Centre will back PSUs in state: MK Alagiri

Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers MK Alagiri has said that special consideration would be given for the development of public sector undertakings (PSUs) in the state.

He assured that the Central government would take steps for the overall development and welfare of the employees of the Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd (FACT). The minister was speaking at the inauguration of the Centre for Biopolymer Science and Technology (CBPST) at Eloor here on Saturday.

Alagiri further said that the CBPST centre will be revamped to a full-fledged campus within three years, with the active support of the state government. The CBPST, which is a unit of the Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET), was built with the equal participation of the Central and state governments at a cost of Rs 30 crore.

The CIPET focuses on academic programmes, technology support services and research activities for the benefit of plastics and allied industries in India. The Union Minister revealed that through the CBPST centres across the country, 2,15,600 students will be trained during the Twelfth Five-year Plan.

Delivering the keynote address, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that not only the students but also the country as a whole, will benefit from the biopolymer science centres.

“The Central government should take steps to re-start the urea plant in FACT. The capacity of the phosphate and sulphuric acid plants should also be increased,” Chandy said. Delivering the special address, Union Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs K V Thomas said that the largest Container Freight Station of South India, jointly developed by FACT and Central Warehousing Corporation will start at Eloor and the proceedings are now on the NOC stage.

Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment D Napoleon, CIPET director general S K Nayak, Vice-Chancellor of Cochin University of Science and Technology Ramachandran Thekkedath, secretary of Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals K Jose Cyriac, K P Ramalingam M P, joint secretary (petrochemicals) Neelkamal Darbari and chairperson of Eloor municipality Lissy George spoke.