&w=3840&q=100)
MNRE likely to allocate ₹857 crore for phase 2 of waste-to-energy scheme
The government's waste-to-energy initiative may get Rs 857 crore in the second phase of National Bioenergy Programme this year, New & Renewable Energy Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi said on Friday.
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) notified the National Bioenergy Programme in November 2022 with a budgetary outlay of Rs 1,715 crore for the period April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2026 to be implemented in two phases.
The first phase has a budget outlay of Rs 858 crore. The programme supports setting up of bioenergy plants by providing central financial assistance.
Addressing the 4th BBB Summit by Indian Biogas Association(IBA), Sarangi said,"...in the phase two, we are likely to get another Rs 857 crore for this." He noted that agriculture tends to produce a lot of other kinds of waste, and ancillaries associated with agriculture, including animals, also produce a lot of waste.
There are a lot of abundant biomass resources such as agricultural waste, animal dung, sugarcane bagasse, municipal solid waste which can be processed to bring about circularity in the economy, he suggested.
Under National Bioenergy Programme, the ministry has taken up a number of initiatives to promote biogas and the value addition ecosystem in the country, he said.
Sarangi noted that a lot of bricking and pelletization plants were introduced and a lot of plants which were processing and making CBGs (compressed biogas) were supported.
Pellet projects with a total capacity of around 400 tonnes per hour have been supported and a lot of projects have been commissioned.
"Because of certain issues in our guidelines, we were not able to release the kind of commitment, financial commitments which were there. In the meantime, we have discussed with the Department of Expenditure and we have found mechanisms of supporting these industries which have received clearance from us," he said.
He stressed on the need to address challenges in the biogas industry and pointed towards potential barriers like evolution of feedstock logistics, financing gaps and, regulatory coordination.
He mentioned that the biogas industry is small in comparison to solar and wind energy sector and relatively at nascent stage.
"And to that extent there are many potential barriers like evolution of the feedstock logistics, the financing gaps, regulatory coordination which needs to be addressed in forums like this, which provide us with an opportunity to understand these kind of gaps in a much better manner and address them through both government as well as industry-led initiatives in this sector," he said.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
Techie tries to buy a Gurgaon flat but finds even his Rs 1.2 lakh in-hand salary with no responsibilities not good enough
In today's India, earning Rs 20 lakh per annum is often seen as the benchmark of financial comfort. But a recent viral post on X has struck a chord with thousands, exposing the grim reality of urban homeownership , even for high earners. Shared by a user named Akhilesh, the post details how a friend living in Gurgaon , despite a hefty Rs 20 LPA CTC and frugal lifestyle, still finds himself priced out of the real estate market. In the tweet, Akhilesh writes about his friend's predicament: no car, no children, modest lifestyle, yet every real estate project he visits starts at a steep Rs 2.5 crore. 'If he buys this, he has to live paycheck to paycheck. No buffer. No vacations. No emergencies,' the tweet reads. Despite being in the top 5% of Indian earners, the post suggests, owning a decent home in a metro city remains out of reach, highlighting a growing mismatch between income and urban housing prices. — akhileshutup (@akhileshutup) Netizens react The post quickly caught fire online, igniting a flurry of responses that reflect the simmering frustration among India's salaried middle class. One user echoed the sentiment, writing, 'It's wild how even a high salary feels inadequate in certain cities. Many people are in the same boat, juggling expenses while trying to save. It makes you question what success means nowadays.' Another pointed out the long-term burden of luxury add-ons like 'infinity pools, zen gardens, biometric lifts', which not only inflate the purchase cost but also hike up monthly maintenance charges in the future. The discussion also took a broader economic turn, with one user arguing, 'He earns more than 95% of Indians. That means 7 crore people earn more than him, and a significant portion live in metro cities like Delhi. That's lakhs of families competing for premium housing. Demand is simply outpacing supply.' While some suggested that renting is a smarter option in the current climate, others questioned the societal obsession with homeownership. One user summed it up: 'Rent pe raho. Don't buy a home right now. Save up. Invest. You buy a home when you can afford it, not according to your whims and fancies."


NDTV
31 minutes ago
- NDTV
Vijay Mallya On Kingfisher Airlines Downfall: "I Went to Shri Pranab Mukherjee"
Fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya, facing fraud and money laundering allegations, has revealed new details about Kingfisher Airlines' downfall. He said he approached then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee with a plan to downsize the airline to save it. According to Mr Mallya, his request was met with opposition. In a conversation with YouTuber Raj Shamani, Mr Mallya revisited the collapse of Kingfisher Airlines, attributing much of the airline's troubles to the 2008 global financial crisis. He said that Kingfisher Airlines operated smoothly until 2008, but the situation changed drastically with the onset of the global financial crisis. The economic downturn had a significant impact on India, affecting nearly every sector of the economy, he said. 'The money stopped. It got dry. The value of the Indian rupee also took a hit,' Mr Mallya said. Kingfisher Airlines was launched in 2005, and it earned praise for its premium service. However, financial difficulties escalated as the global economy faltered. Mr Mallya said that recognising the worsening economic climate, he reached out to Pranab Mukherjee to seek permission to shrink Kingfisher's operations. 'I went to Shri Pranab said I have a problem. Kingfisher Airlines needs to downsize, cut the number of aircraft, and lay off employees, as I can't afford to operate under these depressed economic circumstances,' Mr Mallya said. Mr Mallya claims his appeal was rejected. 'I was told not to downsize. You continue, banks will support you. That is how it all started.' Mr Mallya added that despite these assurances, Kingfisher Airlines was ultimately compelled to halt all flights amid mounting financial troubles. During the podcast, the liquor baron also addressed allegations around his financial dealings, claiming he made four settlement offers to banks that were rejected despite his clear intent to repay. He criticised the lack of transparency from banks, stating he never received a formal statement of account despite 15 reminders, and that the total debt of Rs 14,131.6 crore was only revealed through a finance minister's statement in Parliament. Citing a Debt Recovery Tribunal certificate, Mr Mallya disputed media reports of Rs 9,000 crore debt, insisting the documented figure is Rs 6,203 crore. He also questioned being labelled a 'chor' despite having repaid more than what was owed and said he is prepared to stand trial — not for wrongdoing, but for alleged bad intentions.


Business Standard
40 minutes ago
- Business Standard
RIR Power Electronics surges after expanding SiC diodes production capacity
RIR Power Electronics jumped 4.49% to Rs 2859.85 after the company announced successful production expansion and shipment of 1200V SiC diodes from Taiwan. The company stated that the expansion of production was made possible through a strategic collaboration with a contract fab at Pro Asia Semiconductor Corporation (PASC), Taiwan and by leveraging technology IP that RIR Power had acquired from Sicamore Semi, USA. The product portfolio includes 1200V Schottky Barrier Diodes (SBDs) ranging from 2 amps to 60 amps, addressing the most common ratings used across multiple applications and markets globally. The company further said that it has already secured purchase orders for the said diodes from Richardson Electronics (USA) and Ankit Plastics (India), both key suppliers to the commercial, industrial and defence sectors. Besides being able to serve existing domestic Indian and the USA customers, shipping from Taiwan would provide RIR Power Electronics improved access to strategic high-growth markets for SiC devices in the South East Asian region. Dr. Harshad Mehta, chairman & director, RIR Power Electronics, said: This achievement marks a significant leap for RIRs power electronics manufacturing capabilities and helps to expedite the ramp up and shipment of SiC devices on 6-Inch wafers from RIRs proposed Odisha Fab. By successfully scaling up world-class SiC technology, RIR Power is positioned to serve global high-growth markets including automotive, industrial, renewable energy, and defence, while strengthening the domestic semiconductor ecosystem. RIR Power Electronics is a global pioneer in high-power semiconductor solutions. Its product portfolio comprises of high-performance semiconductor devices, assemblies, and energy management systems. The company's consolidated net profit declined 12.59% to Rs 2.43 crore despite a 22.67% increase in net sales to Rs 26.46 crore in Q4 FY25 as compared with Q4 FY24.