Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Thursday said the state is growing rapidly, and the chemical and petrochemical industry will play a significant role in making India a developed country. However, it must conserve the environment and find solutions for sustainable development. He said the state govt will extend all possible help to the industry.He was speaking at the Chemical and Petrochemical Conclave 2024 by ASSOCHAM in Ahmedabad.
India, he said, is on its journey to becoming a developed and self-reliant country by 2047. The industry has a crucial role to play in achieving this ambitious goal. “The chemical industry should bring in solutions to ensure chemical waste is destroyed through scientific processes. Human life should not be affected under any circumstances,” he said.
The state govt, he said, is committed to supporting initiatives such as deep-sea effluent discharge system for chemical waste and projects that aim at net zero emissions.
“After the success of Make in India, we are moving towards Made in India. When we aspire to be global leaders in different sectors, we should also focus on sustainable development and how we can take care of our environment in our daily life,” he said.
“That time is gone when we used to only think about growing our businesses. Today, I want to urge the chemical industry to find ways to ensure 100 per cent disposal of chemical waste in a scientific manner so that it does not affect the environment. There was a time when some units used to discharge chemical waste into drains, which is illegal,” he said.
He reminded the chemicals manufacturers how the illegal practice had created problems for several units. “We cannot just keep on growing our business at the cost of people’s lives. If you find the cost of implementing a disposal system for chemical waste to be very high, then I want to assure you that the state govt will help you in every possible manner to have it in place. But first, you need to at least come up with solutions,” said Patel.
Jagdish Vishwakarma, minister of state for MSME, said Gujarat is one of the safest and most policy-driven states, and it has more industrial policies than any other state in India. He said that the chemical and petrochemical sector’s production will increase to $1 trillion by 2040.
“The industry needs to prepare a detailed roadmap for 2047, focusing on aspects like water usage, treatment and solid waste sites. It must focus on increasing recycling in the coming years,” he added.
Chintan Thaker, chairman of ASSOCHAM Gujarat Council, attributed the state’s leading position in the chemical and petrochemical sector to the ecosystem and policy framework. Today, Gujarat accounts for 62% of petrochemicals, 52% of other chemicals and 45% of pharmaceuticals produced in India.