The Ministry of Mines told the SC that steel being an important pillar in achieving the economic goals of the nation and in making India self-reliant, any such capping would be highly detrimental towards achieving the common developmental goals of the nation. "Putting a cap on production of a mineral in a particular state, which is resource rich in that commodity, will jeopardise the economic development of the nation, mineral availability for the downstream industries and the requirement to sub-serve the huge population base of the country,” it said.
