Speaking at the Pioneer Biofuels 360 Summit in New Delhi, Puri said India is making notable advancements in the bioenergy and natural gas sectors. “We already have 113 compressed biogas (CBG) plants operational, with another 73 currently under construction,” he said, underlining the progress in clean energy infrastructure.

The Minister pointed to the growing number of CNG-compatible vehicles entering the Indian market as another positive development. “If you look at the new car models being launched, many are CNG-compatible. That in itself is a success story,” he added.

Highlighting the scale of LPG distribution in the country, Puri noted that India now has 33.5 crore LPG connections, including 10.5 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. However, despite this extensive network, he admitted that around 60% of LPG is still imported.

“We are defying the usual trends. Even with such wide coverage of LPG connections, we remain dependent on imports,” he said.

To address this gap, the government is pushing forward on multiple fronts to increase domestic fuel production. “Our refineries will scale up output, and we’re ramping up efforts in exploration and production (E&P),” Puri said.

On the natural gas front, he reported positive growth. “Our domestic gas production is rising at an annual rate of 18%, though we still import about 50% of our natural gas requirements,” he noted.

Puri reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India), stressing that while full energy self-sufficiency will take time, progress is being made. “A country like India, facing these challenges, is steadily moving toward self-reliance. In the meantime, we will continue to import, increase domestic production, and diversify our sources,” he said.

India, the third-largest energy consumer globally, currently uses around 5.4 million barrels of oil per day. It imports roughly 80% of its crude oil and 50% of its natural gas needs. To reduce risk and ensure stable supplies, India now sources oil and gas from nearly 40 countries around the world.

Reference : https://bioenergytimes.com/india-expands-bioenergy-network-with-113-cbg-plants-operational-73-under-construction/?utm_

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This policy aims to fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Sahkar-se-Samriddhi’ (Cooperation to Prosperity). It focuses on integrating people’s aspirations and resources with the cooperative system to boost the sector’s contribution to India’s GDP and usher in a new phase of inclusive growth.

The policy envisions strong, economically self-reliant cooperatives that provide their members with opportunities to increase their incomes. It highlights the development of a vibrant cooperative ecosystem and its broad expansion as key steps toward this goal.

Among its goals, The National Cooperation Policy will encourage sugar cooperatives to produce ethanol using alternate feedstocks, including maize, to support the Ethanol Blending Programme, to reduce dependence on crude oil imports.

Since the Ministry of Cooperation was formed in 2021, it has introduced several initiatives to strengthen cooperative sugar mills, including:

-Providing relief from additional income tax for paying higher sugarcane prices to farmers up to Fair and Remunerative or State Advised Prices,

-Allowing sugar mills to claim payments made to sugarcane farmers before 2016–17 as expenditure,

-Reducing GST on molasses from 28% to 5%, among other measures.

At the policy unveiling, Amit Shah said a 40-member committee, chaired by former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu, drafted the comprehensive and forward-looking cooperation policy after extensive consultations. The committee held regional workshops, engaged with cooperative leaders, experts, academicians, ministries, and other stakeholders, and collected about 750 suggestions across 17 meetings. Consultations with the Reserve Bank of India and NABARD helped finalize the policy.

Shah described the new Cooperation Policy as a historic step toward realizing Prime Minister Modi’s vision of ‘Sahkar Se Samriddhi.’ He emphasized the government’s target for India to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2027 while ensuring inclusive development for its 1.4 billion people. He added that the country’s focus is on collective and equitable growth that involves contributions from all citizens, leading to national progress.

Reference : https://bioenergytimes.com/national-cooperation-policy-2025-sugar-cooperatives-to-be-encouraged-to-produce-ethanol-using-alternate-feedstocks-including-maize/?utm_

The post National Cooperation Policy 2025: sugar cooperatives to be encouraged to produce ethanol using alternate feedstocks including maize appeared first on Fuels of the Future Conference 2025.