Following reports that the Union Steel Ministry has decided to contract out over 32 segments of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant’s operations to private companies, former Secretary to the Government of India E.A.S. Sarma on Monday (August 18) shot off a letter to Union Minister for Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy, opposing the same and saying the move would destroy the VSP as a public-sector entity.
Mr. Sarma said both the Centre and the NDA government at the State were making a series of calculated moves to destroy the Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) character of the VSP. Refusing to allot a captive iron ore mine to the VSP while allotting multiple mineral blocks to private companies is one of such steps, he said, adding that the VSP was also not provided timely supply of inputs like coking coal.
