be the nerve centre of Mission Purvodaya in steel and Kalinganagar will be the hub of the clusterization program involving entire eastern India.

Read about India-Japan relations on the link provided here. 

Why Eastern India for Purvodaya Mission?

1. India is currently the 2^nd largest producer of crude steel in the world.
2. About half of aspirational districts are in this region which is becoming hotspots of socio-economic development. Read more on Aspirational Districts on the linked page. 
3. As per the government’s data, the eastern belt has the potential to add over 75 % of the country’s incremental steel capacity envisioned by the National Steel Policy.
4. It is expected that out of the 300 Million Tonne capacity by 2030-31, over 200 Million Tonne can come from this region alone.
5. Odisha is the highest steel producing state in the country. The ores of Odisha are rich in haematites.
6. Growth of steel industry would lead to:
   • Employment opportunities across the entire value chain.
   • Socio-economic growth of Eastern India.
   • Reduced disparity between the East and other regions of the country.
7. Eastern India is a land of infinite opportunities, despite being endowed with natural resources, this region has lagged behind in socio-economic development as compared to some other parts of the country. With Mission Purvodaya in the steel sector, there will be development in eastern India.

Aspirants preparing for any government exams can visit the link provided to prepare even better for the examination-

1. Free Online Quiz for Government Exams
2. Government Exams Free Mock Test Series
3. Government Exam Previous Year Question Papers with Solution PDFs

Aim of Mission Purvodaya

1. The Government of India aims to generate employment opportunities and also increase the growth of the steel sector through Purvodaya.
2. The government with Purvodaya mission initiative aims to transform logistics and utility infrastructure which would change the socio-economic landscape in eastern India.
3. It will drive India’s march towards a five trillion dollar economy set by the government.
4. It will also help achieve the target of the National Steel Policy, which is producing 300 MT of steel by 2030.

Candidates preparing for various competitive exams can check the related links given below-

To know more about other Government Schemes visit the linked article.

Aspirants preparing for the UPSC exam can check the links given below –

1. IAS 2021
2. UPSC Calendar 2021
3. UPSC Syllabus
4. Analysis of the Press Information Bureau

You can also check out the preparation strategies for competitive exams to fine-tune your exam prep.