This document contains the response by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel, Shri Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, to Unstarred Question No. 1795 in Lok Sabha, asked by Shri Bidyut Baran Mahato, regarding employees in SAIL units, for answer on February 10, 2026. The questions concerned the nature of work, number of retirees and appointments in the last fifteen years, vacant positions, and contractual workers in SAIL units. The response indicates that permanent work is departmentally carried out by regular employees, while specialized, intermittent, or non-core activities are outsourced following prescribed procedures. Manpower costs in SAIL are approximately 12% of production costs, and SAIL optimizes its manpower requirements through an objective Annual Human Resource Planning process approved by the Board on an annual basis.
Key Entities Referenced
Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL): The central subject of the parliamentary question, concerning employment and operational practices within its units.
Ministry of Steel: The ministry responsible for answering the parliamentary question regarding SAIL.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF STEEL
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1795
FOR ANSWER ON 10.02.2026
EMPLOYEES IN SAIL UNITS
1795. SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:
Will the Minister of STEEL be pleased to state:
(a) the permanent and non-permanent nature of works in all the units of Steel Authority
of India Limited (SAIL);
(b) the number of employees retired and appointed in each unit of SAIL during the last
fifteen years;
(c) the separate number of posts officers and employees lying vacant in each unit of
SAIL at present; and
(d) the number of contractual workers (employed by contractors) employed in
permanent nature of works in each unit of SAIL?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE (SHRI BHUPATHIRAJU SRINIVASA VARMA)
MINISTRY OF STEEL
(a)to(d): In Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), the works of a permanent nature
are carried out departmentally through regular employees. Certain specialized,
intermittent, or non-core activities, are undertaken through outsourcing on job-contract
basis, following the prescribed tendering procedures and extant guidelines.
The cost of manpower in SAIL is around 12% of the cost of production, which
is highest among its peers. SAIL is, hence, optimising its manpower requirements
based on an objective assessment through the process of Annual Human Resource
Planning which is approved by the Board on an annual basis.
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