Photo: Mittal, who is Britain's richest individual, told a newspaper that India remained a priority for him but not for investment. Photo: IBNLive
Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal has no immediate plans to invest in India, where his recent attempts to build steel plants in Jharkhand and Odisha reportedly face local opposition and wrangles over land acquisition, says a media report.
Mittal, who is Britain's richest individual, told a newspaper that India remained a priority for him but not for investment. He said: "India remains a priority but not for investment. I'm not locating capital to India or China as I don t see things progressing there. We can't remain stuck, so we move on. Now our priority is to reduce debt, we sell
non-core assets. But we continue to invest in mining and become self-dependent. Asked about his straregy to target India and China for growth, he said: "We ve not succeeded in both countries". Mittal s wealth has reportedly halved since 2008 to 12.7 billion pounds.
Recession and lower demand for steel may force his company ArcelorMittal to close some of its Europe operations, leading to more job losses.
Admitting the likelihood of job losses, he said in the interview: "I have all the sympathies with the people who will be affected by this action. But the positive side is that we will be saving jobs for many times more people."
Politicians in Europe, he said, need to sort out the economy, and added that the second half of the year would be very challenging. On the lower demand for steel, he said: "If we don t have the orders, what can we do? We produce what we can sell, and we have to build a sustainable business model." Mittal, who was one of the torch bearers for the Olympics Torch Relay, has contributed 20 million pounds towards the ArcelorMittal Orbit near the Olympics Stadium.
from
PTI
Indians more willing to share personal info: Study
Even as cases of financial fraud are dotting cyber space across the world, Indians seem more forthcoming in giving out their personal information for personalised services.
from IANS
Woodland to re-position footwear
Footwear major Woodland, owned by the Aero Group, is looking to re-position its sub-brand 'Woods' in the luxury footwear segment, focusing primarily on women's footwear, a top company official said Friday.
from IANS
S&P maintains negative outlook on India
Global ratings agency Standard & Poor's said its outlook on India remained negative and there was a one-in-three likelihood of a downgrade within the next 12 months.
from
IANS
US industrial production goes down
US industrial production, an indicator of the output of mines, factories and utilities, dropped 0.5 percent in April, US Federal Reserve reported.
from
IBNLive
Indian firms caught in $ 45mn ATM heist
Two Indian IT firms are feeling the heat of the recent $ 45 million global ATM heist.
from
IBNLive
Ranbaxy to pay largest settlement till date
Pleading guilty to 'felony charges' relating distribution of adulterated drugs made at two India units, the US subsidiary of Ranbaxy agreed to pay USD 500 million.
from
Hindustan Times
Indian-origin man named in UK tax leak
An Indian-origin board member of the influential UK India Business Council said he is rethinking the role of off-shore tax havens in the current economic climate.
