Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates India’s first greenfield integrated refinery-cum-petrochemical complex at Pachpadra in Rajasthan’s Balotra district. Multiple outlets report that the inauguration marks a milestone for the country’s energy and petrochemical infrastructure, with Modi dedicating the facility after touring the site and pressing a remote button to commission it. Times of India describes the project as an advanced facility built with a joint venture arrangement with HPCL, while NDTV reports the complex’s petrochemical capacity at 2.4 MMTPA. The facility is expected to strengthen India’s energy security and expand domestic refining and petrochemical capacity, with projections also pointing to employment generation and industrial growth in western Rajasthan and beyond.
News18 adds that Modi also refers to an incident at the refinery that occurred two months earlier, and he praises the workforce for restoring operations quickly. Alongside the refinery inauguration, Business Standard reports Modi inaugurates and lays foundation stones for other development initiatives, including Phase 2 of the Jaipur Metro Rail Project, and notes participation by senior officials including the governor, the Union minister for petroleum and natural gas, and the Rajasthan chief minister.
