The Uttar Pradesh government has partnered with experts from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi to provide technical support for setting up biogas plants across the state as part of its cow conservation and natural farming initiatives.
The move is aimed at expanding the use of biogas and promoting sustainable agriculture under the state government’s programme led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, News18 reported.
A team led by Professor Virendra Kumar Vijay of IIT Delhi’s Biogas Development Training Centre will assist in the installation, maintenance and technical management of biogas plants in villages. The team also includes experts Ratnesh Tiwari, Akshay Srivastava, Chintan Dave and Dr Mangaram.
As part of the first phase of the programme, 18 biogas plants have been established in Palinda village of Jhansi district. The village is being developed as a Natural Farming Village, with plans to provide biogas to every household using gas produced from cow dung as a cooking fuel.
The state government is also working to develop one model village in each district under the initiative.
According to Shyam Bihari Gupta, chairman of the Cow Service Commission, the biogas plants will help reduce dependence on chemical fertilisers by producing organic manure from cattle waste. He said the initiative would support natural farming, improve the availability of chemical-free agricultural produce and provide an additional source of clean energy in rural areas.
Gupta said the IIT Delhi team is working to expand the model across Uttar Pradesh with the objective of improving energy security, promoting cleaner villages and supporting self-reliance in rural communities.
