Chhattisgarh to revive Aluminium Park Project

February 23, 2024 February 23, 2024

The Chhattisgarh government ruled by Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to restart work on establishing an aluminium manufacturing hub on over 140 hectares land in Korba district to promote small-scale aluminium product industries by leveraging presence of state-owned major aluminium producer Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO).

The Chhattisgarh government had entered an agreement with Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (BALCO), a subsidiary of Vedanta Limited to supply raw aluminum to small-scale industries at a subsidised rate.

Similar aluminium cluster proposals to boost local downstream industries by supplying subsidized raw aluminium from BALCO smelter unit to MSME players were initiated earlier in 2015 and 2021 but failed making progress each time beyond initial land identification due to execution delays.

Restart Push by Local Legislator

Fresh momentum has come this time from newly elected Korba legislator Lakhanlal Dewangan prioritizing the project with initial 2024-25 budget allocation also made to fast-track required processes and site development for the envisioned venture which promises substantial investments.

Advantages of Promoting Local Industries

Instead of just raw aluminium manufacture alone, facilitating entire aluminium goods production value chain encompassing utensils, wires, foils, automobile parts etc by smaller entrepreneurs within Korba promises major industrial growth, jobs and revenues for Chhattisgarh.

Leveraging BALCO Linkages

Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd. (BALCO) was incorporated in the year 1965 as a central public sector unit (CPSU) and it was a central government-establishment until 2001, when it was sold to Vedanta Resources by the Union Ministry of Mines.
Central PSU BALCO operates country’s largest aluminium smelter facility at Korba producing 5.7 Lakh tonnes annually. Tapping potential to supply aluminium at discounted prices for supporting smaller manufactures as envisaged earlier remains key attraction.

Achievements of BALCO

The development of special aluminium alloys for the Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile – Agni and Surface Missile – Prithvi are significant achievements of BALCO. BALCO has also been the first in the Indian Aluminium Industry to produce the Alloy Rods, used in power transmission lines.