New Delhi, August 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the World Biofuel day programme at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The event was attended by farmers, scientists, students, entrepreneurs, government officials, and legislators. Speaking at the program, PM Modi said that the usage of biofuel would increase the income of farmers and also there would be more employment opportunities. He also said that it would also prove to be a boon for the environment. The Prime Minister further added that the programme is also connected to the government’s modern urban development model.

The Prime Minister also stressed on developing BioCNG to reduce dependency on CNG. Speaking at the event, He said, “We are working to make BioCNG from trash; CNG usage is being ramped up in public transport; we are trying to reduce dependence on CNG import; soon we will have CNG vehicles in villages.”

PM Modi further stated that the government is planning to mix 10 percent ethanol with petrol by 2022 and 20 percent by 2030. The PM said, “10% ethanol mix with petrol by 2022 and 20% by 2030 is what the government is aiming to achieve; all agricultural waste and discard can be used for ethanol production, reducing farm wastage.” The Prime Minister also highlighted the government’s Ujjwala Scheme in which LPG cylinders were provided to five crore families in the past four years.

The program was organised by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to mark the importance of biofuels and to highlight the various efforts made by the Government in the biofuel sector. August 10 is being observed as the World Biofuel Day by the ministry for the last three years. According to a government statement issued on Thursday, biofuels have synergies with various Government initiatives, including enhancing farmers’ incomes, and Swachh Bharat.

The statement also stated that as a result of the efforts of the Centre, ethanol blending in petrol has increased to 141 crore litres in the financial year 2017-18, as compared to 38 crore litres in 2013-14. The Government also approved the National Policy on Biofuels in June. It can also contribute to a cleaner environment, generate additional income for farmers, and generate employment in rural areas.

(With inputs from ANI)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 10, 2018 11:43 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).