Know your ministry No.4 - Chemical and Fertilizers

Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizers is headed by a Cabinet rank Minister assisted by a Minster for State. It comprises a combination of three departments:

• Department of Fertilisers: To ensure adequate and timely availability of fertilizers at affordable prices for maximizing agricultural production in the country.
• Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals:  It is entrusted with the responsibility of policy, planning, development and regulation of Chemicals and Petrochemicals Industries.
• Fepartment of Pharmaceuticals: To focus for the growth of the high potential Pharmaceutical industry.

The Department is grouped under five major divisions viz. Chemicals, Petrochemicals, Administration, Statistics & Monitoring (S&M) and Economic Division. The Internal Finance Division is common to the three Departments in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. There are three Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSU) in the chemical sector namely Hindustan Organic Chemicals Ltd. (HOCL), HIL (India) Limited and Hindustan Fluorocarbons Limited (HFL), which is a subsidiary of HOCL and one CPSU in the petrochemical sector viz. Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Ltd. (BCPL). Autonomous Institutes under this Department are Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology (CIPET) and Institute of Pesticides Formulation Technology (IPFT).

There are three Public Sector Undertakings , Hindustan Fluorocarbons Limited (HFL),  Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Ltd (BCPL), Hindustan Organic Chemicals (HOCL) and  HIL (India) Limited. It has two Institutions namely, Institute of Pesticides Formulation Technology (IPFT), Central Institute of Plastic Engineering & Technology (CIPET) functioning under the Ministry.

POLICY DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE IN PUBLIC DOMAIN

1. Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order 2017- Notifying additional Chemical & Petrochemical Products in furtherance of the Order.
2. Guidelines for Settlement of Claims for Compensation on Accidents Applicable to the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals.
3. CPC - Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order, 2017.
4. Accreditation of Industry Associations BMO through Quality Council of India.
5. Policy Resolution for PCPIRs.
6. Policy Resolution for Petrochemicals 30.04.2007.
7. The Chemical Weapons Convention Act, 2000.

Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR) for Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat published on 30.10.2015 as per PCPIR Policy 2007.

Schemes: Plastic Parks, Centres for Excellence, National Awards and Chemical Promotion Development Scheme.

WAY FORWARD SCOPE FOR ENLARGEMENT OF THE MINISTRY

The following domains are missing under the functions of the Ministry:

1. Research and Development activities related to non-chemical based Fertilizers from natural resources deployed for the Agriculture sector.
2. Real-time monitoring of the Demand and Supply Chain for Chemicals and Fertilizer products connected to major industrial and allied units.
3. Policy for Waste Management Methodology for chemicals generated from the related industries.
4. Management of Environment hazards on account of storage and process of Chemical and Fertilizer production including raw materials in the related industries.
5. Assessment of risk vulnerable areas that are prone to be affected by these industries.
6. Health Hazards to workers and population where these industries are located.
7. Supply Management of industry raw materials and norms of Industrial specific Safety aspects.

Ministry has new challenges to face to devise suitable strategies in the production of health care and medicinal products essential to satisfy the new demands giving priority and due regard to the pandemic besides maximizing indigenous production with utmost efficiency.