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KOCHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said his government was aimed at creation of a “One nation, one gas grid” by more than doubling the share of natural gas in the country’s energy basket besides diversifying the energy sources. He was dedicating the 450-km natural gas pipeline from Kochi in Kerala to Mangaluru in Karnataka via videoconferencing.
Modi said the gas pipeline would make a positive impact on the economic growth of both the states, improve the standard of living of people and reduce expenses of both the poor and entrepreneurs alike. The project will also play a major role in reducing pollution.
The pipeline, which involved generation of 1.2 million man-days of employment, will help develop a new ecosystem of employment and selfemployment involving various sectors like fertilizer, petrochemical and power. It will also help India save thousands of crores of rupees in foreign exchange, he said.
The Prime Minister said India was witnessing unprecedented work on highways, railway, metro, air, water, digital and gas connectivity under his government. Only 15,000km of natural gas pipeline were built in 27 years prior to 2014 but as of now, work is underway along more than 16,000km of gas pipeline nationwide, which would be completed in the next five-six years. The government has brought in various reforms across the oil and gas sector.
Plan to develop blue economy in coastal states
Modi said the goal of ‘One nation, one gas grid’ would help shift to a gas-based economy and the government was taking policy initiatives to increase the share of natural gas in India’s energy basket from 6% to 15%. On one hand, focus is being laid on natural gas to meet the country’s energy needs while on the other, energy resources are being diversified. Efforts are on to produce ethanol from rice and sugarcane and a 10-year goal has been set to blend 20% ethanol in petrol.
The government is committed to providing affordable, pollution-free fuel and electricity to every citizen, he said. The focus on renewable energy will also help India meet its COP-21 commitments for cutting carbon emissions.
The Prime Minister also said there was a comprehensive plan for the development of the blue economy in Karnataka, Kerala and other south Indian coastal states. Measures have been initiated to help fishermen with deep sea fishing, form a separate fisheries department and provide affordable loans and Kisan credit cards to those engaged in aquaculture. Citing the recently launched 20,000-crore Matsya Sampada Yojana, he said steps were being taken to turn India into a seafood hub.
Speaking on the occasion, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state government had fulfilled one of the important promises in the LDF election manifesto. There had been many obstacles before the project and the government could overcome all of them. The work on the project had stopped in 2014 but the government took it forward in 2016 and people stood by the government, he said.
TOI