Agriculture has been the backbone of the Indian economy for a long time. The way farming is done in India has changed a lot, but dealing with leftover crop parts after harvesting is still a big problem. After harvesting, a lot of leftover stuff is left behind, causing problems like pollution and harming the soil. To tackle this, the Indian government has started the GOBARDhan Scheme. This plan aims to turn the leftover crop parts into useful things.
In this blog, we'll take a closer look at the GOBARDhan Scheme—what it's trying to achieve, its main parts, and how it plans to make a positive difference in managing leftover crop parts in the country.
In India, dealing with leftover parts of crops is a big challenge every year because we have many ways of farming. The usual methods of getting rid of these leftover parts, like burning them, are bad for the environment, the air we breathe, and the health of the soil. When leftover crop parts are burned, it puts harmful stuff in the air, making the air dirty and harmful to people. Also, if we want to put the leftover crop parts directly back into the soil, special machines are needed, and it takes a while for them to break down, which can affect the next round of crops.
To solve the problem of leftover crop parts in a good and lasting way, the Government of India started the GOBARDhan Scheme as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission – Grameen. This scheme, which began in April 2018, aims to do a few important things at the same time. This scheme promotes the creation of wealth from waste, makes rural areas cleaner, and encourages farming that lasts a long time without hurting the environment.
The GOBARDhan Scheme is designed with the following key objectives:
Objective: Create biogas from leftover crops by building biogas plants in communities.
Implementation: The scheme encourages the setting up of biogas plants at the gram panchayat or community level, promoting everyone working together.
Objective: Utilising the biogas generated from crop residue for the production of compressed biogas (bio-CNG).
Implementation: The captured biogas is purified to remove impurities, producing bio-CNG, which is an eco-friendly alternative to regular fuels.
Objective: Use the leftover material from the biogas plant to make organic manure.
Implementation: Process the nutrient-rich leftover material into bio-fertiliser, giving farmers a natural and affordable option instead of chemical fertilisers.
Objective: Building awareness and providing training on the implementation of the GOBARDhan Scheme.
Implementation: Demonstration and training centres are set up to showcase the various components of the scheme, including the operation and benefits of biogas plants.
Objective: Creating linkages between the producers of bio-CNG and potential consumers, such as the transportation sector.
Implementation: The scheme facilitates the marketing and sale of bio-CNG to encourage its adoption as a clean and sustainable fuel.
While the GOBARDhan Scheme presents a good plan for managing leftover crops, there are some challenges to make it work well:
The GOBARDhan Scheme is like a guide for making things better in farming and villages. It helps deal with problems like leftover crops, keeping villages clean, and using clean energy. The plan changes leftover crops into useful things and encourages good practices for the environment. As more people start using the GOBARDhan Scheme, it will make a big difference in making farming cleaner, greener, and better for everyone.