Bhilai Steel Plant – a symbol of Indo-Soviet techno-economic collaboration, is one of the first three integrated steel plants set up by Government of India to build up a sound base for the industrial growth of the country, The agreement for setting up the plant with a capacity of 1 MT of Ingot steel was signed between the Government of erstwhile U.S.S.R. and India on 2nd February, 1955, and after a short period of 4 years, India entered the main stream of the steel producers with the commissioning of its first Blast Furnace on 4th February, 1959 by the then President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad. Commissioning of all the units of 1 MT stage was completed iby1961. In the initial phase the plant had to face many teething problems, mostly unknown to the workforce at the time, But by meticulous efforts and team-sprit, these problems were surmounted and the rated capacity production was achieved only within a year of integrated operation of the plant.
Thereafter, the plant was expanded to 2.5 MT capacity per year, and then to 4 MT of crude steel per year,. Bhilai expanded its production capacity in two phases - first to 2.5 MT which was completed on Sept. 1, 1967 and the 4 MT stage,which was completed in the year 1988
