Union Minister Anupriya Patel Launches 14th Edition of 'India Chem 2026', Aims to Make Chemicals a $1 Trillion Industry

Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers and Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel, launched the 14th edition of 'India Chem 2026', the premier biennial event for the chemical and petrochemical industry. The program will be hosted in Mumbai from October 22 to 24, 2026.

During the inauguration event held in New Delhi, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that the government is committed to strengthening infrastructure and creating an industry-friendly ecosystem to make India self-reliant and realize the vision of a developed India by 2047. She emphasized that the chemical and petrochemical sector could become a critical growth engine for the Indian economy.

The Minister noted that to establish India as a global hub for battery chemicals, specialty chemicals, and semiconductor chemicals by 2040, it is essential to create synergy among national initiatives such as the Critical Mineral Mission, Rare Earth Corridor, India Semiconductor Mission 2.0, National Manufacturing Mission, and FDI reforms. She explained that these initiatives will help achieve the goal of developing the Indian chemical sector into a 1 trillion US dollar industry by 2040.

Regarding the 'Bhavya Rasayan Yojana', Smt. Patel remarked that it is not merely an infrastructure program but an effort to create an environment where the industry can expand innovation and investment. She informed that the guidelines for the scheme have been released, and the industry has been urged to submit proposals in a timely manner in collaboration with state governments. Additionally, the department has requested the Department of Science and Technology to prioritize the chemical and petrochemical sector so it can be included under the new Research Development Innovation (RDI) scheme, which has a budget of approximately 1 lakh crore rupees.

Secretary of the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (DCPC), Mr. Tejveer Singh, stated that the chemical sector is the foundation of the country's economic growth. He explained that dedicated chemical parks with facilities such as plug-and-play and improved infrastructure will be developed through the Bhavya Rasayan Yojana to ensure efficiency in production costs. He also mentioned that the department is working with the DPIIT to develop alternatives to imports.

Joint Secretary of the department, Mr. Dipankar Aron, stated that the objective of India Chem is to attract investment in the sector and facilitate B2B partnerships. Mr. Prabh Das, Chairman of the FICCI National Petrochemicals and Plastics Committee, and Mr. S. Ganesh Kumar, Co-Chairman of the FICCI Chemicals Committee, also highlighted the potential to increase production and leverage FDI.

India Chem 2026 is being organized by the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals in collaboration with FICCI. Based on the theme 'Advantage Bharat: An Emerging Global Hub', the event will feature an international exhibition and conference. It will include sessions on topics such as agro-chemicals, petrochemicals, and specialty chemicals, as well as sector-specific forums between India-USA, India-EU, India-Russia, and India-Japan.