Dharmendra Pradhan, Petroleum and natural gas Minister, recently said that a biofuel refinery which has been set up at the Numaligarh Refinery (NRL) in Assam, will soon process biofuel from bamboo which is abundantly found in Arunachal Pradesh.
According to reports, a memorandum of understanding ( MoU) has been signed by the Arunachal Pradesh government with NRL for sourcing a three lakh tonnes of bamboo per year from the frontier state. The Chief Minister, Pema Khandu, and the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, were assured by Dharmendra Pradhan that the state’s huge bamboo resources could be trapped to their true potential, which can change the economy of the rural masses.
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Pradhan informed that around 70-80 percent of bamboo resources in Arunachal Pradesh go waste. He further said that only five percent of bamboo resources of the state are used for paper production, while the other five percent goes in the manufacturing of furniture and other building materials. He even explained how the economy of bamboo farmers and the state would change if they start tapping bamboo.
Pradhan suggested setting up small bamboo processing units in rural hubs catering a cluster of villages could be run by unemployed youths. NRL can then collect the processed bamboo from these units or the units can simply deliver it to Numaligarh, calling for a structure like that of Amul.
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The Union Minister said that the ministry has come out with the Vision 2020 document, including an intense roadmap for the northeast in oil and natural gas exploration, research, the extension of production etc. He has requested both Khandu and Rijiju to go through the document and act and plan accordingly. He plans to hold a high level meeting in Arunachal Pradesh to sustainably harvest petroleum and natural gas resources in the state to raise revenue and employment generation. Pradhan hinted that he may visit the state in July and also discussed CSR activities of oil and naural gas PSUs in Arunachal Pradesh. He assured the Chief Minister that he would check the present status and direct oil PSUs to do the needful on Chief Minister’s request to extend and enhance CSR role in the state. He said that critical and priority projects in social sectors, particularly health and education, will be found under CSR.
Highlighting the ambitious Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna (PMUT), the Union Minister said that by the end of the year 2019 every household in the state of Arunachal Pradesh will be connected by LPG. He even requested the Chief Minister and the MoS Home Affairs to launch the scheme in the state and advised them to plan accordingly for it.