A simple comparison of just the per capita steel consumption and the annual steel production is depicted for China and India in Chart 3. The chart indicates that while India & China were at nearly the same level of steel consumption and production in 1950, India remained stagnant till about 1997 whereas China went about industrialisation and development with greater determination. India took noticeable steps only in the past 5-6 years. Here too, in the period of 1997 to 2003 per capita steel consumption in China grew from 95 kg to 160 kg whereas the corresponding increase in India was 22 to 29 kg – most of it in 2001 to 2003. China’s steel production increased by 105 MT from 95 mT in 1997 to 200 mT in 2003 while the corresponding rise in India was only from 23 mT to 30 mT.