<p>Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot met Union minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas M Veerappa Moily on Tuesday and urged his intervention in the setting up of a refinery in Barmer. <br /><br /></p>.<p>He requested the minister to take up the matter with the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and sought an early decision.<br />Gehlot informed Moily that the Rajasthan government is ready to provide any desired package to set up refinery in Rajasthan. <br /><br />He said abundant reserves of crude oil have been unearthed in Barmer district and currently 1.75 lakh barrels of oil is being produced which is 20 percent of the total oil production of the country. <br /><br />He said the oil production is expected to reach 3 lakh barrels and more in near future.<br />The chief minister said if the oil refinery is set up in Barmer, there are good possibilities that industries based on petroleum will flourish especially polymers and plastic industry. <br /><br />Gehlot said the establishment of small industries will provide vast employment opportunities to the local public and will pave the way for the economic & social upliftment and the development of the arid region.<br /><br />During his meeting with Dr Moily, Gehlot also discussed the possibilities of setting up oil refinery in the joint venture of the already existing Rajasthan Petroleum Corporation and GAIL, according to official sources.<br /><br />The setting up a refinery in Barmer is one of the poll promises of the Congress in the last elections and the chief minister has been pressing for it since he came to power. But the oil ministry has been cagey on the issue sighting the viability of the project. <br /><br />Presently, the crude oil from Barmer wells was being processed in Gujarat.<br />Gehlot hopes that this big ticket announcement will boost the prospects of the Congress in the upcoming elections.</p>
<p>Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot met Union minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas M Veerappa Moily on Tuesday and urged his intervention in the setting up of a refinery in Barmer. <br /><br /></p>.<p>He requested the minister to take up the matter with the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and sought an early decision.<br />Gehlot informed Moily that the Rajasthan government is ready to provide any desired package to set up refinery in Rajasthan. <br /><br />He said abundant reserves of crude oil have been unearthed in Barmer district and currently 1.75 lakh barrels of oil is being produced which is 20 percent of the total oil production of the country. <br /><br />He said the oil production is expected to reach 3 lakh barrels and more in near future.<br />The chief minister said if the oil refinery is set up in Barmer, there are good possibilities that industries based on petroleum will flourish especially polymers and plastic industry. <br /><br />Gehlot said the establishment of small industries will provide vast employment opportunities to the local public and will pave the way for the economic & social upliftment and the development of the arid region.<br /><br />During his meeting with Dr Moily, Gehlot also discussed the possibilities of setting up oil refinery in the joint venture of the already existing Rajasthan Petroleum Corporation and GAIL, according to official sources.<br /><br />The setting up a refinery in Barmer is one of the poll promises of the Congress in the last elections and the chief minister has been pressing for it since he came to power. But the oil ministry has been cagey on the issue sighting the viability of the project. <br /><br />Presently, the crude oil from Barmer wells was being processed in Gujarat.<br />Gehlot hopes that this big ticket announcement will boost the prospects of the Congress in the upcoming elections.</p>
