Giving Punjab farmers best managerial practices for paddy straw and agriculture waste as well as to keep state's environment clean, the state is witnessing investment of Rs 10000 using which 160 biomass plants will be set up. These plants will provide employment opportunities to around 50000 people directly and indirectly. The Finance, Planning, Program Implementation and Governance reforms Minister Mr Manpreet Singh Badal said this while laying foundation stone of the biomass plant of Neway Private Limited coming up at the village Mehma Sarja.Mr Badal stated 160 similar plants are coming up in state that will use straw and agriculture waste to produce animal feed as well as coal. Besides providing perfect solution for straw management, the project will also supplement income of the farmers in nearby areas.
The plant at Mehma Sarja will commence its operation from August 2018 onwards. The plant will buy straw and agriculture waste from farmers, convert it into coal and will sell it to the National Thermal POwer Corporation (NTPC).Mr Badal added that besides this the Indian Oil Corporation was also working on to usher CNG gas that can be used in vehicles and Erika Company from England was working on production of bioethanol that to crude oil to be used in petrol and diesel.Prominent among others present included MLA Mr Pritam Singh Kotbhai, ADC Mrs Sakshi Sawhney, OSD to Finance Minister Mr Jagtar SIngh Dhillon and Jasvir SIngh, media advisor to FM Mr Harjot Singh Sidhu, Chairman of Neway Renewable Energy Limited Mr Abdul Samad Melath, MD Mr K Aiyyappan, director operations Mr SK Sivakumar, Mr Gautam Garg, Col SS Khera (retd) and village Mehma Sarja sarpanch Gurbaksh Singh were also present.