A history of positive response

Over the past 100 years Tata Steel has witnessed many global crises. Every time the company has responded positively and proactively, enabling it not merely to overcome each crisis but to grow through the experience.

India’s Swadeshi Movement began in the early 1900s. It encouraged the boycotting of imported goods in order to stimulate the demand for products made in India. As a part of the Indian Independence Movement, it was a successful economic strategy to improve economic conditions in India through the principles of self-sufficiency as well as to prove that Indians had what it takes to produce for themselves, administer themselves and be self-reliant. The market also needed a boost that would encourage Indian trade and enterprise.

The Movement gave tremendous impetus to the Indian industry, opening the way for the manufacture of swadeshi salt, sugar and other products.

Birth of Tata Steel

The Swadeshi Movement encouraged Jamsetji Tata to set up Asia’s first ever privately-owned integrated iron and steel plant. His interest in iron making was triggered in 1882 when he came across an official report on the Chanda district which identified large deposits of high-quality iron ore but also noted a lack of suitable coal in the region. His idea of endowing his country with its own iron and steel industry gained support within the government and in 1907, when the Swadeshi Movement was at its height, the Tata Iron and Steel Company Ltd. was incorporated.

The Tatas raised the finance to build the steel plant within India – a significant milestone in Indian economic history. They proved a point to the then British government that an Indian company had the vision and the wherewithal to build an industry from the ground up and had the know-how to apply international standards to meet local needs. The setting up of the Tata Iron and Steel Company Ltd. gave Indian industry a voice paving the way for many a future enterprise.