Ernakulum, March 11 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday called the expansion of the petroleum sector essential for making a self-reliant India.

PM Modi today inaugurated and laid the foundation of multiple developmental projects worth around Rs 10,800 crore, including the Polypropylene Unit at the Kochi Refinery of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL). The investment in this project is worth over Rs 5,500 crore.

Addressing the gathering in Ernakulum, PM Modi said, "Expanding the petroleum sector is very essential for making India self-reliant and for Make in India. Today, the same goal is behind the polypropylene unit at Kochi Refinery. Every year, it will produce around four lakh tons of polypropylene."

Noting that Ind...