Punjab Cabinet gives in-principle approval for IOCL's CBG Plant in Patiala

Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday gave in-principle approval for setting up of a Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) Plant by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) at the now-closed Cooperative Sugar Mills at Rakhra in Patiala. The Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plant in Patiala, to be developed in collaboration with Sugarfed, will help reduce stubble burning through the use of paddy straw for biogas generation, and will also nurture soil fertility through organic manure production. Also Read | Farmers protest: Who was Sant Ram Singh Ji? Why people gave him martyr status? Punjab Cabinet led by Captain Amarinder Singh also authorized the Cooperation Minister to settle all terms & conditions, including that of Land Lease Agreement in respect of 25 acres or more area of the closed sugar mill, to be provided to Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) for setting up the CBG Plant. The Minister has been authorized to decide on the lease terms and conditions with the approval of the Chief Minister. According to a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office, the upcoming CBG plant, which will create direct and indirect employment opportunities, will have a capacity of 30 Ton CBG (Compressed Bio Gas) production, with a daily feedstock capacity of approximately 300 tons of paddy straw, per day. It would also generate organic manure to the tune of approx. 75,000 tons per annum. Also Read | Farmers form a 4-member legal panel to discuss further proceedings Moreover, CBG being an environment-friendly fuel with the potential to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 98%, the plant would help in minimising dependency on fossil fuels and thus become a major contributor to promoting a circular economy. The CBG Plant would also be instrumental in reducing stubble burning in fields, thereby containing air pollution in Punjab, besides considerably help in improving the general living conditions. It will also thus help in augmenting the savings of farmers, as well as in restoring soil fertility and carbon content. Apart from these, it would also provide additional income or revenue to State Government through GST on the sale of CBG produced from the proposed plant. -PTC News