New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of a massive fertiliser project worth Rs 10,601 crore at Namrup in Dibrugarh district of Assam on Sunday. The new plant is designed to manufacture ammonia-urea and is expected to be ready by 2030.
Where is this plant and why here?
The site of the new plant is inside the existing premises of the Brahmaputra Valley Fertiliser Corporation Ltd (BVFCL) in Namrup, Dibrugarh, a region once known for industry and energy production in Assam. Dibrugarh’s economy is welded by oil, gas and cooperating sectors.
Officials say the Assam Valley Fertiliser and Chemical Company Ltd (AVFCCL) will be the main operator of the complex. The facility is stuff built as a brownfield expansion, meaning it upgrades and expands existing industrial land and infrastructure rather than starting from scratch on unused land.
What will the plant produce?
Once operational, the plant is expected to produce well-nigh 12.7 lakh metric tonnes of urea every year. That could ease fertiliser supply in Assam and neighbouring states such as West Bengal, Bihar and parts of eastern India. It should moreover reduce dependence on imported fertilisers.
Who's overdue the project?
AVFCCL is a joint venture including the Assam government, Oil India, National Fertilisers Ltd (NFL), Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Ltd (HURL) and BVFCL. The Union Cabinet tried the project older this year.
What did the Prime Minister say?
At the ceremony, PM Modi tabbed the project a "big day for Assam" and said it will unlock minutiae for the Northeast. He said the plant is expected to create jobs and help farmers with largest fertiliser access.
In remarks at the event, the Prime Minister moreover criticised the Congress party, saying it failed in the past to modernise the old plants in the region and accused it of ignoring farmers’ needs.
