Rajasthan industry body urges govt to set up chemical hub in state

Following a NITI Aayog report on making India a powerhouse in the global chemical market, the Akhil Rajya Trade and Industry Association (ARTIA) has urged the Rajasthan government to establish a world-class chemical hub in the state. 

 

Kailash Sharma, senior vice president of ARTIA, claimed that the chemical products business in India is currently around $270-300 billion, and is estimated to reach $450 billion in 2030 and $1,000 billion by 2040. Keeping this in mind, five chemical hubs are currently being established in India — Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Dahej (Gujarat), Paradip (Odisha) and two places in Tamil Nadu. 

 

“We feel Rajasthan is the best suited for establishing such a hub, and there are better possibilities here in terms of the need and geographical location of such industries. If a hub is established, 50,000 to 1,00,000 people can get direct employment in terms of size and investment of up to ₹1 trillion can come”, Prem Biyani, executive president of ARTIA, said. 

 

He added that the state government can invite investment proposals for chemical hubs, along with proposing special incentives. 

 

According to Biyani, India currently ranks third in Asia and sixth globally in the production of chemicals and chemical products. He added that a petrochemical cluster is proposed in Barmer district, but the work on it has not yet gained momentum. 

 

Biyani further said that Hadoti and Merwara-Mewar regions in Rajasthan are more suitable for chemical hubs. He added that there is also ample scope for setting up special institutes to train personnel for the industry. “If such an institute is set up in the private sector, then the government should ensure to give special incentives to it,” he said.