In a meeting with chief ministers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called on states to accelerate alternative energy sources such as biofuels, solar energy and the GOBARDhan initiative as part of the move to diversify fuel sources.
The Prime Minister called the meeting amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, which has threatened global oil supplies and led to supply disruptions. Prime Minister Modi called on countries to work as “Team India” even as he recalled the collective efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Modi urged countries to focus on immediate response and long-term preparedness even as India braces for the potential impact of the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
“The Prime Minister called for a parallel focus on immediate response and long-term preparedness. He urged countries to accelerate efforts to promote alternative energy sources such as biofuels, solar energy, GOBARDhan initiative, electric mobility, in addition to expanding pipelined natural gas connections,” a government statement said.
While Prime Minister Modi highlighted the importance of promoting domestic exploration for oil and natural gas, and inclusion of biofuels and natural gas, one lesser-known scheme that caught attention was GOBARDhan or Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan.
GOBARdhan covers government schemes and policies to promote conversion of organic waste such as livestock dung and agricultural residues into biogas or bio-CNG.
At the same time, the Prime Minister stressed the crucial role of states in implementing decisions, calling for continuous coordination between the central state, timely information exchange, and joint decision-making to ensure rapid and consistent responses.
He said that efforts in recent years to strengthen the country’s economic and supply systems have proven beneficial in the current context. He further said that India has previous experience in dealing with similar global disruptions.
He also referred to the collective response during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the Center and states worked together as ‘Team India’ to mitigate the impact on supply chains, trade and daily life.
