Union petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday called on Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal at Brahmaputra State Guest House in Guwahati.
During the meeting, they discussed various issues related to the hydrocarbon sector of the state.
During the discussion, several oil and gas projects under implementation in the state were reviewed.
They also discussed further strengthening the oil and gas infrastructure in the state.
Sonowal appreciated and thanked the union minister for the recent decisions of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which sanctioned feedstock subsidy to BCPL for next 15 years.
The CCEA also sanctioned subsidy for oil and gas exploration in the state and approved viability gap funding for setting up of the Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited (IGGL) in the Northeast region.
Representatives of Assam Petrochemicals Limited (APL) and Assam Hydrocarbon and Energy Company Limited (AHECL) also called on the union minister and submitted separate memorandums outlining the demands of both the PSUs.
The APL delegation requested Pradhan to sanction a subsidy from the Centre in line with the feedstock subsidy, which has been sanctioned to BCPL recently as per the decision of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
A delegation of the Assam Hydrocarbon and Energy Company Limited (AHECL) requested the union minister for approval of 10 percent participating interest in OIL as a measure to make the PSU more viable.
Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan underlined the potential of the hydrocarbon sector in the Northeast and assured to look into the demands of APL and AHECL.
Dharmendra Pradhan also requested the state government to carry out a financial impact study of AHL and take up the matter with the central government.
State minister of mines & minerals Sum Ronghang was also present at the meeting.
