Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers (India)

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The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers is the administrative unit of two departments namely:-

Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals
Department of Fertilizers

The ministry is headed by Minister of Chemicals and fertilizers. The incumbent is Shri. Ram Vilas Paswan.

1 Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals
2 Department of Fertilizers
3 Organizational Setup
4 Refernces

[edit] Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals

The Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals was under the Ministry of Industry till Dec, 1989. Later, the department was brought under the Ministry of Petroleum and Chemicals .Subsequently on 5.7.91, the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals was brought under the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers. The Department is entrusted with the responsibility of planning, development and regulations of the chemicals, petrochemicals and pharmaceutical industry sector. The various business of the ministryis as under:-

Drugs and Pharmaceuticals,excluding those specifically allotted to other depts.
Insecticides excluding the administration of The Insecticides Act, 1968 (46 of 1968).
Molasses.
Alcohol – Industrial and Potable from the molasses route.
Dyestuffs and dye intermediates.
All organic and inorganic chemicals, not specifically allotted to any other Ministry or Department.
Planning, development and control of, and assistance to,all industries dealt with by the Department.
Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster-Special Laws relating thereto.
Petro-Chemicals.
Industries relating to production of non-cellulosic synthetic fibres (Nylon,Polyester, Acrylic etc).
Synthetic rubber.
Plastics including fabrications of plastic and moulded goods.

The Department has various divisions under it. The important being:

Pharmaceutical Division
Chemical Division
Petrochemicals Division
Monitoring & Evaluation Division (M&E Division)

[edit] Department of Fertilizers

Earlier called the Department of Chemicals & Fertilizers. The genesis of the Department of Chemicals and Fertilizers can traced to the erstwhile Ministry of Production in the fifties.

In 1963 the Department was placed in the newly set up Ministry of Petroleum and Chemicals. In 1975, with the appointment of a separate Cabinet Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers, the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers comprising the Department of Petroleum and the Department of Chemicals & Fertilizers came into being. A separate Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers came into existence in September, 1982 headed by a Cabinet Minister who is assisted by Minister of State. It was part of the Ministry of Agriculture till 1984. In June, 1991, it become part of newly created Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers. Department of Fertilizers came into existence as a separate Department in September, 1985 consequent upon the bifurcation of the then Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers. Thereafter, this Department was brought under the ambit of Ministry of Agriculture for a short duration. However, the earlier position was restored in 1992.

The main activities of the Department of Fertilizers (DOF) broadly cover planning, promotion and development of the fertilizer industry, planning and monitoring of production, import and distribution of fertilizers and management of financial assistance for indigenous and imported fertilizers.

The department has four divisions namely:-