Bhubaneshwar: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik and union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan will jointly inaugurate the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.’s Product Application & Development Centre (PADC) at Paradip on Thursday.

The Rs 43 crore PADC is to facilitate and support the polymer industry development in Odisha and eastern part of India.

Newly built on 5 acres of land with a built up area of 3334 sq.metre, the PADC at Paradip has become the sixth centre of its kind in the country and second such technical centre of Eastern India. The centre is also a recognised laboratory of Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR) under the Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt of India.

IndianOil has commissioned a 7 lakh million tonne of Polypropylene Plant at Paradip refinery in February, 2019.

In line with Atmanirbhar Bharat scheme, PADC will be working on development of newer grades from Paradip and curtail polymer imports through substitution. Innovative application development is one of the prime focuses of the centre to replace finished goods imports to the country in niche fabrics and technical textiles.