Tuesday, November 29 2005 12:48 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has bagged the National Award for research and development (R&D) Efforts in Industry - 2005 in the 'Technology Absorption' sector. The Award was presented to RIL at the 19th Annual National Conference on in-house R&D in Industry, held in New Delhi.

The Award was given to RIL for absorption of NG3 technology (Next Generation Technology) in pet packaging polymer. The Hazira Manufacturing division of RIL bagged the National Award in recognition of their efforts in the area of technology absorption.

RIL Group company, Indian Petrochemicals Corporations Limited (IPCL) has also received the National Award for R&D Efforts in Industry - 2005 in the 'Chemical & Allied Industries' sector for development of zeolite based super selective catalyst and process for manufacture of para-diethylbenzene (PDEB).

IPCL, jointly with Reliance Industries' Hazira unit has successfully, in-house developed and commercialised a novel, shape selective catalytic process for the production of specialty chemical PDEB used in the recovery of para-xylene from a mixture of its isomers by adsorptive separation process. Para-xylene is used for the manufacture of DMT / PTA, which is a raw material for polyester-fibre.

Dr. R A Mashelkar - Director General of 'Council of Scientific & Industrial Research' (CSIR) and Secretary of 'Department of Scientific & Industrial Research' (DSIR) gave the Award to Reliance Industries Limited in the presence of Shri Onkar S Kanwar - President of 'Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry' (FICCI) and the Secretary General Dr. Amit Mitra - FICCI in New Delhi.

The 'National Awards for R&D Efforts in Industry - 2005' were given by the Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology - a part of Government of India - New Delhi. Eleven companies were given these awards pertaining to seventeen different sectors. The awards are given every year in order to encourage research and development in the industry.