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The government is likely to bring in new measures beyond duty hike on iron ore exports including imposing taxes and quotas on exports to ensure availability of the raw material for the domestic steel industry, Minister of Steel, Virbhadra Singh said on Wednesday.

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM) on Monday urged the government to increase export duty on iron ore fines to 20 percent from present 5 percent to curb exports of the raw material and discourage "unprecedented" increase in illegal mining.

The government's recent move to raise export duty on iron ore lumps to 15 percent from 10 percent previously, may bring down exports of the commodity to 50 percent this fiscal from 11 million tonnes in 2009-10, according to the Federation of Indian Mineral Industries.

The government raised the exports duty on iron ore lumps to 15 percent from 10 percent previously, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said while presenting the Finance Bill for 2010-11 on Thursday.

Amid subdued demand and weakening prices, iron-ore pellet makers and some miners had sought reduction of export duty on iron ore to make the industry competitive The Dollar Business Bureau Addressing long-pending concerns of the domestic iron and steel industry, the government has scrapped export duty on iron ore pellets, thus giving a fillip to the sector which has been battling global demand slump and weak prices in the international market.