New Delhi [India], July 15 : As a pact was signed on Wednesday to establish Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) plants in Delhi for the proper utilization of cow dung, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said initiative would support the government's goal of preventing any dirty water from flowing into the Yamuna river by December 2028.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in the presence of Shah in New Delhi, aimed at cleaning the Yamuna River, improving cleanliness, generating Compressed Bio-Gas, giving a strong boost to organic farming and increasing the income of livestock farmers.
Noting that the agreement includes a provision "to pay livestock farmers Rs 1 per kilogram of cow dung", Shah said work has already started on approximately 80 treatment plants in Delhi for the purification of sewer water and industrial waste, and that "arrangements are being made to ensure that not even a small amount of cow dung enters the Yamuna river in the future."
He said that the processing of cow dung will be completed at the Nangli, Ghoga-Goyla and Ghazipur waste disposal plants.
Calling the agreement a "model" for making all major cities of the country clean, Shah termed the initiative an important step towards fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resolve to purify the Yamuna River.
"The agreement signed today will serve as a model for making all major cities of the country clean. This initiative will not only increase the income of livestock farmers but will also improve cleanliness, generate Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG), and give a strong boost to organic farming," said Shah after the MoU was signed in his presence.
Noting that all citizens of the country want the water of the Yamuna river to be clean, the Home Minister said this dream cannot be realised without stopping the discharge of filth and sewage into the river, and that "the agreement is an important step towards fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resolve to purify the Yamuna river."
Shah stated that achieving this target would be impossible without an effective system for handling the waste generated by 1.25 lakh cattle, and asserted that "by December 2028, the government would ensure that not a single litre of dirty water enters the Yamuna river."
He further said that the symbolic initiative is very important for ensuring cleanliness in all urban areas and for increasing the income of crores of livestock farmers across the country.
"Today's agreement will prove highly significant for all metropolitan cities across the country, and later, through cow dung processing, it will also be very beneficial for livestock farmers in rural areas throughout India," said Shah.
On this occasion, Union Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Union Home Secretary and several senior officials from the Central and Delhi governments were present.