Need to realise full potential of Dahej PCPIR: Ananth Kumar

Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Ananth Kumar today called for realising full potential of Dahej PCPIR by turning two million tonne petrochemical raw materials produced there annually into finished product in the region itself.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in March dedicated to the nation ONGC Petro Additions Limited (OPAL), India's largest petrochemical complex located at Dahej Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR) which will produce 2 million tonne raw materials annually.
Kumar, who was addressing a gathering at the inauguration of the 5th edition of FICCI's India Chem, also said the Centre will open the country's first Central Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology at Dahej.

"With OPAL taking off, the potential of Dahej PCPIR has grown. If today 20 lakh tonne raw materials, building blocks, intermediaries are manufactured there, we are only using three lakh tonne," Kumar said.
"We should aim to use it to its full potential... Dahej today employs 1.37 lakh youth. Can we double the job? Our vision is to create eight lakh employment by 2040," he said.
Kumar asked the Gujarat government to submit a proposal for viability gap funding, which is a grant to support economically justifiable projects, for Dahej.

"Chief ministers of other states like Karnataka and Telangana have sent us VGF, but Gujarat, already a prosperous state, does not think it necessary to make such a proposal, but I would ask you to send it to us," he said in presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

He also asked the state to organise a "Dahej Investment Summit," so that companies across the globe could come and invest there.
"Companies from the world over will come to invest in Dahej, so that we can use up 20 lakh tonne raw material and make final products in Dahej itself," he said.
"In Dahej, we want to open a specialised institute like CIPET (Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology). We have had initial talks with our secretaries about opening Central Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology in Dahej, and hope that our chief minister will provide 10-15 acre land (for the same). We will begin country's first CICET there," he said.

He said Centre will help state government for incentives, infrastructure, human resources, and correction of inverse taxation system.