Potential gains

Govt is encouraging use of farm waste

The recent well-judged changes in the policies concerning the management of biomass, including agricultural residues, seem to have the potential to foster its gainful use, rather than letting it go to waste or be disposed of inappropriately to pose environmental hazards. These amendments include fine-tuning the norms for co-firing thermal power plants with pellets made of biomass and a set of new guidelines for disposing of crop leftovers, especially the paddy stubble, which is often torched in-situ in fields. These measures, if implemented meticulously, can help reduce the use of environment-unfriendly fossil fuels, particularly coal, in power plants, strengthen the