A senior Indian government official has called on the country's steel industry to speed up decarbonization efforts and diversify export markets to stay competitive as global carbon border measures and tariff actions reshape trade. Ashwini Kumar, Economic Advisor to the Ministry of Steel, outlined six priorities including accelerating emissions reduction, strengthening carbon measurement under the Carbon Credit Trading System, boosting R&D, securing raw materials, diversifying exports, and adopting AI and IoT for digital transformation. Speaking at the ASSOCHAM India Steel Conclave 2026, Kumar noted India's crude steel production reached 168.4 million tonnes in FY26 against consumption of 163.7 million tonnes, with rising domestic demand from infrastructure and manufacturing providing an advantage. He framed carbon border measures like the EU's CBAM as an opportunity to modernize production processes and cut emissions rather than just a trade barrier. The official expressed confidence that policy support and industry collaboration would strengthen India's global steel competitiveness while supporting long-term manufacturing goals.
