A draft 2047 steel strategy proposes AI-powered monitoring, tighter quality controls and targeted trade remedies as India seeks to curb sub-standard imports while securing specialised grades for industry.
India is preparing to rework its steel policy around artificial intelligence, data analytics and stricter import oversight, as officials look for ways to curb low-quality overseas supply and support domestic mills. The draft National Steel Policy Vision 2047 sets out a long-term roadmap for the sector, arguing that the older 2017 framework needs updating to reflect newer pressures such as digital tools, technical upgrades and shifting trade patterns.
At the centre of the proposal is a three-part approach built around quality assurance, fair trade and domestic capability. Business Standard reported that the government wants to reduce avoidable dependence on imports while improving the resilience of the wider steel ecosystem, including downstream manufacturing. The draft also calls for a more advanced governance system that can flag unusual import behaviour early, using testing, certification, traceability and real-time monitoring backed by analytics.
The policy puts particular weight on sub-standard imports, sudden surges in shipments and possible attempts to bypass trade remedies. According to the draft, India would continue to take steps to discourage low-grade steel imports, including AI-supported monitoring, while also encouraging exports of higher-quality steel. Where unfair trade is proven, the document says anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard action should be pursued quickly, in coordination with the Directorate General of Trade Remedies and the commerce ministry, but in a targeted way so that manufacturers relying on steel inputs are not harmed.
The emphasis on imports reflects a volatile trade picture. The draft says India was a net exporter of finished steel in fiscal 2025-26, when imports fell 32 per cent to 6.5 million tonnes and exports rose 36 per cent to 6.6 million tonnes. But more recent data shows the balance has swung back: India imported finished steel worth Rs 36,193.9 crore in April-August this fiscal year and remained a net importer, with shipments from China, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam making up most of the total, according to official figures cited in the report.
The draft also notes that more than 60 per cent of India’s steel imports come from countries with which it has free-trade agreements, a detail that underscores the challenge of shielding domestic producers without choking supply. At the same time, the policy acknowledges that India still needs access to specialised and value-added steel grades that are not widely made at home. Closing that gap, it says, will require investment in advanced metallurgy, automation, research and development, quality systems, productivity, energy efficiency, raw materials and logistics.
That broader industrial strategy sits alongside the government’s ambition to expand India’s steel-making capacity to 604 million tonnes by 2047. The draft presents the sector as central to long-term industrial growth, especially as global steel markets face more protectionism, supply disruptions and competition from low-cost exports. In that context, the policy seeks not just to defend domestic producers, but also to position Indian steel for stronger growth, better quality and wider international competitiveness.
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