The Central Government will invest 15,000 crore rupees to increase the capacity of Panipat refinery in Haryana from existing 15 Million Tonnes to 25 Million Tonnes.This will create huge employment opportunities in the state . <br/><br/>An Ethanol Plant would also be set up at a cost of 500 crore rupees by the Indian Oil Corporation in Panipat to generate alternative fuel from agricultural residue which would boost agriculture sector.<br/><br/>Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan announced this after distributing free LPG connections, under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), among the women belonging to below poverty line (BPL) families at Panipat today. He also appreciated the efforts of Chief Minister, Manohar Lal, who was present on the occasion, for making Haryana kerosene free by March 2017.<br/><br/>Union Minister said that the expansion of refinery not only create employment opportunities for the people, but would also help in raising quality of fuel in the country by the year 2020. He said that as per scientific research, ethanol made from crop residue can produce fuel or energy upto 72 per cent.<br/><br/>Mr Pradhan said that efforts are being made to have the downstream of petro chemical hub in Haryana so as to attract maximum investment in the State.