Biogas Scheme Not Making Much Wave

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Global Bioenergy Industry News

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

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Biogas Scheme Not Making Much Wave

TAMIL NADU, INDIA - Family type biogas plant programme introduced by the State Government is yet to take off in Krishnagiri district.

The Hindu reports that the scheme was introduced in the state with a subsidy of Rs. 3,500 per unit of the household biogas plant. The subsidy has now been enhanced to Rs. 8,000 from 1 November 2009. Ever since the district was bifurcated from Dharmapuri in 2004, the target fixed for the district with ten panchayat unions were only 62 per fiscal.

Only 45 plants were commissioned in the district during the last financial year.

Of this, the major chunk of the scheme (42 biogas plants) was availed of by the people in Uthangarai block for the last two financial years.

In this block alone, 13 households in Keelkuppam Panchayat, 11 in Kondekuppam, 8 in Pavakkal, two in Chandrapatti, five in Mungileri and two in Eggur Panchayat were commissioned for the past two years.

Local residents told The Hindu on Tuesday that maximum number of households were eager to put up biogas plants because of the initiative taken by the then officer in charge of the scheme V. Arulmozhi.

She was transferred to the Shoolagiri block till recently, but her services to the rural masses remains, said S. Kalaivani, president of the Keelkuppam Panchayat.

When contacted the officials at the Office of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) said that the target fixed for the scheme was only 62, but the physical target fixed for the Block Development Officers were about 10 in each block.

During the last financial year the plants were set up in 13 households in Keelkuppam, 11 in Kondekuppam and seven in other panchayats. The remaining 14 biogas plants were scattered over the other four panchayat unions, the official said.

People are not showing much interest in this scheme, because of the delay in disbursal of subsidy amount. The district administration has received Rs. 1.18 lakh from the Central Government one month ago and awaiting Collector's approval for disbursal to the beneficiaries for the financial year 2009-10. A beneficiary's wife G. Rani from Keelkuppam said the plant was very much economical for them to prepare food items. Manures made from cattle dung are poured and mixed in a small tank. The waste which comes out from the tank was stored in a septic tank and used as cheap and manure for the crops.

The objective of programme was to provide fuel for cooking purposes and organic manure to rural households through family type biogas plants and to mitigate drudgery of rural women, reduce pressure on forests and accentuate social benefits and at the same time it helps improve the sanitary condition of the villages by linking toilets with biogas plants.

TheBioenergySite News Desk