'Gobhar Dhan Yojana' will set benchmark in sync with Swachh Bharat Mission goals to reduce pollution: PM Modi

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (February 19) said that India is committed to its climate goals and the 'Gobhar Dhan Yojana' will set a benchmark in sync with India's Swachh Bharat Mission goals to reduce air pollution and water pollution.

Addressing virtually an inauguration programme of solid waste based Gobar Dhan plant in Indore, the Prime Minister said, "As soon as the name of Indore came, the attention of Goddess Ahilyabai Holkar, Maheshwar and their service came first. Indore changed over time, changed for the greater good, but didn't let the inspiration of Goddess Ahilya be lost. Along with Goddess Ahilya, today the name of Indore comes to mind cleanliness."

"I am happy that a very beautiful statue of Goddess Ahilyabai Holkar ji has been kept in Kashi Vishwanath Dham. When the people of Indore go to see Baba Vishwanath, they will also see the idol of Goddess Ahilyabai there. You will be more proud of your city," he added.

PM Modi said that the government is working on introducing 75 more Bio-CNG plants in 75 other districts and villages to benefit farmers in the animal husbandry sector. He further said that whether it is the wet waste that comes out of the houses in the city, the garbage from the livestock and farms in the village, all this is in a way cow dung.

"India is committed to its climate goals and hence the 'Gobhar Dhan Yojana' will play a key role towards a sustainable lifestyle not only for the people but in restoring our land resources," said PM Modi.

He said that the Gobar Dhan plant will enable operation for 400 city buses and 1,500 small vehicles on CNG. The Prime Minister said that this campaign will help a lot towards making India's cities clean, pollution-free, clean energy.

"The organic compost will help replace chemical fertilisers for agricultural and horticultural purposes and will create 'Green Jobs' for the youth of the nation," he said.

He said that to keep our cities clean, the efforts of cleaning the wet waste is very crucial.

"The Pashudhan waste from cities will be converted into Gobar-Dhan which will lead to clean fuels; ultimately leading to clean energy," he added.

The Prime Minister said that millions of tons of garbage have been engulfing thousands of acres of similar land for decades in cities across the country. PM Modi said it is also a major reason for the diseases caused by air pollution and water pollution for the cities. 

Therefore work is being done to deal with this problem in the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission, he added. The plant has the 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 PMO informed. The plant is based on zero-landfill models, whereby no rejects would be generated. 

Additionally, the project is expected to yield multiple environmental benefits- reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, providing green energy along with organic compost as fertilizer. 

The Bio-CNG plant has been set up based on the concept of waste-to-wealth innovation in India's cleanest city, the official said.

The mission is being implemented under the overarching principles of "waste to wealth" and "circular economy" for maximizing resource recovery- both of which are exemplified in the Indore Bio-CNG plant.

Situated on the Devguradia trenching ground, the plant has the 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 PMO informed.

The plant is based on zero-landfill models, whereby no rejects would be generated. Additionally, the project is expected to yield multiple environmental benefits- reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, providing green energy along with organic compost as fertilizer.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 a 100 per cent capital investment of Rs 150 crores by IEISL, stated an official release.

Indore Municipal Corporation will purchase a minimum of 50 per cent 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 fertilizers for agricultural and horticultural purposes.

(With agencies inputs) 

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