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Daily News Wrap-Up: Power Ministry Seeks Comments on Draft Electricity Amendment


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					</table><p>Union Minister of Renewable Energy and Power R. K. Singh informed the Rajya Sabha that the government aims to reduce a total of ₹1 trillion (~$12 billion) worth of fossil fuel imports by 2030, following the targets set under the National Green Hydrogen mission.</p>
<p>The minister said nearly 50 million metric tons of carbon emissions are likely to be mitigated through the production and use of green hydrogen.</p>
<p>In January this year, the Union Cabinet <a href="https://mercomindia.com/cabinet-approves-%e2%82%b9197-billion-hydrogen-mission/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> the National Green Hydrogen Mission with an initial outlay of ₹197.4 billion (~$2.3 billion).</p>
<p>Singh said the government would support the infrastructural development of electrolyzers to accelerate green hydrogen production.</p>
<p>He said the government would facilitate the demand creation of green hydrogen by encouraging exports and domestic utilization.</p>
<p>The minister added that the government has initiated efforts to launch green hydrogen pilot projects in the steel, mobility, and shipping sectors.</p>
<p>Recently, Union Minister for Ports and Shipping Sarabananda Sonowal said two ports on India’s east coast and one port on the west coast would be <a href="https://mercomindia.com/shipping-ministry-develop-ports-as-hydrogen-hubs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed</a> by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways as hydrogen hubs as part of the Green Shipping Initiative.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, Singh <a href="https://mercomindia.com/green-hydrogen-governments-renewable-plans/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> green hydrogen will play a central role in the country’s target to reach 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030 and in developing energy storage solutions that could potentially replace lithium-ion-based batteries.</p>
<p>The hydrogen mission also intends to pave the way for the government to form partnerships with international research institutes to explore green hydrogen production opportunities.</p>
<p>Last month, the Department of Science and Technology (<a href="https://dst.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DST</a>) <a href="https://mercomindia.com/india-to-partner-with-fraunhofer-hydrogen-tech/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> a letter of intent with Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems for a long-term collaboration focused on hydrogen and other clean technologies.</p>
<p>DST will provide the framework for cooperation in the hydrogen valley cluster projects, support activities, and facilitate resources. Fraunhofer will act as a technology partner for the hydrogen valley or cluster, providing information and access to technologies and scientific and technical experts.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Gourav Mishra</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-06-at-6.37.25-PM-1-1.jpeg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Gourav,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
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<div class="authorboxn"> <img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-06-at-6.37.25-PM-1-1.jpeg" width="89" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gourav</a> is a staff reporter with Mercom India with over six years of experience in various roles with NewsX, The New Indian Express, IBTimes India, and U.S., Republic, and Analytics India Magazine. Gourav has a Master&#8217;s in journalism from Jain University, Bengaluru. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gourav Mishra</a></div>
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Green Hydrogen Can Help India Save ₹1 Trillion on Fuel Imports by 2030


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					</table><p><a href="https://www.iitr.ac.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IIT Roorkee</a> startup <a href="https://indienergy.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indi Energy</a>, which specializes in manufacturing indigenous sodium-ion batteries, has been accorded the National Startup Award 2022 in the Energy Storage category by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry&#8217;s initiative <a href="https://www.startupindia.gov.in/content/sih/en/nsa2022.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Startup India</a>.</p>
<p>The award honors businesses that offer innovative and ground-breaking solutions that encourage India’s sustainable economic development and provide employment opportunities.</p>
<p>Indi Energy, founded in 2019, is India’s first company to successfully develop an indigenous sodium-ion cell using bio-waste-derived commercial hard carbon and indigenously developed cathode.</p>
<p>The company&#8217;s sodium-ion batteries are said to have a high energy density, low cost, and high safety, making them a viable and sustainable alternative to traditional lithium-ion batteries and lead-acid batteries.</p>
<p>The company aims to provide affordable and reliable energy storage solutions for a wide range of applications, including electric vehicles, grid storage, and portable electronics.</p>
<p>The company said it is trying to empower the nation with its indigenously developed battery, including its components, to make India self-reliant.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are proud to be leading the way in the development of sodium-ion batteries in India. This award is a step towards our goal of making India’s energy independent and self-reliant in sustainable energy storage solutions,” Yogesh Kumar Sharma, Co-Founder at Indi Energy, said.</p>
<p>&#8220;This award is a true recognition of our team&#8217;s hard work, dedication, and passion for creating sustainable and innovative energy solutions for India and the world,&#8221; Akash Soni, Co-Founder, and CEO of Indi Energy, said.</p>
<p>In recognition of the achievement, the certificate of commendation was presented by Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industries.</p>
<p>The institute recently launched a program to support faculty-led startups aimed at the commercialization of technologies.</p>
<p>The support is provided for prototyping, pilot testing, and marketing expenses.</p>
<p>IIT Roorkee is supporting 130-plus startups through TIDES (Technology Incubation and Entrepreneurship Development Society) and I-Hub Divyasampark.</p>
<p>Both units facilitate the incubation of new enterprises with innovative technologies by admitting them to their Incubation Centre and providing physical, technical, financial, and networking support and services.</p>
<p>In December 2022, researchers from the institute said they had successfully <a href="https://mercomindia.com/iit-roorkee-claim-17-efficiency-perovskite-solar-cells/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed</a> a prototype of a low-cost, high-quality perovskite solar cell that achieved a stable power conversion efficiency of 17.05%.</p>
<p>In the same month, researchers from IIT Guwahati, in collaboration with the University of Lisbon, Portugal, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/iit-researchers-discover-enzyme-that-bioethanol-fuel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> a bacterial endoglucanase enzyme capable of breaking down biomatter into simple sugar and bioethanol — a promising renewable fuel that can replace petroleum-based fuel systems.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Gautamee Hazarika</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Picture1.jpg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Gautamee,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gautamee.</a></p>
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<div class="authorboxn"><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Picture1.jpg" width="102" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" rel="noopener">Gautamee</a> is a reporter at Mercom India. Prior to Mercom, Gautamee was working as a multimedia news journalist at ThePrint in New Delhi. She has received her Bachelors in English Honors and Masters in English Literature from St.Stephen&#8217;s College, University of Delhi.<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" rel="noopener">More articles from Gautamee</a></div>
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IIT-backed Startup Wins National Award for Innovation in Energy Storage


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					</table><p>The Ministry Of Petroleum And Natural Gas (<a href="http://petroleum.nic.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MoP&amp;NG</a>) has notified that oil companies will sell ethanol-blended petrol (EBP) with a percentage of ethanol up to 20% from April 1, 2023.</p>
<p>A target of 20% blending of ethanol in petrol is proposed by Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2025-26. An indicative target of 5% biodiesel blending in diesel is proposed by 2030.</p>
<p>The ministry hopes to achieve this target by reinforcing ongoing ethanol or biodiesel supplies by increasing domestic production by setting up second-generation biorefineries, developing new feedstock for biofuels, and new technologies for conversion to biofuels. It aims to create a suitable environment for biofuels’ integration with primary fuels.</p>
<p>The policy encourages augmenting indigenous feedstock supplies for biofuel production by utilizing the wastelands for feedstock generation. However, depending upon the availability of domestic feedstock and blending requirements, the import of feedstock for biodiesel production would be permitted. The National Biofuel Coordination Committee (NBCC) proposed under this policy will decide feedstock import requirements.</p>
<p>To promote the production of biofuels by units located in special economic zones or export-oriented units, the import of feedstock for the production of biofuels meant for export by them will be allowed without any restriction.</p>
<p><strong>Advanced biofuels</strong></p>
<p>Advanced biofuels are produced from lignocellulosic feedstocks (agricultural and forestry residues), non-food energy crops (grasses, algae), animal dung or industrial waste and residue streams, or any mixed combination of the above feedstock. Fuels such as second-generation ethanol, biodiesel made from used cooking oil, non-edible tree-borne oils, short gestation non-edible oil-rich crops, green diesel from renewable sources and industrial waste, and biofuels produced from synthesis gas are also considered advanced biofuels.</p>
<p>Advanced biofuels can also be drop-in fuels from renewable sources and industrial waste, algae-based biofuels, halophytes-based biofuels, bio-CNG, bio-methanol, and Di Methyl Ether derived from bio-methanol.</p>
<p><strong>Export of biofuels</strong></p>
<p>As the domestic biofuel availability is much lower than the country‘s requirement, the export of biofuels will generally not be permitted. However, export may be permitted when there is a surplus, or the domestic requirement has been met. Biofuels can also be exported if the price of biofuels made from domestic feedstocks for the domestic market becomes high due to increased domestic feedstock prices, resulting in poor domestic sales.</p>
<p>Earlier, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Indian Oil Corporation, and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation <a href="https://mercomindia.com/daily-news-wrap-up-oil-companies-sign-agreement-petrol-program/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">entered</a> into a long-term purchase agreement for upcoming dedicated ethanol plants across India. Oil companies, project proponents, and banks signed the first Tripartite-cum-Escrow Agreement. State Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, and Indian Bank are part of the tripartite agreement with oil companies and project proponents.</p>
<p>The agreement is designed to ensure that payment received by ethanol plants is utilized to service the debt extended by these banks. Ethanol produced by these plants will be sold to oil companies for blending with petrol as per the government’s Ethanol Blended Petrol Program.</p>
<p>In March 2021, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH)  <a href="https://mercomindia.com/government-approves-ethanol-gasoline-automotive-fuel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">greenlighted</a> using a blend of 20% ethanol and 80% gasoline as an automotive fuel.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Arjun Joshi</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Arjun-Joshi-1.png" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Arjun Joshi,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
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<p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Arjun-Joshi-1.png" width="86" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Arjun Joshi</strong> </a>is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Before joining Mercom, he worked as a technical writer for enterprise resource software companies based in India and abroad. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Psychology, and Optional English from Garden City University, Bangalore. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Arjun Joshi.</a></p>
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Oil Companies to Sell Petrol With 20% Ethanol From April 2023: Petroleum Ministry

<p>A joint team of researchers from India and Wales, led by <a href="https://www.swansea.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Swansea University</a> researchers, said they were developing a  new process to convert hazardous medical waste into clean hydrogen fuel.</p>
<p>The researchers stated the National Health Service of the United Kingdom spends £700 million (~$ 922.08 million) annually for disposing of medical waste. Besides that, a vast amount of additional medical waste, including masks and other protective equipment, is being created due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they added.</p>
<p>The researchers are developing a process called photoreforming, which utilizes sunlight to kill viruses and turn non-recyclable waste into clean hydrogen fuel simultaneously. Also, photoreforming does not generate greenhouse gases and works at ambient temperature.</p>
<p>The researchers used nanostructured semiconductors to drive the degradation of waste and pathogens with sunlight. The process also produces hydrogen fuel cell and generates organic feedstock for the chemical industry, they added.</p>
<p>“Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed a global surge in single-use medical waste and PPE polluting the environment such as disposable face masks littering beaches. Applying our technology to reprocess just 1% of this waste would save millions and mitigate pollution at the same time,” said lead researcher Moritz Kuehnel.</p>
<p>The team of researchers includes epidemiology experts from India’s <a href="http://www.kipmr.org.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">King Institute of Preventive Medicine &amp; Research</a> and <a href="https://www.tvu.edu.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Thiruvalluvar University</a>. The epidemiology experts help examine the photocatalysts’ antiviral activity against various pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19.</p>
<p>“The simplicity and low cost of photoreforming make it easier to implement in countries that do not have an established recycling system,” said co-researcher Sudhagar Pitchaimuthu.</p>
<p>According to its press statement, the Welsh Government recently awarded funding worth £47,000 (~$ 62,156) for the project.</p>
<p>The new research is built on the team’s previous work on generating hydrogen from waste plastic. The researchers are looking for industry partners to commercialize their newly developed technology.</p>
<p>In September 2020, a research team from Newcastle University in New South Wales, Australia, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/australian-researchers-create-green-hydrogen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">devised</a> a system that uses solar power to conduct electrolysis on water harvested from air to create hydrogen, a low-cost zero-emission fuel.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, researchers at Rutgers University <a href="https://mercomindia.com/new-method-produce-ethanol-plant-waste-low-cost/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">discovered</a> a new process that could significantly reduce the cost of producing biofuels like ethanol from plant waste.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/harsh-shukla/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Harsh Shukla</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Harsh-Shukla-293x300-1-new.jpg" width="99" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/harsh-shukla/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Harsh Shukla</strong> </a>is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Previously with Indian Express, he has covered general interest stories. He holds a Masters Degree in Journalism from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune.</p>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/harsh-shukla/">More articles from Harsh Shukla.</a></p>
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This Process Uses Sunlight to Turn Hazardous Medical Waste into Clean Hydrogen Fuel

<p>A new process that could significantly reduce the cost of producing biofuels like ethanol from plant waste has been discovered by researchers at <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rutgers University in New Brunswick</a>, New Jersey.</p>
<p>According to the Green Chemistry Journal, this approach featured an ammonia-salt based solvent, used to turn plant fibers into sugars needed to make ethanol, and works well at close to room temperatures, unlike conventional processes, according to the study.</p>
<p>“Our pre-treatment system can slash – by up to 50-fold – the use of enzymes to turn solvent-treated cellulose (plant fiber) into glucose (a sugar) used to make bioproducts like ethanol,” said lead author Shishir P. S. Chundawat, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering in the School of Engineering at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.</p>
<p>“Similar processes could greatly reduce the cost of producing biofuels from waste biomass like corn stalks and leaves,” he added.</p>
<p>The study also said that this solvent could also extract more than 80% of the Ligin in plant waste. Ligin binds to plant fibers and strengthens them. This could be used to help upgrade valuable aromatic chemicals in the future, according to Chundawat.</p>
<p>According to Chundawat, the next step would be to optimize the pre-treatment process for biomass like corn stover (corn stalks, leaves, and other residues), municipal solid waste and bioenergy crops like switchgrass and poplar that could be turned into fuels, while also developing more robust enzymes to reduce costs further.</p>
<p>This development could be used to speed up the shift away from fossil fuels by boosting ethanol production. Ethanol is a cleaner alternative to fossil-based fuels that is manufactured from the conversion of carbon-based feedstocks such as sugarcane, switchgrass, corn, and barley.</p>
<p>Previously, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs <a href="https://mercomindia.com/govt-fuel-guidelines-promote-biofuels/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">approved</a> the review of guidelines for granting authorization to market transportation fuels. This move marks a significant shift on the part of the government in framing the guidelines for the marketing of petrol and diesel and encourage the use of alternative fuels.</p>
<p>More recently, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy <a href="https://mercomindia.com/mnre-seeks-bidders-for-an-evaluation-study-of-its-biogas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">issued</a> an expression of interest for an independent third-party evaluation study of its biogas-based power generation (off-grid) and thermal energy applications program.</p>
<p>The government has been making the right moves to foster the growth of biofuels, and in August 2019, the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan <a href="https://mercomindia.com/oil-firms-float-eoi-biodiesel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">released</a> an Expression of Interest floated by big national oil marketing companies like Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum, for the procurement of biodiesel made from used cooking oil.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/nithin-prasad/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Nithin Thomas Prasad</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><p><img class="alignleft wp-image-9822" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Nithin-2-1.jpg" alt="" width="102" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/nithin-prasad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Nithin Thomas</strong></a> is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Previously with Reuters News, he has covered oil, metals and agricultural commodity markets across global markets. He has also covered refinery and pipeline explosions, oil and gas leaks, Atlantic region hurricane developments, and other natural disasters. Nithin holds a Masters Degree in Applied Economics from Christ University, Bangalore and a Bachelor&#8217;s Degree in Commerce from Loyola College, Chennai. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/nithin-prasad/">More articles from Nithin.</a></p>
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New Method Could Produce Ethanol From Plant Waste at a Low Cost

<p>The first biofuel-based flight in India successfully completed its journey from Dehradun to Delhi. India-based flight operator SpiceJet operated the test flight powered by biojet fuel, marking a new chapter in the fast-growing domestic aviation sector.</p>
<p>This is a welcome news for India’s beleaguered aviation sector in which domestic airlines are facing an existential crisis in face of increasing fuel prices. This is the first successful test, and it will take many more to mark a shift in the prevalent fuel trends.</p>
<p>Per a report by Press Trust of India (PTI) which quoted a Spicejet official, the nearly 45-minute flight from Dehradun to the national capital was operated with a Bombardier Q400 aircraft, partially powered by biojet fuel made from Jatropha plant. With the test flight, India has become one of the few countries and probably the first among the developing nations to use biofuel for flying planes.</p>
<p>According to PTI, the test flight carried 28 people, including five crew members. Among others, officials from aviation regulator DGCA, SpiceJet and the IIP were in the test flight, which was flagged off by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat at Dehradun.</p>
<p>The aircraft&#8217;s right engine was filled with 75 percent aviation turbine fuel (ATF) and 25 percent of biojet fuel. The fuel was prepared by the CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), Dehradun. The institute&#8217;s Director Anjan Ray said around 330 kg of biojet fuel was made for the little over 40-minute flight, per the PTI report.</p>
<p>Biojet fuel is low cost and helps in significantly reducing carbon emissions. &#8220;It has the potential to reduce our dependence on traditional aviation fuel by up to 50 percent on every flight and bring down fares,&#8221; Ajay Singh said.</p>
<p>The biojet fuel has been recognized by American Standard Testing Method (ASTM) and meets the specification standards of Pratt &amp; Whitney and Bombardier for commercial application in aircraft.</p>
<p>Noting that it was a &#8220;historic occasion&#8221; to operate the test flight, SpiceJet chairman and managing director Ajay Singh said India is the first among developing countries to fly flight powered by biojet fuel.</p>
<p>Per SpiceJet, the advantage of using biojet fuel as compared to ATF is that it reduces carbon emissions and enhances fuel efficiency. At a function to mark the successful operation of the test flight, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said efforts are on to have a consumer-friendly, affordable and environment-friendly aviation sector.</p>
<p>Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari added that the government plans to come out with a &#8220;special policy&#8221; for use of biofuel in the aviation sector.</p>
<p>Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan also commented on this feat saying that biojet fuel is carbon neutral and that only &#8220;three to four nations are using biojet fuel&#8221;. He also emphasized that ways should be explored to scale up production of such fuels.</p>
<p>All the ministers opined that increased use of biofuels would also benefit farmers and also help in reducing oil import bill.</p>
<p><strong>Mercom Analysis</strong></p>
<p>In a country like India, where the overall economic growth is fueled by its agrarian sector, biofuels assume great significance in light of the country’s ambitious goals of doubling farmers’ income, import reduction, employment generation, and waste-to-wealth creation. Acknowledging the importance of abundant resources for biofuel in the country,  the union cabinet recently approved the <a href="https://mercomindia.com/cabinet-approves-national-policy-biofuels/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Policy on Biofuels 2018</a>.</p>
<p>Aviation industry could generate demand of biofuels and encourage Indian farmers to indulge in cultivation of crops such as Jatropha. In an <a href="https://mercomindia.com/interview-biofuel-sector-growth-india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview with Mercom</a>, Charmaine Fernandes Sharma, the co-founder of <a href="http://www.observingi.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Observing I</a> had said, “It is not always incentives, but just the creation of a well-defined value chain that will attract entrepreneurial activity and investment in this sector.”</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/saumy/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Saumy Prateek</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/saumy-edited-1.png" alt="Saumy Prateek" /> Saumy is a senior staff reporter with MercomIndia.com covering business and energy news since 2016. Prior to Mercom, Saumy was a copy editor at Thomson Reuters. Saumy earned his Bachelors Degree in Journalism &amp; Mass Communication from the Manipal Institute of Communication at Manipal University. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/saumy/">More articles from Saumy Prateek.</a></p>
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