(i) Integrated steel plants are different from mini steel plants in many aspects.
   (a) An integrated steel plant is large and handles everything in one complex from integrating raw materials to steel making, rolling and shaping.
   (b) On the other hand, a mini steel plant is smaller, has electric furnaces, uses steel scrap and sponge iron, and has re-rollers that use steel ingots as well. It produces mild and alloy steel of given specifications.
The problems faced by this industry are:
   (a) high production costs and limited availability of coking coal
   (b) lower productivity of labour
   (c) irregular supply of energy
   (d) poor infrastructure. Recent developments that have led to a rise in the production capacity of this industry are liberalisation and Foreign Direct Investment, with help from private entrepreneurs.
(ii) Industrial pollution of the environment is of four types: air, water, land and noise. Air pollution is caused by smoke released by chemical and paper factories, brick kilns, refineries and smelting plants, and burning of fossil fuels in factories ignoring pollution norms. Water pollution is caused by the discharging of organic and inorganic industrial wastes and effluents into rivers. This form of pollution is caused by paper, pulp, chemical, textile, dyeing, petroleum refineries, tanneries and electroplating industries. The major solid wastes released into rivers in India are fly ash, phospo - gypsum, and iron and steel slags. Thermal pollution of water is another form of water pollution, caused by the emission of hot water from factories and thermal plants into rivers and ponds. Dumping of solid wastes renders the soil infertile and useless too. Lastly, noise pollution results from industrial and construction activities, machinery, generators, and saws, pneumatic and electric drills.
(iii) The steps to be taken to minimise environmental degradation by industry are as follows:
   (a) To control water pollution, industrial effluents need to be treated on all three levels (primary, secondary and tertiary); the use of water for processing should be minimised via reuse and recycling; rainwater can be harvested to meet water requirements, and ground water usage should be regulated by law.
   (b) For the minimisation of air pollution, smoke stacks should be fitted to factories with electrostatic precipitators, fabric filters, scrubbers and inertial separators. Also, smoke can be reduced by using oil or gas instead of coal.
   (c) Noise pollution can be controlled by fitting generators with silencers, redesigning machinery to reduce noise, and using earplugs and earphones besides other noise absorbing material.

An integrated steel plant is large and handles everything in one complex from the assembling of raw material and melting of iron ore in the blast furnace to steel making, rolling and shaping. Steel plants are usually concentrated near the sources of raw materials and market. Presently there are 10 integrated steel plants in India.
(a) Indian Iron and Steel Company, lISCO at Kulti and Burnpur, West Bengal.
(b) Tata Iron and Steel Company, TISCO at Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.
(c) Visveswarayya Iron and Steel Plant, at Bhadravati, Karnataka.
(d) Bhilai Steel Plant, at Bhilai, Chhattisgarh.
(e) Bokaro Steel Plant, at Bokaro, Jharkhand.
(f) Durgapur Steel Plant, at Durgapur, West Bengal.
(g) Rourkela Steel Plant, at Rourkela, Odisha.
(h) Vishakhapatnam Steel Plant, at Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
(i) Salem Steel Plant, Salem, Tamil Nadu.
(j) Vijayanagar Steel Plant in Karnataka.
Though India is an important iron and steel producing country in the world, we are not able to perform to our full potential. Following challenges can be attributed to this:
(a) High costs and limited availability of coking coal.
(b) Lower productivity of labour.
(c) Irregular supply of energy.
(d) Poor infrastructure. Today India ranks ninth among the world crude steel producers with 32.8 million tonnes of steel production. It is the largest producer of sponge iron. In spite of a large quantity of production of steel, per' capita consumption of steel per annum in India is very low.

The following are the three major problems faced by the cotton textile industries in India:
(a) Erratic power supply.
(b) Old and obsolete machinery.
(c) Stiff competition from the synthetic fibre industry.
The textile industry occupies a unique position in the Indian economy.
(a) It contributes significantly to the industrial production as 14 per cent of the total production of industries, comes from textiles.
(b) It provides direct employment to about 35 million people.
(c) It contributes considerable foreign exchange to the GDP.

Integrated steel plants are different from mini steel plants in many aspects.
(a) An integrated steel plant is large and handles everything in one complex from integrating raw materials to steel making, rolling and shaping.
(b) On the other hand, a mini steel plant is smaller, has electric furnaces, uses steel scrap and sponge iron, and has re-rollers that use steel ingots as well. It produces mild and alloy steel of given specifications.
The problems faced by this industry are:
(a) high production costs and limited availability of coking coal
(b) lower productivity of labour
(c) irregular supply of energy.
(d) poor infrastructure. Recent developments that have led to a rise in the production capacity of this industry are liberalisation and Foreign Direct Investment, with help from private entrepreneurs.

The agro-industries in India have given a major boost to agriculture -
(i) Agro-based industries have given a boost to agriculture by raising its productivity.
(ii) Agro-based industries depend on the agriculture for their raw materials such as cotton, sugarcane, jute etc.
(iii) Agriculture depends on industries for products such as irrigation pumps, fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, machines and tools, etc.
(iv) Industrial development helps agriculture in increasing their production and make production processes very efficient.

(i) It is the second most important metallurgical industry in India. Bauxite from which aluminium is obtained is widely available in India. India has vast reserves of bauxite.
(ii) Aluminium is used as a substitute to steel, copper zinc and lead in a number of industries.
(iii) It is light, resistant to corrosion, a good conductor of heat, malleable and becomes strong when mixed with other metals.
(iv) It is used in manufacturing of airplanes, utensils, electrical wires and other equipments, house fabrications etc. Hence its demand is increasing. India produced 15.29 lakh million tones of aluminium in 2008-09.
(v) It is a cheap metal compared to copper, bronze and iron. For all these reasons aluminum smelting is gaining popularity.

Cotton textile industry in India suffers from some problems:
(i) India has world class production and quality in spinning, but weaving supplies low quality of fabric because they are fragmented small units. This mismatch is major drawback.
(ii) Many of our spinners export cotton yarn while apparel/garment manufactures have to import fabric.
(iii) Although we the production of staple cotton has increased but we still need to import good quality staple cotton.
(iv) Cotton textile industries face the problem of erratic Power Supply which decreases the labour productivity.
(v) Machinery needs to be upgraded in the weaving and processing sectors in particular.
(vi) Output of labour is low due to poor machines and power supply.
(vii) There is a stiff competition with the synthetic fibre industry.

The favourable factors for the location of cotton textile industry in Maharashtra-Gujarat region in early years were as follows:
(a) Availability of raw cotton from the cotton growing belt of Deccan in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
(b) The port of Mumbai facilitating export of cotton goods and import of machineries and other inputs.
(c) Moist climate in the belt facilitated spinning.
(d) Market for the finished goods.
(e) Finance or capital from Parsi and Bhatia traders.
(f) Good transport network.
(g) Availability of cheap and skilled labour.
Decentralisation
(i) Huge market, development of transport network, banking facilities and availability of cheap electricity contributed to the decentralisation of cotton mills in the country.
(ii) Weaving is highly decentralised to provide scope for incorporating traditional skills and designs of weaving in cotton, zari, embroidery, etc., prevalent among local weavers in different parts of india.
Three major problems faced by cotton textile industries in India are:
(i) Erratic Power Supply.
(ii) Old and obsolete machinery.
(iii) Stiff competition with the synthetic fibre industry,
The textile industry occupies a unique position in the Indian economy:
(a) It contributes significantly to industrial production, 14 per cent of the total production of industries comes from textiles.
(b) It provides employment to about 35 million people directly.
(c) It contributes about 24.6 percent of the foreign exchange earnings of the country.
(d) Textiles contribute 4 percent towards GDP.

Five measures or steps to control or minimise industrial pollution in India are as follows
(i) Particulate matter in the air can be reduced by fitting smoke stacks to factories with electrostatic precipitators, fabric filters, scrubbers and inertial separators.
(ii) Smoke can be reduced by using oil or gas instead of coal in factories.
(iii) Updated machinery and equipment should be used that makes less noise and generators should be fitted with silencers.
(iv) Pollution check certificates should be made compulsory.
(v) Machineries used in the industries can be redesigned to increase energy efficiency and reduce noise. Noise absorbing material may also be used.