In the heat of the rise of petrol and diesel prices, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari is still optimistic about bringing down the costs and encouraged farmers to venture into mass production of biofuels which was considered very profitable.
The foundation stones were laid by the union minister for eight construction works worth Rs. 4,251 crores which included four fly-overs between Raipur to Durg yesterday.
"Growth rate of the agriculture sector in Chhattisgarh is very good. Production of rice, wheat, pulses, and sugarcane is abundant here, but the state can also emerge as a biofuel (production) hub," he said.
The very first biofuel-powered flight took off from Dehradun and landed in Delhi recently and it was produced from Jatropha plant in Chhattisgarh, he said.
India is hugely dependent on imports of crude oil worth Rs 8 lakh crore and we will have to reduce this by switching to ethanol, methanol, bio-fuel, and CNG thereby lowering the domestic prices of petrol and diesel.
Gadkari said he had been for past 15 years appealing to the farmers, Adivasis (tribals) and forest-dwellers of the country to take up production ethanol, methanol, bio-fuel, which would make them rich enough to fly planes.
Nitin Gadkari had on 6 September said that the government had decided to exempt electric vehicles (EVs) and automobiles run on alternative fuel from the permit requirement.