No plan to curb iron ore exports now - official

NEW DELHI: India has no current proposal to curb iron ore exports, a senior government official said on Monday, responding to steel ministry officials' calls for preserving the key resource for local steelmakers.

"At the moment there is no such formal proposal," said the official, close to formulating policies in the mining sector, declining to be named. "After the last hike (in April), there is nothing on the table."

Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh said last Friday India's export tax on iron ore should be raised to at least 20 per cent, as more of the non-renewable resource should be conserved for domestic steelmakers.