Raipur, Nov 13 (IANS) Bhilai Steel Plant, the flagship unit of the state-run Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), has won the “Prime Minister’s Trophy” for the best integrated steel plant in the country for two successive years.
“Proven as the best all over again in the domestic steel industry charts by an eminent panel of technocrats and bureaucrats, Bhilai Steel Plant has won the Prime Minister’s Trophy for best integrated steel plant in the country for 2006-07 and 2007-08,” the plant said Friday in a statement.

This is the ninth time the plant, located in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, is winning the prestigious title.

SAIL is investing Rs.17,000 crore on the modernisation and expansion of the plant, set up in the mid-fifties with Russian collaboration with one million tonnes per annum steel ingots production.

It plans to raise the annual hot metal production of Bhilai unit to 7.5 million tonnes by 2011-12 from 5.3 million tonnes now.