Vidarbha can produce green steel cheaper than China: Nitin Gadkari

Vidarbha is being positioned as a future-ready industrial powerhouse, leveraging its mineral-rich geology, green steel ambitions and large-scale manufacturing investments to drive jobs and long-term economic growth.

Speaking to Business Today at the Advantage Vidarbha Summit, Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari outlined a roadmap that places Vidarbha at the centre of Maharashtra’s next phase of industrial expansion.

Gadkari said nearly 75% of Maharashtra’s mineral reserves are located in Vidarbha, including some of the country’s highest-grade iron ore with iron content of around 65%, giving the region a natural advantage for steel and downstream industries.

Highlighting the push towards sustainable manufacturing, Gadkari said the entire production process in the region is being designed to produce green steel. “The attempt is to make it cheaper than Chinese production, and it is possible by using hydrogen,” he said, adding that steel produced in Gadchiroli could be globally competitive on cost due to hydrogen-based fuel use.

The minister also pointed to Mahindra Group’s investment plans in Vidarbha, which he said would help transform the region into a major automobile manufacturing hub while creating a strong ancillary and components ecosystem.

“These investments will not just create factories but entire supply chains. Wealth creators are also job creators,” Gadkari said, underlining employment generation as the core objective of the industrial push.

According to Gadkari, the aim is to generate five to seven lakh jobs in Vidarbha over the next five years through a combination of steel, automobile manufacturing and allied industries.

The third edition of the Advantage Vidarbha Summit has already facilitated investment commitments worth over ₹45,000 crore across multiple projects, giving the region significant national and international visibility. The three-day event hosted 25 technical sessions, with 225 experts and speakers deliberating on a wide range of industrial and development themes, and drew nearly 5,500 delegates.

Gadkari said a key highlight of this year’s summit was the participation of ambassadors and trade representatives from 23 countries, reflecting growing global interest in Vidarbha’s industrial and green manufacturing potential.