Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 21 laid the foundation stone for a Rs 10,601-crore brownfield ammonia-urea plant at Namrup in Dibrugarh district, Assam, a move aimed at boosting domestic fertiliser production and reducing dependence on imports.
The project, to be executed by Assam Valley Fertiliser and Chemical Company Ltd (AVFCCL), will have an annual urea production capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes and is expected to be commissioned by 2030.
The plant will be built within the existing premises of the Brahmaputra Valley Fertiliser Corporation Ltd, following approval from the Union Cabinet earlier this year. AVFCCL, incorporated in July, is a joint venture involving the Assam government, Oil India, National Fertilisers Limited, Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Ltd and BVFCL. Officials said the new unit will play a crucial role in meeting fertiliser demand in Assam, the northeast, and eastern India.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister paid homage to the martyrs of the Assam Agitation at the newly inaugurated Swahid Smarak Kshetra, highlighting the enduring political and social significance of the six-year anti-foreigners’ movement that ended in 1985.
The memorial honours 860 people who lost their lives during the agitation, with a perpetual lamp at the site symbolising their sacrifice and resilience. Accompanied by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and senior officials, Modi visited the martyrs’ gallery and offered floral tributes at the statue of Khargeswar Talukdar, recognised as the first martyr of the movement, who died on December 10, 1979.
Officials said the Rs 170-crore memorial has been designed as a space for both remembrance and public engagement, featuring water bodies, an auditorium, a prayer hall, a cycle track, and a sound-and-light show tracing key phases of the Assam Agitation and the state’s history.