mumbai/new delhi, Nov. 26 -- The Union steel ministry is preparing to infuse more than Rs.400 crore into Salem Steel Plant, the stainless-steel unit of the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), marking a sharp policy turn from its earlier intent to privatize the loss-making mill, as per two senior ministry officials. The move signals a broader shift in the Centre's approach to distressed public-sector steel assets. Instead of pushing strategic units to the disinvestment block, the government is increasingly opting for state-led revival plans, an approach already visible in the Rs.11,440 crore rescue crafted for Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) earlier this year. The renewed push for revival over sale signals a shift toward restructuring and stabilizing key steel units instead of offloading them-or preparing them for a sale only after a turnaround. Job-loss concerns tied to privatization continue to be a politically fraught issue in any disinvestment debate. The Salem plant, located in Tamil Nadu's Salem district, is currently running at less than 1,00,000 tonnes per annum, which is 25% below its installed capacity of 3,60,000 tonnes per annum, one of the two officials cited above said. The turnaround blueprint being finalized aims to stabilize raw material flows (scrap), fund repairs and renewals, clean up the balance sheet, and then ramp up utilization to 90-100%, the other ministry official said. Setting up an electric arc furnace for processing scrap is part of the plan. Over the longer term, the ministry intends to scale capacity to 1 mtpa once the unit becomes self-sustaining, the officials added. The revival will hinge on reworking Salem's retail presence, focusing on kitchen and homeware products sold under the SAIL brand. This includes expanding distribution through brick-and-mortar stores via new Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) being worked out with states, pushing online sales through Amazon and the SAIL portal, and considering MoUs with Walmart and D-Mart, the second official said. Two consultants-Metalist for operational efficiencies and McKinsey for redesigning the business model and product mix-have been brought on board, according to an internal note of the steel ministry, reviewed by Mint. Early fixes have already begun. A review by the steel ministry leadership, as per the note, shows improvements at the cold rolling mill, better refractor life in the furnace, a shift from furnace oil to LNG (leading to a 12% cost reduction), increased renewable power procurement, and recast supplier arrangements. SAIL executives, in parallel, are drawing up a product roadmap targeting sectors such as rolling stock (rail wagons), bridge components, energy infrastructure, and auto-grade exhaust systems. "The direction given is to have 10% market share in cookware and homeware segments, preferably by 2030," said the second official. Emails and calls made to the steel ministry and SAIL did not elicit a response by press time....