A parliamentary panel has recommended that the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) should strengthen its sales network, improve revenue realisation and enhance market competitiveness. The suggestion came after the panel noted that several advanced and specialty steel grades are still missing from the company’s product portfolio.

These recommendations were presented in Parliament by the Standing Committee on Coal, Mines, and Steel for 2025–26, as part of the report titled ‘Organisational Structure and Performance of SAIL—A Review.’

The panel report says that SAIL must accelerate structural reforms to remain competitive in an increasingly demanding steel market.

The panel has suggested the need for improving SAIL’s sales and marketing system to ensure smoother movement of raw materials and efficient distribution of finished steel products.

The committee also flagged delays in expansion projects despite board approvals for projects at IISCO, Durgapur, and Bokaro Steel Plant.

According to panel recommendations, the SAIL needs to strengthen digital sales mechanisms and improve customer-focused sales models.

With an aim to enhance both profitability and market position, some of the panel’s specific recommendations include expanding digital sales platforms, deepening key account management, increasing share of value-added products, and focusing on high-margin steel grades.

The committee has recommended extra deep drawing (EDD) steel, interstitial-free (IF) steel, cold-rolled grain-oriented electrical steel, advanced alloy steels, and specialty steel grades currently imported. These recommendations are based on its observation that although SAIL has developed several high-grade steel categories, important products still remain outside its portfolio.

The committee also urged SAIL to place greater emphasis on research and development to develop new steel grades and reduce import dependence, besides ensuring raw material security through coking coal blocks. The aim is to reduce dependence on imported coking coal.

SAIL has made a major capacity expansion plan, like 35 million tonnes per annum by 2030-31 and 50 million tonnes per annum by 2047.

Besides, the panel has also asked SAIL to prepare a phase-wise modernisation roadmap after noting that 6 of SAIL’s 11 plants recorded losses in the last financial year. The panel also stressed the need for plant-specific turnaround plans with measurable targets.