Question

India’s first large-scale iron and steel industry was set up at ______________ in West Bengal in 1870.
A. Jamshedpur
B. Burnpur
C. Durgapur
D. Kulti

Answer 1

Hint: This is an industry near the district of Asansol in the state of West Bengal. The iron and steel industry is named as IISCO Steel Plant which is under the Steel Authority of India Limited.

Complete Answer:
The construction of The Indian Iron and Steel Company was the main reason for Kulti to become an important and populous town of the state of West Bengal. The first blast furnace of India was built in Kulti in 1870. The installation of a blast furnace, where the smelting and processing of iron ore is done, made it very easy for the construction of a large-scale iron and steel industry. The blast furnace was in operation from 1875. Steel was first produced in India in 1904. In competition with England, Kulti did not stand a chance, as after the industrial revolution there was a highly mechanised process for processing and making steel and soon Kulti stopped manufacturing steel. But it continues to process iron which was used in indegenous purposes as well as being exported.
Therefore, the correct answer is option ‘D. Kulti’.

Note: The work of the Kulti iron and steel industry had stopped for many years, but in 2008 the works of the same started again. Kulti Steel Plant is one of the main reasons for Kulti to become a well recognised town of West Bengal because of the work facilities provided to thousands of workers.