Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asserted that his government has tried to provide permanent solutions to the problems facing the country instead of finding quick-fix temporary solutions during the last seven years.

He was inaugurating the “Gobar-Dhan (Bio-CNG) Plant” in Indore via video conferencing.

Emphasising the importance of Gobar Dhan, the PM said that in the coming two years, Gober Dhan Bio CNG plants would be established in 75 big municipal bodies. “This campaign will go a long way in making Indian cities clean, pollution-free and in the direction of clean energy”, he said.

Modi said that not only in cities, Gobar Dhan plants were being set up in villages also to facilitate extra income for the farmers. This would also help in dealing with the problem of stray and unsupported cattle apart from meeting India’s climate commitments, he said.

He said that in the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the government was working to remove lakhs of tonnes of garbage that was occupying a thousand acres of land and causing air and water pollution leading to many diseases.

The Swachh Bharat campaign also led to the enhanced dignity of women and the beautification of the cities and villages. Now the focus was on disposal of wet waste, he said.

The government was trying to convert these mountains of garbage into green zones in the next 2-3 years. He also expressed happiness that the garbage disposal capacity of the country has increased four times since 2014. More than 1600 bodies were getting material recovery facilities to get rid of single-use plastic.

The PM also underlined the link between cleanliness and tourism and said that cleanliness led to tourism and gave rise to a new economy. He said it was the government’s endeavour to make Indian cities water plus.

He also spoke about an increase in ethanol blending in petrol. It has risen from one per cent to around 8 per cent in the last 7-8 years. The supply of ethanol increased significantly during this period from 40 crore litres to 300 crore litres, helping sugar mills and farmers.

The PM also talked about a significant decision in the Union Budget. It has been decided that coal-based electricity plants would also use parali or stubble. “This will help alleviate farmers’ troubles and will also provide extra income for farmers from agri-waste”, he said.