Lucknow: The state govt will soon roll out a project to set up domestic biogas plants at village levels aimed at providing cheap fuel to farmers and villagers. The domestic biogas units are expected to cut kitchen LPG consumption by 70%.

The units will be installed near individual households or in a village for community use, enabling farmers to produce both cooking gas and organic fertiliser for personal use.

So far, such units were set up in cow shelters.Anurag Srivastava, OSD of the UP Gauseva Commission, said that the project would be implemented under the Gram-Urja model, floated to make villages self-reliant in energy and to promote sustainable agriculture."Unlike earlier models limited to cow shelters, the Yogi Adityanath govt plans to extend this initiative directly to farmers' homes and fields. Biogas units will be installed near individual households or at farms, enabling farmers to produce both cooking gas and organic fertiliser for personal use. This will significantly cut farming costs and improve productivity," he said.The scheme is being integrated with MNREGA, through which employment opportunities will also open up for local residents.

Rural households that participate in the scheme will be able to construct personal cattle sheds and the dung generated will be used in biogas units to produce kitchen fuel. Farmers will also be able to sell the leftover slurry as organic fertiliser to nearby cultivators.Govt also plans to establish biogas and organic fertiliser plants in 43 cow shelters. Each of these shelters is expected to produce up to 50 quintals of slurry per month, which, the official added, will be a valuable resource for nearby farmers engaged in organic farming."This initiative not only advances environmental sustainability but also opens up employment avenues for rural youth. Locals will be engaged in the operation, maintenance, fertiliser distribution and technical support of the biogas plants, generating a new ecosystem of rural employment," he said.