CHEMCON-2021: Govt Focus On Chemicals & Petrochem To Diversify Industry Portfolio, Says Naveen

Bhubaneswar: The state government has identified the chemicals and petrochemicals sector as a key focus sector in a bid to diversify the industry portfolio of Odisha, said chief minister Naveen Paynaik on Sunday.

Inaugurating the Indian Chemical Engineering Congress (CHEMCON-2021), here, on virtual mode, the chief minister said in order to ensure the growth of the chemicals sector, the government is coming up with Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region in Paradeep and port related industrial complex at Dhamra and Gopalpur.

Stating that this year’s CHEMCON theme, “Sustainable utilisation of resources for chemical and mineral sector”, is important for Odisha, he said the government has taken several measures over the years to ensure that natural resources of the state are sustainably leveraged for development of the state and its people.

“I hope that CHEMCON-2021 will come up with new and innovative ideas towards even more sustainable ways of resource utilisation in chemical and mineral sector that will further aid our efforts in developing Odisha into a global player in the chemicals sector,” he said.

Requesting the entrepreneurs attending the event to explore Odisha, he assured them  of providing the best-in-class facilitation and enabling environment for growth, if they come up with investment in the state.

Dr Shekhar C Mande, Director General, CSIR expressed his concern towards the mass death rate in the last year due to COVID-19 pandemic. “The world is staring at very different kinds of problems and if we have to be ready for the problems, be it climate change or pandemics, we have to work together,” he said.

Prof Suddhasatwa Basu, director, CSIR-IMMT; DP Mishra, vice-chairman, National Organising Committee; CP Gurnani, chairman, National Organising Committee and Dr Avijit Ghosh, honorary secretary, IICHE also spoke.

SM Vaidya (CMD, IOCL), Dr Santrupt Mishra (Director, Aditya Birla Chemicals), Ashwin Shroff (Chairman, Excel Industries) addressed the guests at the event.

CHEMCON-2021 and the 74^th annual session of the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE) kickstarted at CSIR- Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology in the city. The 5-day CHEMCOM is organised by IIChE-Bhubaneswar Regional Centre and CSIR- IMMT Bhubaneswar in association with the Institute of Chemical Technology-Indian Oil Odisha Campus, Bhubaneswar.