Mangaluru: With the increasing number of coronavirus cases in Dakshina Kannada district, the district in-charge minister Kota Srinivasa Poojary has suggested to take stringent measures in the district if necessary.

The minister and the MP chaired an emergency meeting at the Bantwal IB in the wake of rising coronavirus cases in Kasaba and rural areas of Bantwal taluk.

There would be no relaxation in Lockdown until May 3 in Bantwal. Representative Asha and health workers should visit 92 houses of Kasaba Hobli and 213 homes in the limits of Narikombu Gram Panchayat and submit reports. There would be no exemption in lockdown in Bantwal Kasaba and Narikombu Gram Panchayat, the minister clarified.

A total of 19 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Dakshina Kannada district, of which 12 are discharged from the hospital after recovery. Two patients died while remaining cases are under observation, the minister said. Meanwhile,198 staff members of First Neuro Hospital and others have been subjected to testing. Of these, 49 persons' reports have come, 48 persons tested negative and one tested positive to COVID-19.

The minister urged the district authorities to take stringent measures, if necessary, to contain the spread of coronavirus in the district.

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Namrup (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone of a Rs 10,601-crore brownfield ammonia-urea plant in Dibrugarh district of Assam.

The facility – Assam Valley Fertiliser and Chemical Company Ltd (AVFCCL) – will have an annual urea production capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes and the project is scheduled for commissioning in 2030.

The PM, on the last day of his two-day Assam visit, laid the foundation stone of the plant here, located within the existing premises of the Brahmaputra Valley Fertiliser Corp Ltd (BVFCL).

In July this year, AVFCCL was incorporated at Namrup in Dibrugarh. The projectwas approved by the Union Cabinet in March this year.

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AVFCCL is a joint venture among the Assam government, Oil India, National Fertilisers Ltd (NFL), Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Ltd (HURL) and BVFCL.

Modi arrived in Assam on Saturday on a two-day visit, during which he unveiled multiple projects worth Rs 15,600 crore, months before the assembly polls next year.

"The AVFCCL Namrup ammonia-urea project is being established as a modern, energy-efficient, world-class fertiliser complex with an annual urea production capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes, at an estimated investment of Rs 10,601 crore," the company said in a statement.

It said this upcoming facility will play a pivotal role in meeting the fertiliser requirement of Assam, the northeast region, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

"Beyond fertiliser security, the project is expected to act as a major catalyst for industrial growth, employment generation and regional economic development, creating hundreds of direct jobs and thousands of indirect employment opportunities," AVFCCL said.

The company also asserted that the foundation stone laying ceremony marked the revival of Namrup's legacy as the cradle of India's gas-based fertiliser industry, and will herald a new chapter of growth, sustainability and agricultural prosperity for the entire region.

The 'Bhoomi Poojan' took place in presence of Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma along with other ministers, MPs, MLAs, senior officials and representatives of stakeholder organisations of the new company.

The state-run BVFCL is the only urea-making facility in the eastern India. The facility started production in January 1969, as a part of the Hindustan Fertiliser Corp Ltd (HFCL).

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BVFCL was formed in April 2002 after hiving off the Namrup Unit of HFCL. It is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, with 100 per cent shareholding by the Government of India.

It is touted to be the first factory of its kind in India to use associated natural gas as basic raw material for producing nitrogenous fertiliser.

The company has played a crucial role in the development of the northeastern region and providing farmers urea fertiliser, which is produced from cheap and locally available domestic natural gas, officials said.

As per the official website of the Department of Fertilisers, the company is now producing neem-coated urea and two organic fertilisers – liquid bio fertiliser and vermi compost under the brand name of 'Mukta'.

BVFCL has two operable ammonia urea units at Namrup, with small capacities, which were established in 1976 and 1987.