Guwahati, Dec 3: Assam’s Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) has been upgraded from ‘Miniratna’ to ‘Navratna’ status by the Centre, becoming the 27th ‘Navratna’ Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri for their support in attaining this milestone. Posting on X, Sarma described the upgrade as a proud moment for the state and highlighted the Centre’s renewed confidence in Assam’s oil and gas sector.

He recalled that NRL had been on the verge of losing its Public Sector Undertaking status a few years ago. However, with strengthened government backing and increased state ownership, the refinery secured the prestigious ‘Navratna’ status within four years.

The Department of Public Enterprises confirmed that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman approved the upgrade. NRL’s majority shareholder is Oil India Ltd with 69.63 percent ownership, followed by the Assam government at 26 percent and Engineers India Ltd at 4.37 percent.

Officials said the ‘Navratna’ status will provide NRL with greater financial and operational autonomy, enabling the refinery to expand its capabilities and growth prospects.