Oil refining major Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL) will open at least 50 retail outlets across the State in this financial year as part of its larger plans to have 257 retail outlets in Karnataka and Kerala.
MRPL Managing Director M. Venkatesh told reporters here on Saturday that the company’s existing seven retail outlets have been receiving positive response from customers, with the latest one being opened at Gubbi in Tumakuru district.
The company has planned to open another 50-60 outlets this financial year, all in the State, and the remaining in the next financial year. Of the total 257 outlets, 190 would be located in Karnataka and the rest in Kerala, he added.
Meanwhile, the company is gearing up to upgrade the fuel quality to BS VI standard as mandated by the Union government, to become effective on April 1, 2020.
Chief General Manager (Corporate Strategy) Deepak Prabhakar, in his presentation, said that the sulphur content in petrol and diesel would be brought down to 10 ppm from 15 ppm.
He said that the company is upgrading the plant at a cost of ₹ 1,800 crore with technologies from France and Engineers India Ltd. Production of BS VI-complaint fuel should start in February itself, he added.
Thanking the people of undivided Dakshina Kannada in particular and Karnataka in general for their patronage, Mr. Venkatesh said that MRPL has spent ₹ 133 crore towards corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, out of which ₹ 83 crore was in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, in the last five years. Lady Goschen Hospital in Mangaluru is the flagship of MRPL’s CSR contributions with ₹ 30 crore expenditure.
Besides CSR expenditure, MRPL has provided job-oriented skill development training to 135 youth residing in its surroundings of which 100 opted for employment with the company.
MRPL is also offering internships to 225 students from Karnataka every year for the last five years.
So far, 1,130 students have availed themselves of the facility in 70 colleges. It has also funded ₹ 1.26 crore towards start-up India scheme out of the ₹ 10 crore total funds.