Bio-diesel plant in Raipur

Taking a leaf out of Brazil's books, Chhattisgarh is planning to opt for bio-diesel vehicles. The first bio-diesel plant of the state will be ready in Raipur in one and a half months.

"Chhattisgarh is working on an action plan, and over the next 10 years, the state will have 100 per cent bio-diesel vehicles. For the past 70 days, my bio-diesel-fuelled vehicle is running without a technical snag," Chief Minister Raman Singh said in a statement.

He urged the central government to declare a bio-diesel policy at the earliest. The state government has launched the jatropha (a plant locally known as ratanjot) cultivation programme on 2 million hectares of barren land, jatropha being a bio-diesel plant. He said bio-diesel could play a crucial role in the economy as well as in improving the lot of the farmers

The chief minister said low-cost bio-diesel plants would be set up at block headquarters, at just Rs 1.10 lakh. He also said bio-diesel extraction techniques were simple and cheap, enabling farmers to do the job at home.

The state government has plans to set up forest committees and self-help groups to collect jatropha seeds. Moreover, private investors will be assisted in cultivating jatropha.

Singh has said private companies would provide technical assistance to farmers, guarantee purchases of jatropha plants, and give crop insurance and finance.