"Compressed biogas can simultaneously address India's energy import dependence, crop-residue burning and soil degradation." Critically examine this with reference to the GOBARdhan scheme.

Compressed biogas (CBG) is a methane-rich gas made from farm residue, dung and food waste, and it can replace fossil CNG [1]. The expanded ₹23,731-crore GOBARdhan scheme gives capital assistance and also guarantees that the gas will be bought. It aims to raise CBG output ten-fold, from 0.4 to 4–6 mmscmd [1]. The scheme's design supports the claim of a triple benefit, but its delivery does not yet.

How CBG addresses the three problems

• Energy imports: it would replace about 10 Mt of fossil fuel and save over ₹40,000 crore in imports. It also supports the goal of raising gas to 15% of the energy mix by 2030, up from 6–7% [1].
• Crop-residue burning: paddy straw becomes feedstock that farmers are paid for, instead of parali that they burn. Farmers move from "Annadatas" to "Urjadatas" [1].
• Soil degradation: plants could yield about 250 Mt of fermented organic manure (FOM) [1]. Market Development Assistance of ₹1,500/tonne helps sell it as Bharat-brand FOM [4].
• Co-benefits: over 40 Mt of CO₂ avoided and more than 1.5 lakh jobs [1]. Bank loans for CBG plants now count as priority-sector lending [5].

Why "simultaneously" is overstated

• Past record: SATAT (2018) aimed for 5,000 plants by 2023–24 [2]. Only about 130 had been commissioned by November 2025 [3].
• Feedstock mismatch: straw arrives only in a short harvest window, but plants run all year, so collecting and storing it is costly. A guaranteed buyer for the gas does not guarantee raw material for the plant.
• Capacity vs output: greenfield plants get ₹1.25 crore per tonne-per-day of capacity [1]. This can reward building plants rather than running them at full load.
• Manure demand: FOM competes with subsidised chemical fertilisers that are easier to apply. The 250 Mt benefit assumes a demand that has not yet been created.
• Coordination: responsibility is split across petroleum, sanitation, agriculture and fertiliser departments, which weakens accountability for the whole value chain.

CBG can genuinely link energy security, clean air and soil health, but only if supply chains keep pace with funding. Three steps would help: release part of the support in tranches tied to gas actually delivered; organise biomass collection at panchayat level, building on existing aggregation support [3]; and have fertiliser companies co-market FOM. Done this way, GOBARdhan can advance SDGs 7, 12 and 13 and India's Net Zero 2070 goal, and turn waste into wealth.