(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.

NTPC is a major power providing corporation in India. It has ISO certification for EMS (Environmental Management System) 14001. The corporation has a proactive approach for preserving the natural environment and resources like water, oil, gas and fuels in places where it is setting up power plants. This is achieved through the following methods.
(a) Optimum utilization of equipment adopting latest techniques and upgrading existing equipment.
(b) Minimizing waste generation by maximizing ash utilization.
(c) Providing green belts for nurturing ecological balances and encouraging afforestation.
(d) Reducing environmental pollution through ash pond management, ash water recycling system and liquid waste management.
(e) Ecological monitoring reviews and online database management for all its power stations.

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.

Most of the jute mills of India are concentrated in the Hooghly basin in West Bengal. It is a 98 km long and 3 km wide belt along the Hooghly river. Following are the main reasons for this.
(a) Proximity to the jute producing areas of Ganga-Brahmaputra basin. West Bengal is the leading producer of raw jute in the country and provides the mills with the required raw material.
(b) Abundant water for the processing of raw jute.
(c) Cheap water transport, supported by a good network of railways and roadways, facilitates the movement of raw materials to the mills.
(d) Cheap labour from West Bengal and the adjoining states of Bihar, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.
(e) Banking and insurance facilities available in the city of Kolkata.
(f) Port facilities in Kolkata for the export of jute goods.
Following are the challenges faced by the jute industry in India.
(a) Stiff competition from synthetic substitutes in the international market.
(b) Competition from other jute goods producing countries like Bangladesh, Philippines, Thailand, Egypt and Brazil.
(c) Decrease in demand for packing materials, jute carpets and high cost of production.
(d) Old and inefficient machinery.
The government has taken several measures to boost the production of jute goods in order to face the competition from synthetic fibres and from other countries producing jute. In 2005, the National Jute Policy has been formulated with the objective of expanding quality production and increase in use of jute. The policy of the mandatory use of jute packaging has resulted in the increase of internal demand of jute in recent years.

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.

Manufacturing industries are responsible for environmental degradation and pollution. There are four types of pollution created by these industries.
(a) Air pollution: It is caused by the smoke or gases emitted by industries which contain poisonous gases like carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide. Air-borne particulate materials consist of both solid and liquid particles. Dust, fume, mist, spray and smoke contain both types of particles. Air pollution affects human health, animals, plants materials and the atmosphere.
(b) Water pollution: The industrial effluents are discharged into rivers. They contain both organic and inorganic materials. Coal, dyes, soaps, pesticides, fertilizers, plastics and rubber are the common pollutants of water. The principal industries, which create water pollution are paper pulp, textiles, chemical petroleum, refining, tannery and electroplating. Fly ash, phospo-gypsum and iron and steel stags are the major solid wastes in India.
(c) Thermal pollution: The water occurs when hot water from factories and thermal power plants is drained into rivers and ponds before cooling.
(d) Land and soil pollution: Industrial wastes containing toxic metal, glass, and harmful chemicals pollute land and soil. Unscientific processing in many industries like ceramic industry and cement industry create a lot of dust containing chemicals settle down the land which causes pollution. Industrial effluents even cause acid rain, which degrade the land.
(e) Noise pollution: The unwanted noise arises from industry and transport vehicles create a lot of problems. The noise from mechanical saws and pneumatic drills is unbearable and it may cause impairment of hearing (deafness).

(a) Jute producing areas are located at the bank of the river Hugli and the textile mills should be closer to the producing areas.
(b) Hugli River is used for inexpensive transportation supported by a good network of railways and roadways to help movement of raw materials and finished products.
(c) Jute mills required a lot of water for processing jute. It is available here.
(d) Cheap labour is available in West Bengal and the neighbouring states of Bihar, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh.
(e) Banking facilities are adequate.
(f) Port facility and bank facilities are also available in West Bengal.

(a) Jute producing areas are located at the bank of the river Hugli and the textile mills should be closer to the producing areas.
(b) Hugli River is used for inexpensive transportation supported by a good network of railways and roadways to help movement of raw materials and finished products.
(c) Jute mills required a lot of water for processing jute. It is available here.
(d) Cheap labour is available in West Bengal and the neighbouring states of Bihar, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh.
(e) Banking facilities are adequate.
(f) Port facility and bank facilities are also available in West Bengal.