Gadkari bats for decarbonising transport sector, pushes for ethanol economy

India needs to "decarbonise" its transport sector quickly as the country has the potential to be a global torch-bearer in biofuels, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Sunday.

Speaking virtually at the Sugar and Ethanol Conference organised here by Chini Mandi, he said 80 per cent of the energy requirement of the Indian transport sector was being fulfilled through the import of fossil fuels like petrol, diesel etc, which was costing the country more than Rs 16 lakh crore annually.

"This is an economic and environmental problem. The transport sector also accounts for 90 per cent of carbon emissions. There is an immediate need to decarbonise the transport sector. The Union government is pursuing bio-fuels and compressed biogas on mission mode to replace these imports in a cost-effective, pollution-free way," he said.

"The government is encouraging policy frameworks for the production of biofuels and the creation of a sustainable ecosystem around it. The Centre is giving a huge push to ethanol as fuel, especially its production from surplus and damaged food grains like rice, corn and sugarcane. We can be a torch bearer in biofuels globally," he said.

The efficient use of surplus sugar, rice and maize stock as well as the production of second-generation ethanol from bamboo and Agri biomass such as cotton and straw can completely change the fuel landscape in India, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways said.

"India is the only country that is setting up four commercial plants for biofuels, three of which are based on indigenous technology. Each plant will help two lakh farmers and reduce three lakh tonnes of carbon emissions. There is a need for research and development in green hydrogen and diversification of the agriculture sector into energy and power," he asserted.

Gadkari said the future of the ethanol economy is bright and asked the sugar sector to convert the surplus produce into bioethanol, which in turn will help create wealth in agriculture as well as the country's rural areas.