The Hindu : Business : Paswan unveils unified petroleum policy

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Wednesday, May 09, 2007
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Paswan unveils unified petroleum policy

Special Correspondent

PCPIR will be delineated investment regions

— PHOTO: ANU PUSHKARNA

TOWARDS COMPETITIVENESS: Ram Vilas Paswan (centre), Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers and Steel, releasing the Policy on Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment Regions (PCPIR), in New Delhi on Tuesday. Habil Khorakiwala (left), President, FICCI, and Satwant Reddy, Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, look on.

NEW DELHI: Union Minister for Chemicals, Fertilisers and Steel Ram Vilas Paswan on Tuesday unveiled an integrated petroleum, chemicals and petrochemical investment regions (PCPIRs) policy aimed at boosting the manufacturing sector, increasing exports and making the sector globally competitive.

Launching the PCPIR Policy at a round table organised by the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals and FICCI, Mr. Paswan said: "the policy framework has been so designed as to promote investment in this sector and make the country an important hub for both domestic and international markets.'' The integrated chemicals regions, apart from helping overall development of the regions, help in generating direct and indirect employment, he said. The policy would give a thrust to industrialisation in the regions by way of setting up of down-stream units, in turn, leading to the development of socio-economic infrastructure in the areas in and around the regions.

A PCPIR would be a specifically delineated investment region with an area of around 250 sq. km. planned for the establishment of manufacturing facilities for domestic and export led production in petroleum, chemicals and petrochemicals, along with the associated services and infrastructure. The region would be a combination of production units, public utilities, logistics, environmental protection mechanisms, residential areas and administrative services. It would have a processing area, where the manufacturing facilities, along with associated logistics and other services, and required infrastructure will be located, and a non- processing area, to include residential, commercial and other social and institutional infrastructure.

The minimum processing area for the PCPIR will be about 40 per cent of the total designated area. The PCPIR may include one or more Special Economic Zones, Industrial Parks, Free Trade and Warehousing Zones, Export Oriented Units, or Growth Centres, duly notified under the relevant Central or state legislation or policy.

Land transfer

Mr. Paswan noted that States had an important role to play in pushing the PCPIR policy aggressively to attract major investments and contribute to the overall financial and social development of the respective State. The Centre, on it part, would be providing the external linkages. "It would be the Government's effort to ensure that the land-owner gets his due, while at the same time the process of land transfer is beneficial to all the stakeholders,'' Mr. Paswan said.

FICCI President Habil Khorakiwala said PCPIRs would seek to create a complete eco-system for the entire value chain of chemicals and petrochemicals-based products, the supporting infrastructure and also bring in related facilitators for innovation such as incubators, Research and Development outfits and also training institutions for manpower.

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