New Delhi, Oct 23 (IANS) Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh Friday said his ministry would start a nationwide survey to asses rural steel consumption and demand.

‘The survey will cover all states and union territories, covering 300 districts and 1,500 villages,’ Singh said, inaugurating a conference here organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and industry (FICCI).

The survey will reveal the true picture of steel consumption pattern and the potential demand, he said.

‘Based on the findings of the survey, we will orient our strategy for an accelerated steel consumption growth in rural India.’

The minister also called upon private steel makers to set up rural distribution networks so that their products would be available in the remote parts of the country at affordable prices.

S.K. Roongta, chairman and managing director of Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), said rural India has a significant demand for steel.

‘SAIL had set up distribution centres in each district of the country. This had resulted in offtake going up in rural areas from five million tonnes to 60 million tonnes in three to four years,’ Roongta added.