World Environment Day 2021: PM Modi tells farmers to indulge in Organic farming, talks about ethanol blending, renewable energy—check full report

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, June 5, addressed the World Environment Day event via video conferencing. He addressed the environment day event jointly organised by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change via video conferencing.

Modi also interacted with the farmers from Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh on ethanol and biogas use. He exhorted farmers to indulge in organic farming to maintain soil fertility. The PM also added that farmers should focus on diverse farming to save Mother Earth.

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"Sugarcane farmers have benefitted from blending ethanol," he said. PM Modi also urged farmers to use solar energy for agricultural purposes. He said India's agriculture sector is benefitting from a massive campaign for clean energy.

PM also released “Report of the Expert Committee on Road Map for ethanol blending in India 2020-2025".

Now ethanol has become one of the major priorities of 21st century India. The focus on ethanol is having a better impact on the environment as well as on the lives of farmers. Today, we have resolved to meet the target of 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol by 2025, PM added. Ethanol mixing in petrol rose from 1-1.5 per cent in 2014 to 8.5 per cent; ethanol procurement increased from 38 cr litre to 320 cr litre, Modi said.

Addressing a programme on #WorldEnvironmentDay. #IndiasGreenFuture https://t.co/4S0pEuKcVx

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 5, 2021

Our capacity for renewable energy has increased by more than 250 per cent in 6-7 years. India is today in the top-5 countries of the world in terms of installed renewable energy capacity. In this too, the capacity of solar energy has increased by about 15 times in the last 6 years, said the PM.

Today, India is setting an example in front of the world that when it comes to protecting the environment, it is not necessary to block development works while doing so.

"Economy and Ecology can go hand in hand, and India has proved this," he further added.

PM Narendra Modi said that today, a large part of the country's railway network has been electrified. Airports of the country are also being rapidly made solar power-based. Before 2014, only 7 airports had solar power facility, whereas today this number has increased to more than 50.  

Prime Minister Modi also launched three E-100 ethanol dispensing stations in Pune under a pilot project. The Centre will also release an E-20 notification that will allow oil marketing companies to sell 20 per cent ethanol-blended petrol from April 2023.

To protect the climate, it is very important to organise our efforts to protect the environment. When every citizen of the country makes a united effort to maintain the balance of water, air and land, then only we will be able to give a safe environment to our coming generations, concluded the PM.