The Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals organised a one day “Manthan Shivir” in New Delhi today, chaired by Jagat Prakash Nadda, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India, with discussions focussing on fostering long-term development of the Indian chemical and petrochemical sector.

The recommendations emerging from discussions on all the thematic areas were presented before the Union Minister, under whose strategic insight this initiative was implemented. Nadda acknowledged that the Manthan conference is a constructive platform for engaging in thoughtful and comprehensive discussions about the sector’s future.

Nadda congratulated the Department for organizing the Manthan Shivir and choosing topics which are of contemporary relevance to the sector. He encouraged the participants to think beyond routine administrative tasks and motivated them to devote time regularly on thinking innovative, out of the box ideas and solutions.

Thanking the representatives of the other Ministries/ Departments for their enthusiastic participation in the deliberations, he suggested that such deliberative processes following a holistic and whole-of-Government approach should be held at regular intervals to avoid policymaking in silos and to help realise the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. He also added that this thought process and dialogue should be institutionalised to make it a continuous process.

While acknowledging the challenges that remain, Nadda  emphasized the collective commitment to achieving long-term, sustainable growth in the chemical sector and expressed confidence in the fact that with the right approach, India can build a more resilient and self-reliant industrial ecosystem.

Addressing the meeting, Nivedita Shukla Verma, Secretary, Department of Chemicals & Petrochemical, alluded to the critical importance of India’s chemical sector, pointing out that the industry contributes about 1.4% to GDP and accounts for almost 9% of gross value addition in manufacturing. She noted that while considerable progress has been made in terms of infrastructure development, there is need for more concerted efforts to support the development of the sector in view of ever changing geopolitical realities as well as the vision of the Government for an Atmanirbhar Bharat.

During the day discussions were held which were centred on 6 thematic areas, viz. “Infrastructure Development; Sustainability, Recycling & Circular Economy; Trade Remedial Measures; Boosting Manufacturing Towards Viksit Bharat; Skilled Workforce & Training; and Road Map for Future Ready Plastic Industry”.

Each of these topics were deliberated upon in a comprehensive manner by dedicated groups including representatives from other Ministries and Departments such as Revenue, Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade, Pharmaceuticals, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Science & Technology, Textiles, MSME, MoEFCC, NITI Aayog as well as organisations such as the Bureau of Indian Standards, Central Pollution Control Board, Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology etc.