The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated “Gobar-Dhan (Bio-CNG) Plant” in Indore today through video conferencing. Governor Madhya Pradesh, Mangubhai C. Patel; Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Union Ministers Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Dr Virendra Kumar and Shri Kaushal Kishore were among those present on the occasion.

The Prime Minister started his address with paying tributes to Rani Ahilyabai and recalling her link with the city of Indore. He said that mention of Indore reminds of Devi Ahiliyabai Holker and her sense of service. In the course of time, Indore changed for better but never lost the inspiration of Devi Ahiliyabai and today Indore also reminds of swachhta and civic duty, the Prime Minister said. Shri Modi also mentioned the beautiful statue of Devi Ahiliyabai at Kashi Vishwanath Dham.

The Prime Minister stressed the importance of Gobar Dhan and said wet urban household waste and waste from cattle and farm is Gobar Dhan. He said that Gobardhan from waste, clean fuel from Gobar Dhan, energy from clean fuel is a life affirming chain. The Prime Minister informed that in coming two years, Gober Dhan Bio CNG plants will be established in 75 big Municipal bodies. “This campaign will go a long way in making Indian cities clean, pollution free and in the direction of clean energy”, he said.  The Prime Minister said that not only in cities, Gobar Dhan plants are being set up in villages also, getting extra income for the farmers. This will help in dealing with the problem of stray and unsupported cattle along with meeting India’s climate commitments, he said.

The Prime Minister said that during the last seven years the government has tried to provide permanent solutions instead of the quick-fix temporary solutions to the problems. He said that in the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission, government is working to remove lakhs of tonnes of garbage that is occupying thousand acres of land and causing air and water pollution leading to many diseases. The Swachh Bharat campaign also led to enhanced dignity of women and beautification of the cities and villages. Now the focus is on disposal of wet waste, he said. Government is trying to convert these mountains of garbage into green zones in the next 2-3 years. He also expressed happiness that garbage disposal capacity of the country has increased by 4 times since 2014. More than 1600 bodies are getting material recovery facilities to get rid of single use plastic.

The Prime Minister also underlined the link between cleanliness and tourism and said that cleanliness leads to tourism and gives rise to a new economy. He cited interest in Indore’s success as clean city as an example of this connection. He added “It is government’s effort to make as many of  Indian cities water plus. This is being stressed in the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission.”

The Prime Minister mentioned increase in ethanol blending in petrol which has rose from 1 percent to around 8 per cent in last 7-8 years. Supply of ethanol increased significantly during this period from 40 crore litres to 300 crore litres, helping sugar mills and farmers.

The Prime Minister also talked about a significant decision in the Budget. It has been decided that coal based electricity plants will also use parali or stubble. “This will help alleviating farmers’ troubles and will also provide extra income for farmers from agri-waste”, he said.

The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude for the lakhs of safai workers of the country for tirelessly working swachhta. The Prime Minister specially thanked them for their sense of service during the pandemic. He mentioned how he showed his respect for the safai workers by washing their feet at Prayagraj during the Kumbh.

Background

Prime Minister recently launched the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0, with the overall vision of creating “Garbage Free Cities”. The Mission is being implemented under the overarching principles of “waste to wealth”, and “circular economy” for maximising resource recovery – both of which are exemplified in the Indore Bio-CNG plant.

The plant, inaugurated today, has a capacity to treat 550 tonnes per day of segregated wet organic waste. It is expected to produce around 17,000 kg per day of CNG, and 100 tonnes per day of organic compost. The plant is based on zero landfill models, whereby no rejects would be generated. Additionally, the project is expected to yield multiple environmental benefits, viz. reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, providing green energy along with organic compost as fertiliser.

Indore Clean Energy Pvt Ltd, a Special Purpose Vehicle created to implement the project, was set up by Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) and Indo Enviro Integrated Solutions Ltd. (IEISL) under a Public Private Partnership model, with 100% capital investment of ₹150 crores by IEISL. Indore Municipal Corporation will purchase a minimum 50% of CNG produced by the plant and in a first-of-its kind initiative, run 400 city buses on the CNG. The balance quantity of CNG will be sold in the open market. The organic compost will help replace chemical fertilisers for agricultural and horticultural purposes.

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DS