“World Biofuel Day 2018” event was organized in New Delhi today, with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a diverse gathering, consisting of farmers, scientists, entrepreneurs, students, government officials, and legislators. On the occasion, Narendra Modi unveiled a Booklet on “National Policy on Biofuels 2018”, and launched “Pro Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive and Virtuous Environmental Single window Hub”[PARIVESH]. Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation; Shri Ramvilas Paswan, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution; Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, and Environment, Forest & Climate Change; and Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship were also present.
In his welcome address, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan said that World Biofuel day is being observed since 2015 to create awareness about the importance of non-fossil fuels as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels and to highlight the various efforts made by the Government in the Biofuel sector. He said that the day reaffirms the Government’s commitment to increase farmers’ income and improve the environment. Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas said that several steps have been taken to improve the supply of ethanol for the blending programme that has resulted in supplies jumping from 38 crore litres in 2013-14 to about 141 crore litres in the ongoing season. Shri Pradhan said that the Government has notified the new National Policy on Biofuels-2018, which envisages a target of 20% blending of ethanol in petrol by 2030. The policy has widened the scope of raw material for ethanol procurement.
PM addresses event to mark World Biofuel Day
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, today addressed an event to mark World Biofuel Day in New Delhi. He addressed a diverse gathering, consisting of farmers, scientists, entrepreneurs, students, government officials, and legislators.He said biofuels can provide fresh momentum to India in the 21st century. He added that it is fuel produced from crops, which can change lives of people in both villages and cities.He said that the plan to produce ethanol from biofuel was initiated when Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister. After 2014, a roadmap was prepared for the Ethanol Blending Programme. He said that besides providing benefit to farmers, this move helped save foreign exchange worth Rs. 4000 crore last year, and the target is to take this number to about Rs. 12,000 crore over the next four years.The Prime Minister said that the Union Government is investing significantly in the effort to transform biomass to biofuel. There is a plan to set up 12 modern refineries. A large number of employment opportunities will be created in the process.The Prime Minister said that schemes such as Jandhan, Vandhan and Gobardhan are helping to transform the lives of the poor, the tribal population, and the farmers. He said that the transformative potential of biofuels can be realized only through the participation of students, teachers, scientists, entrepreneurs and the people. He urged everyone present to help take the benefits of biofuel to the rural areas.The Prime Minister also released a booklet on “National Policy on Biofuels 2018.” He also launched the “Proactive and Responsive Facilitation, by Interactive and Virtuous Environmental Single-window Hub” (PARIVESH).