GOBAR-Dhan Scheme

In news

State Government Andra Pradesh issued orders constituting the Apex Committee and Advisory Committee for implementation of GOBAR DHAN Plants 2020-21 on a pilot basis.

About GOBAR-Dhan Scheme

• Ministry: Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation
• GOBAR-DHAN: Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan
• Aims:  To positively impact village cleanliness and generate wealth and energy from cattle and organic waste.

Features of GOBAR-DHAN Scheme

• The scheme focuses on managing and converting cattle dung and solid waste in farms to useful compost, biogas and bio-CNG.
• It will also help in keeping the village clean while increasing income of farmers and cattle herders.
• The scheme will be hugely beneficial for the country as India is home to the highest cattle population in the world (around 300 million in number) which produces around 3 million tonnes of dung.
• It will encourage farmers to consider dung and other waste not just as waste but as a source of income.
• The scheme will provide many benefits to rural people by keeping villages clean and sanitized, improving livestock health and increasing farm yields.
• Under it, biogas generation will help to increase self-reliance in energy utilized for cooking and lighting.
• The scheme will augment income of farmers and cattle herders. It will create new opportunities for jobs linked to waste collection, transportation, biogas sales etc.
• It will also provide stable fuel supply in the market for oil companies and accessible credit in the market through government schemes and banks for entrepreneurs.
• Under it, villagers will be mobilized to create self-help groups (SHGs) and creative societies that will help in clean energy and green jobs initiatives.
• Gram panchayats will play a key role in implementation of this scheme under which biogas plants from cattle dung will be set up at individual or community level and also at level of Self Help Groups (SHGs) and NGOs like Gaushalas.
• The central and state governments will provide funds in the ratio of 60:40, which will depend upon the number of households in villages.
• They will also provide assistance from experts for setting up the plants.