SATYAJIT MAITY elaborates on opportunities for steel consumption in India and initiatives to increase its usage.Owing to the pandemic, this was not a good year for the construction sector. However, projections for next year are positive: Construction capex is likely to grow by around 30-35 per cent. As per census data, there are around 260 million households in the country; 55 per cent of them are either kutcha or semi-pucca, i.e. made of thatched stones, or non-metal or non-concrete. Hence, there is a great opportunity to convert these houses with better material. Tata Steel fundamentally believes in providing the best product and service to the consumer. We focus on educating the consumer to use more steel. In 2000, we launched two brands – Tata Tiscon and Tata Shaktee (a roofing brand) – through which we have reached out to millions of consumers and built millions of houses. We have initiated several industry activities such as product marking (printing and marking a logo on the product); bringing in transparency through recommended consumer price; and increasing the shopping experience through our retail identity programme. We have built almost 1,000 steel showrooms across the country.Comfort and convenience Tata Steel offers many innovative products. For instance, in TMT rebars, we introduced a super ductile and 500 SD product. Also, to promote steel consumption, we have initiated Tata Pravesh, where we are making steel doors and windows with a wooden look and feel. We have also initiated the Nest-In brand for prefabricated solutions. Further, with increasing digitalisation, people want comfort and convenience at the click of a button. Digital penetration could lead to many rural start-ups and flexible work policy might also lead to reverse migration. Also, rural consumption is improving steadily. The concept of green building is growing too. Hence, construction of houses will go up. Training and educationWe have created the Aashiyana platform to offer customers information from across the country related to design, estimation, best service providers, contractors, and more. It is a platform to facilitate their home-building journey. Further, upscaling the ecosystem to promote better construction and usage of steel is important. Through our e-Discovery programme, we connect architects, engineers, and budding engineers from colleges, and educate them on best construction practices and materials. We are also training around 20,000 masons on best steel-consuming practices. We have launched a programme to educate villagers about using steel. We have already reached out to 150 districts and about 45,000 villagers as part of this initiative.       Increasing steel consumptionTo increase steel consumption, first, for building frames, where RCC frames are currently used, we can focus on steel-intensive structures. Similarly, slabs can be done in a combination of steel and concrete and dry walls can be adopted instead of brick walls. As a steel company, we can work with the government to building an awareness programme for consumers on the benefits of steel versus RCC construction. Also, we could help upgrade the curriculum for civil engineering colleges. Even in the case of policies, rather than tendering on L1 basis, the focus should be on lifecycle cost analysis (LCCA). Standards such as IS801 for LGSF and IS 13174 for lifecycle costs need revision.     With all these interventions and modifications and more, we can definitely look at promoting the usage of steel, leading to growth in its consumption. About the author: Satyajit Maity is the Chief of Marketing - B2C Business, Tata Steel