Govt gives priority for infrastructure development: Minister

Newsprint Nagar, Kerala, Oct 28, (UNI) The Union Government is giving top most priority for Infrastructure developments, said Union Minister of Heavy Industries Santosh Mohan Dev while launching the Expansion-cum-Diversification Project (EDP) of Hindustan Newsprint Ltd (HNL), a subsidiary of the Hindustan Paper Corporation Ltd here today.

He said the Rs 718 crore EDP would be completed by November 2008. The Union government would strengthen Public Sector Enterprises, the Minister added.

The installed capacity of HNL was 1,00,000 MT newsprint per year.

The company had achieved capacity utilization of more than 110 per cent and touched 113 per cent in the year 2005-06 and zero product stock position successively in the preceding three financial years.

Launching of EDP would enable the HNL to raise the installed production capacity to 2,80,000 tones per annum, Chairman Raji Philip said.

The HNL commissioned on February 26, 1982 would observe its silver jubilee from February 26, 2007 to June 7, 2008 coinciding with the Golden Jubilee celebration of Kerala state.

The Minister would launch the Waste Paper Recovery and Collection Scheme (WAPRCS) envisaged under the EDP at a function in Kottayam here tomorrow morning.

A cross-section of the local people particularly those below the poverty line would be the beneficiaries of the scheme, he said.

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