Describing the revival of the fertiliser factory of Hindustan Fertilizer and Chemicals Limited as a great gift for farmers and youth, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that it was the biggest investment for Gorakhpur.
He said that some skill development centres would also be opened in this fertiliser factory so that the youth could get training there and be able to get employment.
The chief minister said that in 2016, the foundation stone of this fertiliser factory was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and soon it would be dedicated to the nation by him.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was talking to the reporters after inspecting the fertiliser factory on Thursday with Union Fertilizer and Chemicals Minister DV Sadanand Gowda.
He said that the prime minister's vision of a self-reliant India was being realised with a large investment in Gorakhpur as a fertiliser factory at a cost of about Rs 8,000 crore.
"No one expected a new plant would replace a compost factory that had been closed for 26 years, but this was made possible by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.
The chief minister said that the memories of Gorakhpur were linked with this factory since a long time. "In 1967-68, the Toyo Company of Japan had set up a very good plant here for the Fertiliser Corporation of India. The urea made here was popular among farmers up to UP, Bihar and Bengal. It is a matter of pleasure that today the same Toyo Company has set up a plant for Hindustan Fertilizer and Chemicals Limited," he said.
Yogi Adityanath said that due to the progress of the agriculture sector and timely supply of fertilisers and other facilities to farmers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision was being realised.
He pointed out that under the leadership of PM Modi, even during Covid period the supply of fertilisers was not interrupted in the entire country, including Uttar Pradesh.
"This supply chain was possible only with the guidance of PM Modi. In a global pandemic of coronavirus, the uninterrupted supply chain is nothing short of an achievement," he said.
The chief minister said that the state government extended all cooperation to facilitate the construction of the factory in a time-bound manner. He said in fact, from the very first day of his tenure in March 2017, he ensured that no obstruction should come in execution of the development plans.
Yogi Adityanath said that Gorakhpur was touching new heights of development. He said apart from the fertiliser factory, AIIMS would also be fully serviceable in the district as another major investment.
On the occasion, the chief minister made a major announcement that after using the huge water reservoir of Chiluatal in the manure factory and the township settled here, the remaining water would be cleaned and made pure for drinking purposes. He said this water would be supplied to the people of the city under the 'Har Ghar Nal' scheme of Jal Jeevan Mission.
The chief minister said that the Chiluatal water body would become a source of large supply of surface water.
He recalled that till 2017, this area of eastern Uttar Pradesh had been affected by encephalitis. He said from 1977 to 2016, 1,200 to 1,500 children died every year in the medical college alone due to encephalitis and a similar number of deaths was reported in homes and villages. He said from 2017, the state government controlled the disease by making coordinated efforts to make the Health Department a nodal department.
In order to eradicate encephalitis, open defecation was prevented by providing toilets in every household under the Swachh Bharat Mission, as well as ensuring the supply of pure water. It resulted in a drop of 75 per cent in encephalitis incidence and 95 per cent fall in the number of deaths due to this disease.
Former Union Minister of State for Finance and Rajya Sabha Member Shivpratap Shukla, Rajya Sabha Member Jayaprakash Nishad, MLA Dr. Radha Mohan Das Aggarwal, Ministry of Fertilisers and Chemicals Secretary Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi and senior officials of Hindustan Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited (HURL) were present.
