Why in News?

=> Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Asia's largest Gobar-Dhan Bio-CNG Plant at Devguradia area of Indore via virtual medium from Delhi.

Key Points:

=> The vision of a waste-to-wealth and circular economy has come true with the construction of Gobar-Dhan Bio-CNG Plant in Indore. This will give new strength to India's cleanliness campaign Part-II, under which in the coming 2 years all the cities of the country will be made green zone by freeing them from the mountains of garbage.

=> Apart from CNG, 100 tonnes of organic manure will also be received daily from the Indore plant. With this, about 400 buses will be run every day in Indore city.

=> This plant is the largest and the first plant in the country for Bio-CNG from organic waste in the entire Asian continent.

=> Bio CNG Plant is based on the PPP model. On the one hand, the Municipal Corporation, Indore is not having to bear any financial burden on the establishment of this plant, on the other hand, the agency setting up the plant, IEISL, New Delhi, is paid Rs 2.5 crore per annum as premium to the Municipal Corporation, Indore.

=> In this plant, 550 MT of wet waste (domestic organic waste) will be treated daily, which will generate 17 thousand 500 kg of Bio-CNG Gas and 100 tonnes of high quality organic compost will be produced.

=> Out of the bio-CNG generated from this plant, 50 percent gas will be available to Municipal Corporation, Indore for the use of public transport buses, the remaining 50 percent gas can be sold to various industrial and commercial consumers.

=> Since the waste segregation of Indore city is of excellent quality, it has been decided to set up this plant in Indore. Before the decision to set up the plant, the said company got the wet waste tested by taking more than 200 samples in the last one year. Based on the test results, it was revealed that only 0.5 to 0.9 percent of the rejects are available in wet waste, which was found to be of high quality as compared to other European countries. The Chief Minister informed that Jholadhari Indori campaign has also been started in Indore. Work is being done continuously to develop slum settlements of Indore urban area as green slums.

=> The Chief Minister said that this plant would be a money making plant by purchasing cow dung and other waste from the cattle rearers and farmers from the nearby villages of Indore. Many families are getting permanent employment from this plant.

=> The dung along with the waste will be used for processing to develop bacteria. In Indore, CNG will be available for city buses at Rs 5 per kg less than the market price.

=> The plant will use 21 percent solar energy in the initial phase and 100 percent in the next three years. Indore city will get the benefit of carbon credit. Along with this, Indore Municipal Corporation will continue to get 2 crore 52 lakh premium per year from this plant for the next 20 years.

By: ASRAF UDDIN AHMED