Biofuels can be socio-economic change agents: Minister

The Dollar Business Bureau The Union Minister of Road, Transport, Highways and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari, pitched for more usage of biofuels in public transport, while stating that the usage would fuel Indian economy. In a statement on Wednesday, the Union Minister said, “Bio-fuels can be socio-economic change agents, as they would address crucial issues of the country like farmer suicides, agri surpluses in the sugar, wheat and rice sectors, and thereby fuelling economy.” The Union Minister was speaking at the session-‘Biofuels in Road Transport’, at the Bio-Fuels Roundtable-2015, organised by the Confederation of Industry in New Delhi on Wednesday. Speaking at the session, the Union Minister further said that the usage of bio-fuels will form an alternative way to the problems being faced by the Indian Agriculture sector. In this regard, there is a need for the diversification of agriculture towards energy, which is very essential for 'Make in India' and also for ensuring growth in rural and agricultural economy, he added. The Union Minister further informed that his Ministry will make necessary efforts to bring in the bio-fuels including ethanol, biodiesel and bio-CNG for usage in public transport to reduce carbon emissions. He also informed that the Indian government is exploring the options to move the Supreme Court to seek redressal from the recent Green tribunal order to ease out 10-year-old diesel fuelled vehicles from the capital city. The Green Tribunal decision merits the need to focus more on the usage of bio-fuels in ensuring a pollution-free India. On the employment generation, the Minister said the conversion of biomass and bio-waste to pellets can be a good option for gas production and can give huge employment. Today we have 12 factories that are giving employment to around 15,000 youth for making the pellets, which are being used in 1000 restaurants with special stoves, he added. Referring to the technology innovation in the field of biogas, the Minister said that in Sweden, methane is being taken from sewage water to make bio-CNG which is being used to run buses. In this regard, the Indian Government is also forming a joint venture company to make bio-gas from sewage water and run buses on bio-CNG, he added. Emphasizing the opportunity in this segment, the Minister called upon the need for upgrading the existing buses to run on electric power or bio-fuels, for achieving huge savings of fuels and a good internal rate of return.    

This article was published on April 16, 2015 – 6.28 pm IST.