Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated the Rs 6,000 crore propylene derivative petrochemical project at the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) Kochi Refinery. The project is expected to generate 5 lakh mtpa of propylene. Propylene is one of the feed-stocks of petrochemicals. BPCL is strategically making its way into the petrochemical sector using this capacity, to reduce the country's dependence on imports of petrochemicals which is used to produce a wide range of products such as automotive parts, paints, printing inks, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, diapers, and more.Make in Steel 202124 February Click for event info4th Indian Cement Review Conference 202117-18 March Click for event info Various industries that use the raw materials generated at Kochi Refinery such as automobiles, plastic manufacturing units, costumes manufacturing factories, textiles, and many others, will be coming to the Petrochemical Park. Other project kick-offs. The Prime Minister also launched the Sagarika Cruise Terminal at the Cochin Port. The Rs 25 crore project funded by the Ministry of Tourism will help enhance passenger handling capacity of Cochin Port of cruise ships. With the launch of the new terminal, the port now can handle 5,000 passengers at a time. Modi inaugurated the Rs 20 crore reconstruction of South Coal Berth at the port. Modi also formally inaugurated RoRo vessel service between Willingdon Island and Vallarpadam during his visit. Knowledge and skill development centre, the Vigyana Sagar, at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) was also commissioned by the Prime Minister. The 70,000 sq ft education complex has been envisaged as a premium maritime learning centre in India.Image: BPCL Kochi Refinery, embarked on its journey in 1966 with a capacity of 50,000  barrels per day. Also read: BPCL halts Kochi polyol plant ops