TALCHER: The new coal-based Talcher fertiliser plant being set up at a cost of Rs 17,000 crore will be dedicated to the nation by October next year, said Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday.
Reviewing the project work with Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan at Talcher, Mandaviya said India’s agriculture sector requires fertilisers for the sector to flourish. Currently, the country is dependent on imports and domestic production of fertilisers.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has set the target to become aatmanirbhar in this field as well. India’s domestic production of urea will see a major boost with five new fertiliser plants coming up in the country. Four of these plants are already functional while Talcher, a coal gasification plant, will become functional by October 2024,” he said.
Mandaviya and Pradhan visited the plant site and reviewed the construction activities of the project. Emphasising on the coordinated efforts among all stakeholders for timely commissioning of the plant, the union ministers instructed officials of Talcher Fertilisers Limited (TFL) to expedite work and meet the deadline.
Addressing media persons, Pradhan said the new fertiliser plant will immensely benefit the farmers of the state. Besides, the local population will also benefit financially from the project. There is a vast reserve of coal in the country and utilising it to set up a coal gasification fertiliser plant is a welcome step by the central government. This is an attempt of the centre to make India self-reliant, he added.
Among others, TFL chairman Debashis Nanda, managing director SN Yadav and general manager Satyabrata Mishra attended the review meeting. Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone of the new fertiliser plant in 2018.