BigMint India Ferrous Week in Kolkata: Bengal announces new industry policy as steel sector eyes AI-driven growth

The edition started on August 19, bringing together industrialists, policymakers, economists and entrepreneurs to discuss the next phase of India's steel and ferrous industry.

The three-day forum was inaugurated by dignitaries of the state government, including Arjun Singh (Minister of Transport, Labour and Environment), Tapas Roy (Minister of Industry, Commerce and Public Enterprises), Ajay Kumar Poddar (Minister of Public Health Engineering and Public Works Department), and many others.

The event was held in association with the Steel Re-Rolling Association of India and the West Bengal Sponge Iron Manufacturers Association.

The conference bringing together over 1,100 participants, 110 speakers, five international speakers, 10 Masterclass speakers including professors from IITs and scientists, aims to engage the steel industry into dialogue and help the industry go into discourse on growth, development and engagement of Artificial Intelligence etc, to better connect the industry, taking place at a time when India as a south asian nation is strengthening its position in the global landscape through import substitution product diversification and capacity growth, while raw-material strategy, freight movements, metallic mix and AI-powered intelligence are becoming increasingly critical to competitiveness and margin management.

“West Bengal’s Industrial Growth Agenda: Enabling Investment, Infrastructure, and the Next Phase of Manufacturing-led Development,” Tapas Roy, Minister-in-Charge, Department of Industry, Commerce and Enterprises, talked about the commitment of Bengal towards industry, manufacturing and business.

He said, “The Modern Industry Promotion Policy will include time-bound approvals, Incentives and Investor Handholding. The policy is in the final stage of making and will be announced soon.”

The 9th Edition of BigMint India opens its doors in Kolkata in the presence of dignitaries and ministers. Photo: PR Team

The session also featured other ministers and 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.

“From Steel Growth to AI: Conversations Shaping the New Cycle” being the tagline of the 3-day forum, the conference aims to understand and discuss the implications of Artificial Intelligence and its application in the rapidly growing steel industry of the country.

Reflecting upon the topic of Artificial Intelligence,  Dhruv Goel, CEO, BigMint, told IBNS, “The Industry has evolved; there are a lot of technological advancements that have taken place, especially in AI. To operate a furnace, a lot of human resources were required, but now everything is automated. You will not require any people to run it now.”

He further spoke on the investment increase in Bengal in the focus of the steel industry and the importance of bringing the industry together under one roof.

The event started with sessions on the growth of per capita steel consumption, India’s global position, the rise in demand, and aims to discuss much further in the span of 3 days.

The event spans from August 19 to 21.

The 2026 edition brings together the 9th edition of the India Iron Ore and Pellet Conference, Scrap and Steel Conference,8th India DRI and 6th India Coal Outlook Conference, while expanding its scope to include logistics, technology and AI this year.

(Reporting by Swastik Sarkar, Photos by PR Team)