A meeting of the Parliamentary ‘Consultative Committee on Chemical and Fertilizers’ chaired by the Hon’ble Union Minister for Chemical & Fertilizers and Health & Family Welfare, Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, was held today. The meeting also saw the participation of the Hon’ble Minister of State for Chemical & Fertilizers and Health and Family Welfare, Ms. Anupriya Patel apart from Hon’ble Members of the Parliament, Shri Sher Singh Ghubaya, Shri Mithlesh Kumar, Shri B Parthasaradhi Reddy, Shri Hemant Vishnu Savara, Shri Bhim Singh and Shri Mitesh Rameshbhai Patel.

The Chemical and Petrochemical sector is currently is valued at around USD 220 billion and aspires to reach USD 300 billion by 2030, USD 1 trillion by 2040 and USD 2 trillion by 2047 towards the goal of Viksit Bharat@2047. For Financial year 2024-25, exports from the sector were about US $45 billion, which is close to 10.60% of India’s total merchandise exports. It ranks as the sixth-largest producer of chemicals globally and fourth in Asia,  while holding strong positions in key segments—such as being the 2nd largest manufacturer and exporter of Dyes as well as 3rd largest exporter of Agrochemicals globally. The chemical industry employs around 50 Lakhs people, encompassing roughly 13,000 large-scale units alongside about 4.45 lakhs Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, making it a vital pillar of manufacturing, employment, and economy.

The officials from the Department gave a presentation before the Committee giving an overview of the sector and the various initiatives launched by the Department to promote the sector. The deliberations held today were centred around the theme of ‘Infrastructure initiatives in Chemical sector’. Significantly, the new scheme announced by the Government in this Budget for supporting the States in setting up of 3 Chemical Parks was actively deliberated upon. In terms of the said announcement, these parks would be selected in challenge mode with plug and play infrastructure in a cluster based model with common infrastructure facilities and basic utilities keeping the needs of chemical industry specifically in mind. They would make the industry cost competitive and at the same time, promote sustainable development and circular economy by promoting industrial symbiosis. A Budget outlay of ₹600 crores has been provided in the coming financial year for the said scheme.

The other initiatives discussed include the existing Plastic Parks scheme  and the Centres of Excellence scheme which promotes research and development in the sector. The Department has set up 9 plastic parks and 18 Centres of Excellence. Skilling initiatives by the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET), an autonomous body functioning under the aegis of the Department also came up for discussion.

The Hon’ble Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers invited the members of the committee to put across their views and suggestions on the different initiatives discussed. He noted with appreciation the active participation by the members of the Committee and  the valuable suggestions that were made by them with respect to the various initiatives discussed, so as to implement them in an effective manner.

DKR/Pallavi

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