Govt's focus on non-polluting energy sources to boost private, public transport: Gadkari

NEW DELHI: As pollution has become a huge issue in India, the focus of the government is on promoting the use of non-polluting sources to power personal and public transportation, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari has said.

Speaking at the NDTV InfraShakti Awards, the minister said, "We need cost-effective, pollution-free and indigenous transport solutions. Now, Indian Oil is installing 300 ethanol pumps and automobile companies are bringing in flex vehicles."

"So, instead of filling petrol at Rs 120 a litre, it is better to use ethanol at Rs 60 per litre, with the vehicle running 60 per cent on electricity and 40 per cent on ethanol. This will also reduce pollution," he added.

Union Minister Gadkari also stated that he is aiming for a "green revolution" in agriculture.

He emphasised that he has no shortage of funds for his projects and investors are queuing up because "his ministry is sitting on a gold mine."

Union Petroleum Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, who was also at the event, said that the country was using all available forms of energy and the outlook for the sector was never better.

"No matter which way you view it, if you look at green energy, the transition, biofuels... look at the 15 per cent transition we have done. We did 15 per cent biofuel blending. And we are solving the problem in agriculture," the minister said.

At the event, NDTV also spoke with experts about sustainable and climate-resilient infrastructure that protects the environment.

The panelists included -- Amit Singh, CEO of Adani Green Energy; Ashwani Gupta, CEO of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone; Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director of Research and Advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE); and Vinayak Chatterjee, Founder, The Infravision Foundation.

Amit Singh said that a huge surge in electricity demand is "coming our way and looking at what's happening around us in terms of increase in temperature and atmospheric conditions, it's important that sources of electricity become green."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target to install 500 GW renewable energy capacity by 2030.

According to the government, abundant solar energy and local technology are aiding in achieving this target while reducing carbon emissions.

"When we talk about focus on infrastructure, on energy and on industrialisation, all that is about trade. If we look at our figures, 95 per cent of our trade last year was maritime, which is 68 per cent of the value of all India," said Ashwani Gupta.

"This is very clear and more and more efficient trade, not only in India but globally, is going to contribute to this $10 trillion economy," he added.

Anumita Roychowdhury said that there is a takeaway from the summer people just had as first there was a persistent heat wave and then an unprecedented flood.

"It's telling us that climate change is real and constant but we can't keep blaming climate change all the time, keeping in mind the way infrastructure is taking shape today, it aggravates and compounds the impact if we don't get the blueprint right," she added. Vinayak Chatterjee pointed out that India is burdened with very large historical installations of infrastructure from colonial times, be it railway bridges, dams or tunnels.

"We should have a very strong inspection team to keep that infrastructure in check so that railway bridges and dams don't collapse, cracks don't appear in hill towns such as Joshimath," he said.