Country’s first flight powered by Biofuel landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport New Delhi today. The test flight took off from Dehradun. Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu, Environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and Minister of State for Civil Aviation Minister Jayant Sinha received the first flight.
In a tweet, Mr Pradhan has said this is a significant boost to encourage alternative fuels. In a first of its kind experiment in India, the Biofuel was developed by Indian Institute of Petroleum- Dehradun. The Minister said this is a huge step towards encouraging sustainable and alternative fuels for the transportation and aviation sector as envisaged in National Biofuels Policy. India is also trying to promote biofuels to reduce dependence on fossil fuel.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 10th of August World Biofuel Day, had said, Biofuel has the power to create a balance between the environment and economic development. He had said, Biofuel is not just science but also a Mantra that will provide a new energy to not only India but also the entire world. Mr Modi had also said, Biofuel is going to transform and improve the quality of life of the people in both rural and urban areas.
Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu stressed on the need to look for alternative sources of fuel. Speaking at a function in New Delhi, Mr Prabhu said an environment-friendly aviation sector is required to create the positive impact on the environment. He said Spice Jet is the first Indian airline to fly on biofuel. The Minister also said the government is working on ideas to make air travel the most environmentally friendly travel in the world,
Mr Prabhu said Civil Aviation Ministry stands committed not only for convenient and environment-friendly travel but also for environment-friendly travel. He said an action plan to this effect will be made keeping in the mind year 2035.
Speaking on the occasion, Science and Technology Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said this is an environment friendly initiative which will reduce the country’s import bills. He said this is the beginning and there is a need to scale up on the mass level.
In his speech, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said the government is planning to use methanol in our shipping sector. He said dependence on biofuel will boost farmers’ income as well. He said it is an ideal example of converting waste to wealth.
