Over 1,200 biogas plants, including 320 compressed biogas (CBG) units and 892 conventional plants across 450 districts, have registered on the unified registration portal for GOBARdhan since it was launched in June.

As many as 52 commissioned CBG plants registered on the portal have the capacity to process more than 6,600 tonnes of organic/agri residue per day to produce more than 300 tonnes per day (TPD) of CBG and more than 2,000 TPD of fermented organic manure (FOM).

What is GOBARdhan scheme?

• In an effort to make the villages open defecation free and improve the lives of villagers, the government launched Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GOBARdhan) scheme in 2018.

• The initiative of the ministry of jal shakti aims to transform “waste to wealth” based on the whole of government approach.

• It covers the entire gamut of schemes/programmes/policies promoting the conversion of organic waste like cattle dung/agri-residue, etc to biogas/CBG/Bio CNG.

• It aims to ensure cleanliness in villages by converting bio-waste including cattle waste, kitchen leftovers, crop residue and market waste. This will provide economic and resource benefits to farmers and households.

• GOBARdhan will benefit rural people in general and women in particular from the use of clean fuel, improved cleanliness in villages and through improvement in health. 

• The WHO estimates about five lakh deaths in India alone due to indoor air pollution caused by unclean cooking fuel. Women and children suffer the most, as they spend large amounts of their time near indoor cooking hearth.

• This initiative will support biodegradable waste recovery and conversion of waste into resources, reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, reduction in import of crude oil, give boost to entrepreneurship and promote organic farming.

• The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation is working with concerned departments/ ministries/state governments, public and private sector institutions and village communities to give this a shape of ‘Jan Andolan’ so that community collective action on GOBARdhan is achieved.

• GOBARdhan is an integral part of Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) Phase II under solid waste management. The operational guidelines of Phase-II of SBM(G) provide for financial assistance up to Rs 50 lakh per district for the period of 2020-21 to 2024-25 for setting up of cluster/community level biogas plants.

• The initiative has been undertaken with the objective of scientific management of organic/biodegradable waste while also providing resource and monetary benefits to rural households. 

• GOBARdhan initiative has created an enabling environment for the biogas/CBG sector as evident from the registration of more than 100 under construction CBG plants on the portal soon after it has been launched. 

• It can be inferred that CBG/biogas industry has started flourishing and will play a tremendous role in the energy mix of India’s renewable energy portfolio. 

Benefits of the scheme

• Promotes circular economy

• An eco-friendly fuel

• Effective waste management

• Protects health and environment

• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions

• Increases employment

• Saves foreign exchange

• Generates organic manure

• Improves savings.

Manorama Yearbook app is now available on Google Play Store and iOS App Store