The Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas will buy ethanol produced by sugarcane growers by offering them a support price, Union Minister of State Dharmendra Pradhan has said.
Inaugurating the ‘GAS-In’ facility to supply gas to Hubballi-Dharwad through a spurline here on Sunday, he said the Ministry was ready to purchase any quantity of ethanol produced by the growers at Rs. 48.5 a litre.
Mr. Pradhan said ‘GAS-In’ facility would ensure supply of clean energy to Hubballi-Dharwad. In the beginning, the gas would be supplied to industries. Efforts would be made to extend this facility to the maximum number of households and vehicle owners in the next two-three years. The Union government had set a goal of providing clean energy to the poor and rural families on a priority basis, he said.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s request to the rich to give up LPG subsidy was invoking a good response and nearly 20,000 had given it up in Karnataka.
Earlier, Pralhad Joshi, MP, urged Mr. Pradhan to ensure that a minimum of 5,000 families in Hubballi-Dahrwad were provided with direct LPG connections under the ‘GAS-In’ scheme. The former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar too made a similar demand.
GAIL India Ltd. chairman and managing director B.C. Tripathi said the city gas project would be launched in Bengaluru soon and it would be extended to Hubballi-Dharwad later. GAIL was ready to open any number of extension branches as and when the demand arises, Mr. Tripathi added.
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