UPA clears Rs 22,000 cr. package to revive 8 closed fert. units

Kochi, May 10 (UNI) The UPA Government has approved a revival package of Rs 22,000 crore to reopen eight units of the Fertiliser Corporation of India and Hindustan Fertiliser Corporation, closed down during the NDA Government, Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said today.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Paswan said the revival package could not be announced due to the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh as one of the units was in Gorakhpur.

Once the election formalities were over, the government would formally announce the package to reopen the eight fertiliser units including those at Barauni, Sindhri, Namrup, Durgapur, Haldea and Gorakhpur, he added.

As the UPA Government was committed to a vibrant public sector, all efforts were being made to revive the sick units and reopen the closed ones, he said.

To this end, the government had also approved the revival packages of FACT (Rs 670 crore), Hindustan Insecticides Ltd. (Rs 220 crore) and Hindustan Organic Chemicals Ltd. (Rs 250 crore).

A Rs 400 crore package to revive the Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (IDPL) was also being taken to the union cabinet. This would also involve a waiver of dues amounting to Rs 2,700 crore, he said.

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