Union Minister, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar; Union Minister of Petroleum,Natural Gas and Steel, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan;Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Giriraj Singh; Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Union Minister of State, Jal Shakti, Shri Rattan Lal Kataria today jointlylaunched the Unified Portal of Gobardhanhere today.Secretary, Ministry of JalShakti; Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying and other senior officials also attended the launch event.

The key stakeholders under Unified Approach namely,Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), and Department of Rural Developmentare having variousBiogas programmes/policies/schemes like New National Biogas and Manure Management Programme (NNBOMP) of MNRE, Biofuel Policy &Sustainable Alternative towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) of MoPNNG, and Cooperative schemes through the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) of Animal Husbandry Department and various other similarschemes. Under the new unified approach, all these programmes/schemes will be coordinated by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Swachh Bharat Mission – Grameen (SBMG).

In his inaugural address, Union Minister, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, said thatSBMG transformed itself into a Jan Andolan for sanitation under the guidance and leadership of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modiand achieved Open Defecation Free (ODF) rural India milestone in mission mode. Taking forward the extraordinary success, Phase 2 of the SBM (G) has been launched early last year, which focuses on ODF sustainability and Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) aiming at comprehensive cleanliness in villages or ODF Plus status. He added that for achieving ODF Plus goal, Gobardhan scheme was launched in early 2018 to manage the prevailing issues of bio-waste in villages including cattle wasteand converting them into biogas and organic manure to improve the lives of villagers by providing economic and resource benefits to farmers and households. He hailed the new Unified Approach strategy and said that Unified Gobardhan portal will ensure close coordination with stakeholder Departments/Ministries for smooth implementation of Biogas schemes/initiatives and its real time tracking.

            Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Giriraj Singhin his address highlighted the importance of ‘Waste to Wealth’ aspect of Gobardhan. He remarked that rural India generates enormous quantities of bio-waste which can be efficiently utilized and lead to better environment and public health. This can be done throughproper schemes and initiatives related to bio-waste processing especially cattle dung into Biogas & organic manure leading to generation of opportunities for employment and household savings. He mentioned the successful model of Cooperative schemes through the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) undertaken by his Department wherein Gaushalas& milk cooperatives are being linked to large community-based biogas units.

Union Minister of Petroleum,Natural Gas and Steel, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan in his address outlined the broader objectives and goals of Bio-Gas schemes undertaken by his ministry. He highlighted the successful model of SATAT which aims at setting up of Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) production plants and ensuring market linkage for use of biofuelin automotive fuels. He mentioned that the pilot projects are being set up across the country and it will further increase economic benefits for farmers and overall cleanliness in rural areas.

Addressing the gathering, Union Minister, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar expressed confidence that the launch of unified portal of Gobardhan will further strengthen the rural economythrough a convergent approach for various Biogas projects/models and initiatives. The ODF Plus goal outlined in the Phase 2 of SBMG will depend on the performance of Gobardhan scheme to a great extent as it will not only effectively address the solid waste management challenge but will increase livelihood opportunities, and household earnings in rural areas.

Shri Pankaj Kumar, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti complimented the efforts of all key stakeholders Departments/Ministries, central and state teams as part of the Unified Approach of Gobardhan expressing hope for timely achievements of targets and better coordination for the common goal of Clean and Healthy village. He also listed the important benefits, objectives and guiding principles of Gobardhan scheme.

The link for the Unified portal is http://sbm.gov.in/gbdw20

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