New Delhi, August 5 — India’s chemicals and petrochemicals sector has generated more than 3.7 lakh jobs over the past 12 years through three Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Regions, according to a government factsheet issued on Wednesday.

The PCPIRs established at Dahej in Gujarat, Visakhapatnam–Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh and Paradeep in Odisha have together attracted investments of Rs 3.4 lakh crore and facilitated the setting up of more than 2,200 chemical manufacturing units.

India’s foreign direct investment policy, which permits 100 per cent FDI under the automatic route for most chemical sectors, has supported the inflow of capital. FDI into the sector during 2014–2026 reached Rs 1,04,895 crore, more than double the Rs 45,240 crore received between 2004 and 2014.

In the Union Budget 2026–27 the government announced a scheme to establish three Chemical Parks on a cluster-based plug-and-play model. The Union Cabinet has approved the BHAVYA Rasayan Scheme (Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojana Rasayan) with a provision of over Rs 3,030 crore. The parks are intended to strengthen domestic manufacturing, reduce import dependence and enhance global competitiveness while supporting the integrated circular economy principle.

The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals has also expanded infrastructure support for downstream plastic processing industries. Ten Plastic Parks have been approved nationwide, of which four have achieved 100 per cent infrastructure completion, including three completed during 2025–26.

The department has expanded its network of Centres of Excellence to support research and innovation. The 18 Centres of Excellence have filed 85 patents, published over 600 research papers and developed 105 new technologies and products.

The Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology has expanded its network and facilities by establishing the Centre for Skilling and Technical Support, the Plastic Waste Management Centre, the School of Advanced Research in Petrochemicals, the Advanced Research School for Technology and Product Simulation, and the Advanced Polymer Design and Development Research Laboratory.

The CIPET network has grown to 51 centres, including 19 established since 2014. It has trained nearly 6.72 lakh skilled professionals, of whom more than 5.21 lakh were trained during 2014–24, and completed 8.53 lakh technology support service assignments in the same period.

Over the last 12 years the Institute of Pesticide Formulation Technology in Gurugram has developed capabilities in sustainable crop protection, agrochemical formulation and advanced analytical sciences. Equipped with laboratories and pilot-scale facilities, IPFT has developed and transferred 64 pesticide formulation technologies to industry. The institute is NABL-accredited and operates as an OECD-GLP-compliant test facility.

The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals is promoting the safe and judicious use of pesticides through awareness programmes conducted by HIL (India) Limited, a public sector undertaking under the department, and by IPFT. Both organisations are conducting farmers’ training programmes on the safe use of pesticides and the adoption of Integrated Pest Management practices to minimise residue in food grains, edible oils, fruits and vegetables. More than 250 programmes have been organised so far, benefiting over one lakh farmers across the country.

The factsheet underscores the sector’s contribution to employment generation, investment attraction and technology development over the past twelve years, while outlining continued policy support for manufacturing clusters, research infrastructure and sustainable agricultural practices.