)
Central government has promised to invest more than Rs 25,000 crore in Bihar in oil and gas related projects. Majority of this money will go into construction of Jagdishpur-Haldia gas pipeline, whereas the petroleum ministry has also decided to expand the capacity of Barauni refinery to 9 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA).
Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan today made these announcements. The current capacity of the refinery is 6 MMTPA. Pradhan, who is a Rajya Sabha member from Bihar, also said that several other oil and gas related projects are already in different stages of construction, including the petro chemical complex at Barauni. The ministry has a plan to invest Rs 25,000 crore in these projects in Bihar, he said.
"The refining capacity of the Barauni refinery will be raised to 9 MMTPA from 6 MMTPA at present," he said in Patna, after the golden jubilee function of the Barauni refinery. Referring to the trust reposed by the people of Bihar in Modi, Pradhan said, the same will be returned in terms of development of the state in the years to come. Augmenting the refining capacity of the Barauni refinery comprised only "Payment in instalment" among various promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the Gandhi Maidan for development of Bihar in the event of being elected to power at the Centre before Lok Sabha polls, Pradhan said.
Also Read
On Bihar, he said that small factories, enterprises and chemical units will also come up in the state, adding that all these projects were aimed at generation of employment opportunity for the people and economic growth of the region.
He said the fertiliser plant at Barauni, which remained closed for years, will be revived soon and will be run on gas. He added that gas for the fertiliser plant will be supplied from the 650-km long gas pipeline Jagdishpur- Haldia project.
"My ministry will take responsibility to provide required gas for the fertiliser plant," Pradhan vowed.
Outlining other projects of his ministry, he said that an oil pipeline be laid from Motihari to Nepal to provide oil and gas to the neighbouring country.
He announced the laying of a LPG pipeline from Durgapur in West Bengal to Barauni-Patna-Muzaffarpur in Bihar and said that more LPG bottling plants have also been proposed in Bihar to meet growing demand of the cooking gas in the state and also in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
Regarding social welfare initiatives of the PSU oil companies, Pradhan said that the IOC in Barauni will start nursing school and skill development centre for the students from next year.
