RAIPUR,INDIA: Chhattisgarh has taken a significant leap towards environmental sustainability and achieving net zero emissions with the signing of a historic tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Friday. The agreement, involving the Chhattisgarh Biofuel Development Authority (CBDA), GAIL India Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), and six municipal corporations, aims to produce compressed biogas (CBG) from municipal solid waste.

Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai, presiding over the signing ceremony at the Chief Minister’s Residence Office, emphasized the initiative’s importance in cleanliness, energy production, and sustainable development. He praised the collaboration as a milestone in Chhattisgarh’s journey towards a cleaner and greener future.

Six urban bodies—Ambikapur, Raigarh, Korba, Bilaspur, Rajnandgaon, and Dhamtari — will establish biogas plants, utilizing 350 metric tons of municipal solid waste and 500 metric tons of surplus biomass daily. The plants will produce approximately 70 metric tons of compressed biogas daily. GAIL and BPCL will invest around ₹600 crore in these projects, ensuring high-quality implementation. The state will earn approximately ₹6 crore annually in GST from the production and sale of biogas.

The initiative will promote organic farming through by-products, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and contribute significantly to Chhattisgarh’s net-zero emissions goal.

The Chief Minister highlighted the initiative’s alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Mission, which raised awareness about environmental cleanliness. He called on all stakeholders to ensure timely completion of the plants and fulfill the vision of transforming waste into energy while creating employment opportunities.

Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao reinforced the government’s commitment to cleanliness and sustainability, underlining the importance of collaboration with reputed institutions like GAIL and BPCL to achieve the project’s objectives.

The MoU signing was attended by senior officials, including Principal Secretary Subodh Singh, Secretary P. Dayanand, Secretary Dr. Basavaraju S, and representatives from GAIL, BPCL, CBDA, and the six municipal corporations.