The details of State/Union Territory wise number of sponge iron plants operational during FY 2020-21 in the country, including Uttar Pradesh are as following:-
State/Union Territory wise details of Indian Sponge Iron Industry, 2020-21
| State/Union-territory | No of Units |
| Andhra Pradesh | 6 |
| Chhattisgarh | 69 |
| Goa | 3 |
| Gujarat | 10 |
| Jharkhand | 24 |
| Karnataka | 35 |
| Maharashtra | 7 |
| Odisha | 76 |
| Tamil Nadu | 6 |
| Telangana | 9 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 4 |
| West Bengal | 36 |
| TOTAL | 285 |
| Source: Joint Plant Committee (JPC) | |
The total employment in the domestic sponge iron industry stood at about 85,000 during 2020-21 (Source: JPC).
Steel being a deregulated sector, specific decisions regarding setting up of the sponge iron industries are taken by individual steel companies/investors based on commercial considerations and market dynamics.
This information was given by the Union Minister for Steel Shri Ram Chandra Prasad Singh in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.