The Union Minister of State for Steel and Rural Development, Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste has said that the Steel Research and Technology Mission of India (SRTMI) is an industry driven initiative, registered under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860, for undertaking collaborative research amongst industry, national R&D laboratories and academic institutes.
In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Shri Kulaste said that Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), Tata Steel, JSW Steel, JSPL, NMDC and MECON are the members of the Governing Board of SRTMI. The Governing Board is chaired by one of the members from the industry on rotational basis. Joint Secretary, Ministry of Steel , is also a member in the Governing Board of SRTMI. All decisions are taken by the Governing Board. The R&D projects are discussed and approved by the governing board.
SRTMI is a registered society. It is not an autonomous body of the government. Therefore, the government does not assess its research projects, nor their impacts, human resource deployment, or any other measures.