&w=3840&q=100)
Bioenergy can cover 50% of fossil fuel consumption in 5 years: Gadkari
Bioenergy can cover 50 per cent of India's fossil fuel consumption in five years, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday while urging the automobile industry to undertake research and development on alternative fuels.
Air pollution has become a big problem because of fossil fuel, the Minister for Road, Transport and Highways said at the 'Bhoomipujan programme' of the Indian School for Design of Automobiles.
The transport sector is responsible for 40 per cent of air pollution in the country because of fossil fuel, the minister pointed out.
A lot of research and innovation is going on in fuel and automobile engineering. "We need to protect our ecology and environment, and fulfil the dream of the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) to make India a carbon-neutral country," Gadkari said.
Bioenergy can cover 50 per cent of India's fossil fuel consumption in five years which is very important because Rs 22 lakh crore is being spent on import of the fossil fuel, Gadkari said.
The country is working on different fuels like ethanol, flex engine, methanol, biodiesel, bio LNG, CNG, electric and hydrogen, the minister said. Ethanol is already being blended up to 20 per cent in petrol, he said.
"The future of the automobile industry is very good and today there is a huge potential for all types of new research," he said.
Speaking further, he said the domestic automobile sector is an important industry which has created crores of jobs and boosted exports. "This is the industry which has a maximum export of 3 lakh crores which is economically very important for our country. It has already created 4.5 crore jobs for young talents," Gadkari said.
Players like Bajaj, TVS, and Hero export 50 per cent of their production, he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
34 minutes ago
- Time of India
Maharashtra approves Rs 2 crore for farmers' foreign study tours
Mumbai: The state govt has approved Rs 2 crore for organising foreign study tours for farmers in the state this year. Last year, the state govt approved Rs 1.4 crore for 120 farmers and six officials for foreign tours to study modern agriculture. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Administrative approval is being given to the programme of Rs 2 crore budgeted for implementing the scheme 'study tours of farmers of the state abroad' in the year 2025-26. The said scheme should be implemented as per the provisions prescribed by the govt and accordingly, guidelines should be issued by the commissioner (agriculture) for the implementation of the said scheme," a govt resolution (GR) stated. "The scheme was started to make the farmers of the state aware of the developed and modern technologies of various advanced countries, as well as to make them aware of the export of agricultural products/marketing of agricultural products and market demand, agricultural product processing, and the latest technologies used in those countries and to help the farmers of the state use them on their farms/farming. The visits also provide information about agricultural technologies and related matters developed by various countries and enhance the knowledge and capacity of the farmers through direct discussions with the farmers of those countries, as well as through field visits, visits to relevant institutions. The scheme has been running since 2004-2005," said an official from the agriculture department. Officials added that the detailed itinerary, including the country farmers will visit, will be finalised soon. Last year, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar slammed the agriculture department for the meagre funds for sending farmers abroad. Rohit said Rs 1.88 crore was provided by the state govt for a three-day visit to Taiwan where only five officials travelled, but the govt is spending only Rs 1.4 crore to send 120 farmers abroad. "That means only Rs 1.2 lakh is spent for each farmer. Even now, Rs 34 crore has been allocated for the Davos tour (to attend World Economic Forum), where 70 people are going with the chief minister. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Does this mean that this govt is not for the general public but for a select few? Is it 'World Economic Forum' or 'World Expenditure Conference'? It is understood that 70 people are going on this tour with the CM. Let's talk about how many of these 70 are decision-makers after getting statistics," Rohit said in a post on X last year.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Court Bldgs, Juvenile Homes To Get Funds
New Delhi: Delhi govt has sanctioned money for the upgrading of court infrastructure across the city. Key projects include an integrated complex for children in conflict with the law at Alipur and hybrid hearing facilities in district courts. Additional funds have been approved for court buildings in Dwarka and Karkardooma. These initiatives aim to modernise judicial infrastructure, support juvenile justice and improve access to legal services, said a senior official. Regarding the family court complex at Rohini, a senior official mentioned that the financial bid was opened recently, and the lowest bid is under acceptance by the competent authority. The new court complex in Rohini will have 100 courtrooms and 270 lawyers' chambers with modern facilities. The complex will have three basements, a ground floor, and two 11-storey blocks. The cost of this project is estimated to be around Rs 714 crore. For the new building for district courts, adjacent to the Rouse Avenue court complex on DDU Marg, a senior official said a tender was invited last year but was cancelled due to administrative reasons. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The land for compensatory afforestation, 3.03 acres, is required. Allotment of land at Rawta village is under process. A proposal for the diversion of a deemed forest has been submitted on the portal and is under consideration. Govt had approved the construction of a new court complex at Rouse Avenue at a cost of Rs 427 crore. The decision was made at a meeting of the expenditure finance committee by the earlier govt. Delhi govt also plans to provide hybrid hearing facilities at the district courts, for which a pre-bid meeting was held recently. "Pre-bid queries received from the prospective bidders have been evaluated and the same was again submitted to Delhi High Court for a change in minor specifications," a senior official said. The final approval is awaited from Delhi High Court. Further action shall be taken only after approval is granted by the court for minor changes in specifications, he said. Regarding the construction of an integrated complex for a children's home for boys at Alipur, officials said that a pre-bid meeting has been held. This complex will have dormitories, a smart library, classrooms, office rooms, dining rooms, a workshop and a guest house. According to the design, the complex is expected to house 200-250 children and will cost around Rs 97.29 crore. The plan was proposed by the woman and child welfare department in 2022 but faced delays. The proposal has now been passed. A senior official said the need for a state-of-the-art integrated complex arose after the current correctional homes proved inadequate in terms of facilities and space. "Currently, the correctional homes in Delhi are constructed like a jail. The rehabilitation facilities are not in place."
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Proof Of Lip Service? Just 31% Of Green Funds Used In Last Decade
New Delhi: In a disclosure about environmental fund utilisation, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) acknowledged spending a mere 31% of the environmental pollution charge (EPC) collected during the previous decade. Even more concerning is the utilisation of only 1% of the environmental cess (EC) accumulated over eight years. These details emerged in responses to two separate Right to Information queries submitted by environmental activist Amit Gupta. CPCB's official response indicates that the pollution watchdog collected approximately Rs 427 crore as EPC in Delhi between the 2014-15 and 2024-25. Despite highly elevated pollution levels in Delhi-National Capital Region during this timeframe, the sum utilised for anti-pollution measures as of March this year was only Rs 130.9 crore, or just a third of the total collected funds. The financial year 2024-25 saw the highest EPC collection of Rs 74.4 crore, yet the spending remained restricted to Rs 31.9 crore, highlighting a persistent pattern of underutilisation of funds. CPCB claimed that it committed Rs 259.2 crore from EPC funds for 15 pollution control projects across Delhi-NCR. These include the procurement of mechanical sweeping machines and anti-smog guns for pollution-prone cities such as Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo In Noida, four mechanical sweepers and five anti-smog guns have been sanctioned, while Ghaziabad will receive one sweeping machine and 10 anti-smog guns. Faridabad's approved projects include 10 sweeping machines, 10 anti-smog guns and some city road construction. Delhi itself has seen the installation of a smog tower using EPC money and CPCB has also promised financial assistance to convert diesel generator sets to cleaner CNG versions in govt hospitals across NCR. Another major initiative includes funding for the establishment of paddy straw-based pelletisation plants in Delhi-NCR and Punjab to tackle stubble burning — one of the leading contributors to north India's winter smog. Cities left out of the National Clean Air Programme have also been promised financial support from the money collected as EPC. As for the environmental cess collection and its use, the pollution body disclosed that it had garnered approximately Rs 45.8 crore in the last eight years. Of this amount, CPCB admitted to spending a mere Rs 9 lakh. This translates into less than 1% of the amount being spent when the pollution situation requires so much to be done. CPCB claims to have approved 67 projects across India using EC funds. Yet the spending record shows a dismal lack of implementation. The few projects undertaken include sampling of cigarettes and bidi butts by the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, compensation granted to affected students as facilitated by the Delhi Legal Services Authority and testing of vegetables, edible products, soil and water along the banks of the Yamuna in the capital. "This is not just bureaucratic delay in channelling funds, but this is environmental negligence," rued Gupta. "Time and time again, we've exposed through RTIs that CPCB and state pollution boards are sitting on massive unused funds. There is no shortage of funds, only failures of intention and execution. Even after repeated warnings from the joint parliamentary committee on environment, nothing has changed. If CPCB doesn't take its responsibilities seriously, how can India's environmental crisis ever be tackled?" CPCB did not respond to TOI's queries on the matter
