Financial package to VSP offers no lasting solution, says APCC chief Sharmila

VSP’s merger with SAIL and allocating it captive mines provide a permanent solution, says APCC president Y.S. Sharmila. File
| Photo Credit: G.N. RAO

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Y.S. Sharmila on January 18, 2025 (Saturday) said the financial package of ₹11,440 crore given by the Union government for the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) is a temporary relief.

Taking to X, Ms. Sharmila said the merger of the VSP with the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) was the only permanent solution. She said the package was not enough for the revival of the steel plant as its financial struggles remained unaddressed.

“Allocating captive mines to the plant is the real solution,” she observed, adding that only when the plant expanded its capacity to 20 million tonnes could the vision of “self-reliance in steel” be truly realised.

She said ignoring these key aspects, the Centre’s claim that the plant would become number one in the country within two years was yet another attempt to deceive people of Andhra Pradesh.