It is reported that the Kerala government has no plans to allow private sector participation in the state owned India’s leading rutile grade titanium dioxide manufacturer Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd. Mr Elamaram Kareem state industry minister in a statement said that KMML would not enter into any JV or similar arrangements with the private sector. He termed the reports that KMML was going in for a JV with the TATA as baseless.

Mr Kareem added that on the other hand, the government intended to take up production of titanium metal and start allied industries even while retaining the mining of mineral sands in the public sector. He said that as India does not have the technology for production of titanium metal, the government had discussions with the Russian government that possessed the requisite technology.

The minister said that the discussions he had with the Russian Ambassador in New Delhi recently were related to cooperation between the two countries in respect of the technology for production of titanium metal and any proposal for a joint venture or other tie ups involving KMML did not figure in the discussions.

He further added that there were reports about sourcing of titanium dioxide from KMML for establishing a titanium industry in Orissa in cooperation with the Russian Government. But, neither the state government nor KMML has any information on this.