RAS question
Barmer Refinery project is a joint venture between:
Correct answer: (D) HPCL and Government of Rajasthan.
The Barmer Refinery project, implemented as HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Ltd at Pachpadra, is a joint venture between HPCL and the Government of Rajasthan.
Explanation
Barmer Refinery is not a generic public-sector refinery project; it is the refinery-cum-petrochemical complex set up through a joint venture between HPCL and the Government of Rajasthan. The Directorate of Petroleum, Government of Rajasthan records that GoR and HPCL entered into an MoU on 18 April 2017 for a 9 MMTPA refinery-cum-petrochemical complex in joint venture. The Directorate's project details give the equity split as HPCL 74% and GoR 26%, with the project located at Pachpadra and a revised project cost of Rs 72,937 crore. That ownership structure makes HPCL and the Government of Rajasthan the correct partnership, not another oil company or state-government combination.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) IOC and Gujarat are not the Barmer Refinery partners; HPCL and GoR are the equity partners.
- (B) ONGC and the Government of India do not match the recorded joint-venture structure, which is HPCL 74% and Government of Rajasthan 26%.
- (C) Reliance and Adani are private corporate names, while the Barmer project is an HPCL-GoR joint venture.
Concept
Rajasthan economy and infrastructure include state participation in petroleum-sector value addition. RAS frequently covers the Barmer refinery because it links Rajasthan's hydrocarbon resources with public investment, industrialisation and revenue themes.