{"id":58741,"date":"2026-08-22T15:50:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T10:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/2026\/08\/22\/indias-steel-story-enters-a-defining-new-cycle-as-bigmint-india-ferrous-week-2026-opens-in-kolkata\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T15:50:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T10:20:37","slug":"indias-steel-story-enters-a-defining-new-cycle-as-bigmint-india-ferrous-week-2026-opens-in-kolkata","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/2026\/08\/22\/indias-steel-story-enters-a-defining-new-cycle-as-bigmint-india-ferrous-week-2026-opens-in-kolkata\/","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s Steel Story Enters a Defining New Cycle as BigMint India Ferrous Week 2026 Opens in Kolkata"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/PNN-39-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"BigMint India\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>From left to right: <strong>Sumit Agrawal, Chief Revenue Officer, BigMint; Vivek Adukia, Chairman, Steel Re-Rolling Mills Association of India (SRMA); Shri Umesh Rai, Hon\u2019ble Minister-in-Charge, Department of Municipal Affairs and Urban Development, Government of West Bengal; Shri Tapas Roy, Hon\u2019ble Minister-in-Charge, Department of Industry, Commerce and Enterprises, Government of West Bengal; Shri Ajay Kumar Poddar, Hon\u2019ble Minister-in-Charge, Department of Public Works (PWD) and Department of Public Health Engineering (PHE), Government of West Bengal; Shri Arjun Singh, Hon\u2019ble Minister-in-Charge, Department of Labour and Transport, Government of West Bengal; Deepak Agrawal, General Secretary, West Bengal Sponge Iron Manufacturing Association (WBSIMA); and Shankar Lal Agrawal, President, WBSIMA.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 22:<\/strong> India\u2019s steel industry is entering a defining new cycle, shaped by changing global demand, evolving trade flows, raw-material security, freight volatility and the growing influence of technology and artificial intelligence. Against this backdrop, <strong>BigMint India Ferrous Week 2026<\/strong>, in association with the <strong>Steel Re-Rolling Mills Association of India (SRMA) &amp; West Bengal Sponge Iron Manufacturing Association (WBSIMA)<\/strong>, commenced today in Kolkata, bringing together key stakeholders from across the ferrous value chain for a three-day industry forum from <strong>August 19\u201321, 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 2026 edition is bringing together <strong>1,100+ participants, 110+ speakers, 5+ international speakers, 10+ Masterclass speakers including professors from IITs and scientists, 40+ sessions and 50+ exhibitors<\/strong>, reflecting the scale and breadth of the industry gathering.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Built around the theme <strong><em>\u201cThe New Steel Cycle: Raw Materials to Steel \u2013 Trade &amp; AI,\u201d<\/em><\/strong> the forum is connecting steelmakers, miners, coal and scrap players, traders, logistics companies, policymakers and technology providers to examine the shifts defining the sector\u2019s next phase.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The conference comes at a time when India is strengthening its position in the global steel landscape through capacity growth, import substitution and product diversification, while raw-material strategy, freight movements, metallic mix and AI-powered intelligence are becoming increasingly critical to competitiveness and margin management.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">West Bengal\u2019s Industrial Growth Takes Centre Stage<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Inaugural Session, themed <strong><em>\u201cWest Bengal\u2019s Industrial Growth Agenda: Enabling Investment, Infrastructure, and the Next Phase of Manufacturing-led Development,\u201d<\/em><\/strong> brought together senior policymakers and industry representatives, including <strong>Tapas Roy, Hon\u2019ble Minister-in-Charge, Department of Industry, Commerce and Enterprises, Government of West Bengal; Ajay Kumar Poddar, Hon\u2019ble Minister-in-Charge, Department of Public Works (PWD) and Department of Public Health Engineering (PHE); Umesh Rai, Hon\u2019ble Minister-in-Charge, Department of Municipal Affairs and Urban Development; and Arjun Singh, Hon\u2019ble Minister-in-Charge, Department of Labour and Transport, Government of West Bengal.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The session also featured <strong>Vivek Adukia, Chairman, Steel Re-Rolling Mills Association of India (SRMA); Shankar Lal Agrawal, President, West Bengal Sponge Iron Manufacturing Association (WBSIMA); and Deepak Agrawal, General Secretary, WBSIMA.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking at the inaugural session, <strong>Tapas Roy, Hon\u2019ble Minister-in-Charge, Department of Industry, Commerce and Enterprises, Government of West Bengal<\/strong>, said, <strong><em>\u201cWest Bengal is committed to enabling investment, manufacturing and sustainable industrial growth. Industry platforms such as BigMint India Ferrous Week strengthen dialogue between policymakers and industry.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Vivek Adukia, Chairman, Steel Re-Rolling Mills Association of India (SRMA)<\/strong>, said, <strong><em>\u201cThe steel industry is entering a new phase where raw-material security, technology and efficient decision-making will be critical to competitiveness.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The event\u2019s leadership line-up also includes <strong>Amitabh Kant, Former CEO, NITI Aayog and Ex-G20 Sherpa<\/strong>, who will offer a special perspective on re-globalisation and India\u2019s opportunity amid global trade disruption.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">From Steel Growth to AI: Conversations Shaping the New Cycle<\/h3>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the three days, the programme will address some of the most consequential questions facing the ferrous sector, including <strong>India\u2019s steel growth, iron ore policy and supply, DRI capacity expansion, thermal coal dynamics, coking coal security, ferrous scrap, global trade, shipping and logistics, green steel and decarbonisation.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Technology and artificial intelligence will also take centre stage, with discussions examining <strong>AI in scrap sorting, AI-driven decision-making, technology transitions in steel and DRI plants, and the role of intelligent supply chains.<\/strong> The agenda also puts a spotlight on women\u2019s leadership in steel and the changing competitive landscape of the global ferrous industry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Dhurv Goel, CEO, BigMint<\/strong>, said, <strong><em>\u201cIndia\u2019s steel story is entering a new cycle, where raw materials, trade and technology will matter as much as capacity. BIFW is our effort to bring the industry together to understand and navigate what comes next.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Senior industry and policy voices participating in the forum include <strong>Rashmi Singh, Director (Commercial), MOIL; Ravi Kumar Moka, Deputy Director General of Shipping, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways; Manoj Kumar Agarwal, CMD, Bharat Coking Coal Limited; Dr. Arun Choudhary, Scientist &amp; Deputy Director, MNRE; Pradipta Kumar Mishra, Managing Director, Jindal Power Limited; Purushottam Beriwala, Chairman, Shyam Steel Industries Ltd.; Puneet Arya, President, PMAI; Deependra Kashiva, Director General, Sponge Iron Manufacturers Association; and Stephan Paech, President &amp; CEO, Fives North American Combustion, among others.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>BigMint, India\u2019s premier IOSCO-compliant Price Reporting Agency for Commodities<\/strong>, has been conducting conferences like India Ferrous Week since 2014 that converges into a major industry gathering, with participation from stakeholders across <strong>25+ countries<\/strong>. The 2026 edition brings together the <strong>9th India Iron Ore &amp; Pellet Conference, 8th India DRI, Scrap &amp; Steel Conference and 6th India Coal Outlook Conference<\/strong>, while expanding its scope to include logistics, technology and AI.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With high-level plenary sessions, focused industry discussions, market-facing content, technology masterclasses and senior networking opportunities, the three-day forum aims to connect macro market developments with practical business decisions and help stakeholders navigate the opportunities and challenges of the next steel cycle. <strong>BigMint India Ferrous Week 2026 is being held from August 19\u201321, 2026, in Kolkata.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>If you object to the content of this press release, please notify us at pr.error.rectification@gmail.com. We will respond and rectify the situation within 24 hours.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From left to right: Sumit Agrawal, Chief Revenue Officer, BigMint; Vivek Adukia, Chairman, Steel Re-Rolling Mills Association of India (SRMA); Shri Umesh Rai, Hon\u2019ble Minister-in-Charge, Department of Municipal Affairs and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/2026\/08\/22\/indias-steel-story-enters-a-defining-new-cycle-as-bigmint-india-ferrous-week-2026-opens-in-kolkata\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58742,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[448],"class_list":["post-58741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-business","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58741"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58741\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financialtelegraph.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}