Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Ananth Kumar said the Central government would sanction a bulk drug manufacturing park for Andhra Pradesh out of three in the country, for which decks have already been cleared. The Centre is also in favour of establishing a branch of National Institute for Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) at Visakhapatnam.
The Centre is also willing to setting up a Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET) branch in Anantapur and an agricultural plastics park at Surampalli in Krishna district, he said at the foundation stone laying function of CIPET here on Friday along with Union Minister for Urban Development M. Venkaiah Naidu and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Mr. Ananth Kumar said plastics were indispensable for infrastructure development and in the agriculture sector. Plastics have multiple uses in the agriculture sector particularly in micro-irrigation.
Thrust on recycling
CIPET–Vijayawada would be dedicated to research in agricultural plastics while it would discharge its mandate of imparting the much-needed training in a staggering variety of disciplines of plastics engineering and finding applications for the material.
Mr. Ananth Kumar said people should not say no to plastics but reduce plastic waste by contributing to its recycling.
“The Central government is encouraging usage of plastics while duly harping on its recycling through waste-to-energy and waste-to-compost facilities,” he said, adding that he was committed to transforming Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Kakinada into a ‘plastics hub’ that would attract investments and generate employment to lakhs of youth.
Mr. Chandrababu Naidu promised to give 250 acres to the proposed agricultural plastics park at Mallavalli village in Bapulapadu mandal and 500 acres to the bulk drug park at Visakhapatnam.
He thanked Mr. Ananth Kumar for his ready acceptance of various proposals and promised to do his best for the growth of the sector.
Mr. Venkaiah Naidu said Mr. Ananth Kumar was doing an excellent job in the promotion of plastics but his resolve had to be strengthened by the people by not generating plastic waste and recycling it wherever possible.
Union Minister for State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, State Ministers Devineni Umamaheswara Rao and Pratthipati Pulla Rao were among those present.
