The Centre has allocated Rs 37,500 crore for coal gasification to boost production of gas, fertilizers and chemicals, Union minister of state for coal Satish Chandra Dubey said on Friday. Dubey said the move is a major step taken towards self-reliance in fuel.
Speaking at a programme titled Environment Challenges and Insights organised by non-profit outfit Abua Adhikar Manch in Ranchi, Dubey said the country and the world were passing through difficult times and that continuous work on coal gasification had been underway since the Narendra Modi government assumed office.
"A sum of Rs 37,500 crore has been allocated for coal gasification for production of gas, fertilizers and chemicals. The government wants to make the country self-reliant, but the shortcomings of 70 years cannot be rectified in 14 years. Research works are also on to produce more chemicals. People should cooperate in the drive towards self-reliance," he said.
Dubey further said 147 coal blocks, which are non-functional for years, have been shut down and the land will be restored to their original form. He said these areas would be handed over to NGOs for plantation of trees, mainly fruit-bearing varieties. He said the move would aid nature conservation and create livelihood opportunities. He added that water bodies formed due to closed open cast mines could be used for fox nuts production.
Addressing the gathering, waterman of India Rajindra Singh said underground water in Jharkhand had declined and that more than 60 percent of the aquifer was in overdraft, meaning more water was being drawn than replenished. He blamed a greedy development vision and said policymakers were ignoring future generations. He added, "If they cut the head instead of the nails of the nature the latter would not survive."
