Hindustan Newsprint
Corporate brand
UnclaimedHindustan Newsprint was an Indian government-owned newsprint manufacturer in Kerala that was renamed Kerala Paper Products Limited after acquisition by the Government of Kerala.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Hindustan Newsprint was the corporate entity created to operate a major newsprint mill in Velloor, in Kottayam district, Kerala. The undertaking originated as the Kerala Newsprint Project, a publicly sponsored industrial-development initiative intended to establish domestic newsprint manufacturing capacity in India. A feasibility report was prepared in 1968, and the Government of India approved the project in principle in May 1970. The project was supported by an agreement signed on 7 October 1974 between the Government of Kerala and Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited, under which Kerala offered industrial concessions and undertook to facilitate access to forest-based raw materials for the proposed mill. The mill began commercial operations in 1983. In the same year, the Government of India directed Hindustan Paper Corporation to establish a separate government company to take over the mill's assets, liabilities, contracts, licences and operating responsibilities. Hindustan Newsprint Limited was incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956, on 7 June 1983, as a wholly owned subsidiary of Hindustan Paper Corporation. The transfer of the undertaking was formalized through a tripartite agreement dated 14 January 1985 involving the Government of India, Hindustan Paper Corporation and Hindustan Newsprint. The company therefore functioned as a public-sector industrial enterprise rather than as an independently listed consumer brand. Its principal business was the manufacture of newsprint, a paper grade used primarily by newspapers and other print publishers. The company represented an effort to strengthen domestic supply of an essential publishing input and to use Kerala's industrial and forest-resource base in support of paper production. The mill's design and commissioning were attributed to Rama Krishna Pillay, who became works manager, while K. Gopalaswamy Ayyar served as the first managing director. Hindustan Newsprint remained associated with the central-government public-sector structure through Hindustan Paper Corporation. On 28 October 2017, the Government of India announced plans to privatize the undertaking. The subsequent resolution process led to a bid by the Government of Kerala, valued at INR 146 crore, receiving approval from the National Company Law Tribunal in November 2019. Following the acquisition process, the enterprise was renamed Kerala Paper Products Limited in 2021. Accordingly, Hindustan Newsprint is best understood as a former company and industrial brand whose operating legacy continued under a new Kerala government-owned entity, rather than as an active standalone brand.
History
The history of Hindustan Newsprint begins with the Kerala Newsprint Project, an Indian public-sector initiative conceived to create domestic capacity for manufacturing newsprint. A feasibility report was prepared in 1968. In May 1970, the Government of India approved the project in principle and required a detailed project report to be prepared by Hindustan Paper Corporation or by a company established for the purpose. The Government of Kerala supported the project as part of its industrial-development policy. On 7 October 1974, Kerala and Hindustan Paper Corporation entered into an agreement covering concessions, rights, privileges and other assistance for establishing the mill. Among the arrangements was provision for an adequate and sustained supply of forest-based raw materials from state resources, subject to the applicable agreements and permissions. The newsprint mill commenced commercial operations in 1983. The Government of India then directed Hindustan Paper Corporation to create a separate government company to take over and operate the mill. Hindustan Newsprint Limited was incorporated on 7 June 1983 under the Companies Act, 1956, as a wholly owned subsidiary of Hindustan Paper Corporation. The new entity was intended to assume the mill's properties, assets, debts and liabilities and to continue the relevant commercial, operational and regulatory arrangements. The formal transfer was completed through a tripartite agreement dated 14 January 1985 among Hindustan Paper Corporation, Hindustan Newsprint and the Government of India. Under that arrangement, Hindustan Newsprint became responsible for the contracts, licences, permits, obligations and operating rights connected with the Kerala Newsprint Mill. K. Gopalaswamy Ayyar became the company's first managing director. Rama Krishna Pillay was credited with designing and commissioning the mill and served as works manager. The company operated as a central-government public-sector undertaking in the paper industry, with newsprint as its defining product. Its role was tied to the needs of India's newspaper sector and to the broader policy objective of expanding domestic industrial production. Unlike a widely marketed consumer brand, Hindustan Newsprint was primarily the corporate identity of a manufacturing enterprise supplying an industrial paper product. On 28 October 2017, the Government of India announced the privatization of Hindustan Newsprint. The proposed change in ownership followed the broader restructuring and disinvestment pressures affecting public-sector industrial companies. In November 2019, the National Company Law Tribunal approved a INR 146 crore bid from the Government of Kerala to acquire the undertaking. The acquisition transferred the enterprise into the Kerala public-sector framework. In 2021, the company was renamed Kerala Paper Products Limited, marking the end of Hindustan Newsprint as the continuing corporate name. Its industrial assets and operating legacy therefore continued under KPPL, while Hindustan Newsprint became a historical name associated with the former Kerala newsprint mill.
- 2021
Renamed Kerala Paper Products Limited
[1]The enterprise adopted the name Kerala Paper Products Limited after its acquisition by the Government of Kerala.
- 2019
Kerala acquisition approved
[1]The National Company Law Tribunal approved the Government of Kerala's INR 146 crore bid for the undertaking.
- 2017
Privatization announced
[1]The Government of India announced plans to privatize Hindustan Newsprint.
- 1985
Transfer of the mill formalized
[1]A tripartite agreement dated 14 January transferred the mill's relevant assets, liabilities, contracts and operating responsibilities to Hindustan Newsprint.
- 1983
Commercial operations begin and HNL is incorporated
[1]The Kerala Newsprint Project began commercial operations, and Hindustan Newsprint Limited was incorporated on 7 June as a wholly owned subsidiary of Hindustan Paper Corporation.
- 1974
Kerala–Hindustan Paper Corporation agreement
[1]Kerala and Hindustan Paper Corporation signed an agreement providing concessions and support for establishing the newsprint factory.
- 1970
Project approved in principle
[1]The Government of India approved the Kerala newsprint project in principle and called for a detailed project report.
- 1968
Initial feasibility report
[1]The first feasibility report for the proposed Kerala Newsprint Project was prepared.
Products and positioning
A government-backed Indian industrial producer focused on domestic newsprint supply and public-sector paper manufacturing.
Printing paper · 1983
Newsprint
Newsprint was the defining product of the Kerala mill and the reason for establishing the undertaking. It is a lightweight paper grade designed primarily for newspaper printing and related high-volume publishing applications. Hindustan Newsprint's identity was closely tied to supplying this industrial input to India's print-media sector rather than selling directly to household consumers.
Brand decisions
2021
Corporate name changed to Kerala Paper Products LimitedStrategyBackground
The enterprise had been acquired by the Government of Kerala after the central government's privatization process.
Action taken
The company was renamed Kerala Paper Products Limited.
Aftermath
Hindustan Newsprint ceased to be the active corporate identity, while the mill's operating legacy continued under the new name.
2019
Kerala government acquisitionM&ABackground
Following the privatization process, the Government of Kerala sought to acquire the newsprint undertaking and preserve its industrial operations within the state public sector.
Action taken
The National Company Law Tribunal approved the Kerala government's INR 146 crore bid in November 2019.
Aftermath
The undertaking moved into the Kerala government framework and was subsequently renamed Kerala Paper Products Limited in 2021.
Approved acquisition bid. INR 146 crore (November 2019)
2017
Government privatization decisionStrategyBackground
Hindustan Newsprint operated within India's public-sector paper industry, and the Government of India announced a plan to privatize the undertaking.
Action taken
The central government announced the proposed privatization of Hindustan Newsprint on 28 October 2017.
Aftermath
The process ultimately led to a Kerala government acquisition rather than continuation under the original central-government corporate structure.
Sources1 sources
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