DDWS Hosts Workshop to Boost CBG/Biogas Sector through Expansion of GOBARdhan Implementation

The Government of India hosted a workshop dedicated to the GOBARdhan project on August 17, 2023, in a significant move to boost the CBG/Biogas sector. The virtual conferencing workshop is meant to inform stakeholders about the essential tasks done by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), which serves as the GOBARdhan initiative's nodal coordinating department.

The event saw the participation of critical stakeholders, including senior officials from 7 Ministries/Departments of the Indian government, State-level officials such as SATAT Nodal Officers and State Mission Directors, CBG plant operators, project developers, and more. Chaired by Jitendra Srivastava, Joint Secretary of DDWS & Mission Director of Swachh Bharat Mission - Gramin, the virtual workshop delved into essential agenda items, such as CBG offtake arrangements, Fermented Organic Manure (FOM), carbon credits, incentives, investment, and financing for the CBG industry.

Jitendra Srivastava, in his opening address, commended the entrepreneurs and CBG operators for their dedicated efforts and reaffirmed the government's commitment to provide comprehensive assistance in establishing a conducive CBG/Biogas ecosystem throughout the nation. He emphasized that forthcoming policy enablers would further bolster the scale and pace of the GOBARdhan initiative, fostering awareness, enthusiasm, and a favorable policy environment for the CBG sector.

Diverse aspects of GOBARdhan implementation were discussed by key stakeholders during the workshop. Dinesh Jagdale, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, elucidated the details of Central Financial Assistance (CFA) release. Dr. Yogita Rana, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, addressed the Fertilizer Control Order (FCO) pertaining to FOM/LFOM. Anand Jha, Director of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, informed participants about CBG offtake arrangements under the SATAT scheme and forthcoming policy initiatives.

Furthermore, Dr. Satyendra Kumar, Director of the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, discussed carbon credit policies for the CBG sector. Manoj Kumar, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Fertilizers, provided insights into the Market Development Assistance (MDA) scheme for organic fertilizer, including FOM/PROM. A.N. Meshram, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, introduced the recently launched Operational Guidelines for Crop Residue Management under the SMAM Scheme.

The workshop featured insightful presentations on topics like nutrient enrichment of bio-slurry, carbon credit trading mechanisms, and more. The participants actively engaged with CBG operators, sharing on-ground challenges faced during plant operations. The response to the virtual workshop was overwhelmingly positive, with participants applauding the comprehensive information and solutions provided.

The workshop concluded with Karanjit Singh, Director of SBM-G at DDWS, expressing gratitude to all participants for their active involvement. He assured them of more such workshops in the near future, fostering participation and information exchange among existing and potential investors and project developers in the Biogas/CBG ecosystem.

Underlining the government's commitment to the green energy transition and circular economy, the GOBARdhan "Waste to Wealth" initiative assumes a pivotal role. This inter-ministerial effort seeks to generate value from organic/biodegradable waste through scientific treatment, producing biogas/Compressed Natural Gas (CBG), and organic manure.