Question.
Why do you think the iron and steel industry is basic to the industrial development of any country?
(NCERT class 12 geography, India People and Economy, Chapter-8-Manufacturing Industries)
Answer.
The iron and steel industry is an industry in which the weight of the final product(iron or steel) is much less than the weight of the raw material (coke, iron ore, etc ), which is why these industries are preferred to be installed near to raw material regions.
This is the reason that most of the iron and steel industry in India is located in the northeastern plateau region of India, either near coalfields (Bokaro, Durgapur, etc.) or near iron ore (Bhilai, Bhadravati, and Rourkela).
The iron and steel industry is the basis of industrial development of any country due to the following reasons;
Almost all the sectors of the economy use iron and steel for their basic needs and growth.
For example,
- In the agriculture sector, iron and steel are used for agricultural machinery equipment like the tractor, plow, fabada, Khurpi, etc., without which modern agriculture is not possible.
- The basis of infrastructure activities like railways, highways, houses, complexes, etc. is the iron and steel industry.
- The machinery of all industries of manufacturing sectors including iron and steel industries is also made of iron and steel.
- The development of other industries is possible only with the development of the iron and steel industry.
- The inputs of automobile industries are also dependent on the iron and steel industries.
- The iron and steel industry is also necessary for the development of backward areas because other industries also develop from these. That is why the iron and steel industry was established in backward tribal areas like Bhilai, Bokaro, and Durgapur.
For the above reason, we feel that the iron and steel industry is basic to the industrial development of any country.
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