5 Oil and Gas Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) – Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC), and GAIL India Ltd have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Badrinath Utthan Charitable Trust for Construction and Redevelopment of Badrinath Dham in Badrinath, Uttarakhand as a ‘Spiritual Smart hill Town’.
- As per the MoUs, the 5 Oil & Gas PSUs will contribute INR 99.60 Crore in 1st phase for various developmental activities.
- The Redevelopment works are set to be completed in 3 years.
- Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Tirath Singh Rawat, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan and others present during the signing.
Key Points
i.They will carry on development activities such as river embankment work, building all-terrain vehicular path, building bridges, beautifying existing bridges, creating toilet and drinking water facilities, installing streetlights, mural paintings etc.
ii.It is expected to attract more tourists and will help in strengthening the economy of Uttarakhand.
Fact
- Badrinath is one of the Char Dham (Four Abodes) – a set of 4 pilgrimage sites in India.
- The other 3 are Dwaraka (Gujarat), Puri (Odisha), and Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu).
About Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)
Chairman – Shrikant Madhav Vaidya
Headquarters – New Delhi
About Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL)
CMD (in charge) – K Padmakar
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
About Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL)
CMD (Board of Directors) – Mukesh Kumar Surana
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
About Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC)
CMD – Subhash Kumar
Headquarters – New Delhi
About GAIL India Ltd
CMD – Manoj Jain
Headquarters – New Delhi
