Patratu Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (PVUNL) held its first Ash User Meet in Patratu, Ramgarh, to expand the productive use of fly ash and encourage local Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to manufacture bricks, tiles, blocks and cement-based products. More than 70 participants, including local manufacturers, officials and women associated with self-help groups, attended the meeting held on Wednesday.
PVUNL, a joint venture of NTPC Limited and Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited, organised the meet for local ash users and entrepreneurs. The initiative is aimed at creating a network of businesses that can use ash generated by power production as a raw material rather than treating it only as waste.
PVUNL CEO Ashok Kumar Sehgal said the company was committed to the inclusive growth of the local community through responsible ash utilisation. He said fly ash could be converted into a productive resource and that its use by local industries could create opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods.
The company has set a target of achieving 100% ash utilisation through environmentally sustainable applications, according to the report. PVUNL appealed to local industries, MSMEs, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders to explore the development of ash-based products, including bricks, tiles, blocks and cement.
The meeting also focused on the role of smaller businesses in building local demand for ash-based products. Sehgal assured eligible participants of ease of business support, with PVUNL seeking to establish what it described as a mutually beneficial ecosystem for the environment and the local economy.
Shivam Singh, secretary of the Jharkhand Small Industries Association, said ash utilisation had significant potential to strengthen MSMEs. He urged local entrepreneurs to respond to the growing demand for products made using ash.
Participants included women from Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society self-help groups, block, tile and brick makers from nearby villages, and representatives of the block-level administration. Their participation connected the ash-utilisation programme to both local manufacturing and livelihood networks in villages surrounding the Patratu power project.
The meeting did not announce specific investment amounts, production targets for individual enterprises or a detailed implementation timeline. PVUNL’s stated next step is to encourage eligible local industries, entrepreneurs and stakeholders to develop ash-based products while working towards its target of complete ash utilisation.
