Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government is set to launch a new project aimed at establishing domestic biogas plants in rural areas to provide affordable kitchen fuel and promote sustainable agriculture. These biogas units are expected to reduce household LPG consumption by up to 70%, reports The Times of India.
Unlike earlier models that were restricted to cow shelters, the new initiative will bring biogas technology directly to farmers’ homes and fields. The units will be installed either near individual households or in community areas within villages. Along with clean cooking gas, the plants will also produce organic fertiliser for personal use, helping to lower farming costs and improve soil quality.
Anurag Srivastava, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) at the UP Gauseva Commission, said the project will be implemented under the Gram-Urja model, which aims to make villages self-reliant in energy. “The government plans to set up biogas units at the grassroots level so farmers can produce their own cooking gas and fertiliser. This will help them save money and increase productivity,” he said.
The scheme will be integrated with MNREGA, offering additional employment opportunities to local residents. Villagers who join the initiative will be allowed to construct their own cattle sheds, and the dung collected will be used as the raw material for the biogas units.
Farmers will also be able to sell the remaining slurry—the byproduct of the biogas process—as organic fertiliser to nearby fields. The government is also planning to set up biogas and fertiliser production facilities in 43 cow shelters, each of which is expected to generate up to 50 quintals of slurry per month for distribution to local organic farmers.
“This project supports environmental sustainability while also creating job opportunities for rural youth,” Srivastava added. He explained that locals will be trained and employed to handle the operation, maintenance, distribution, and technical support of the biogas plants, helping to build a self-sufficient rural economy.
