Compressed Biogas offers India both energy security and a circular rural economy. Evaluate the GOBARdhan scheme in this light.

Compressed Biogas (CBG) is chemically equivalent to natural gas, but it is made from cattle dung, crop residue and organic waste [1]. The Cabinet's ₹23,731 crore GOBARdhan – National Unified Scheme runs from FY 2026-27 to 2035-36 under MoPNG. It aims for roughly a ten-fold rise in CBG output [1]. The scheme is well designed for both goals, but delivery will decide whether it works.

Energy security: strengths

• Import hedge: About 55–60% of India's LNG imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Gas produced at home reduces this chokepoint risk [1].
• Assured buyers: A CBG Obligation in CNG and PNG networks rises from 3% (FY27) to 5% (FY29) [1].
• Price certainty: An administered price of ₹2,110/MMBTU, fixed for at least 10 years, makes projects easier to finance [1].
• Macro gains: The scheme is expected to save over ₹40,000 crore in forex [1].

Circular rural economy: strengths

• Waste to wealth: Dung and stubble become fuel. Farmers earn from them and have less reason to burn crop residue [1].
• By-product value: Market Development Assistance of ₹1,500/tonne supports fermented organic manure, which can replace some chemical fertiliser [1].
• Inclusion: A credit guarantee of up to 85% on MSME loans and capital aid of up to ₹2 crore per TPD make it easier for rural entrepreneurs to enter [1].

Weaknesses and risks

• Execution record: SATAT aimed for 5,000 plants by 2023-24, but the Standing Committee found only 40 set up [2]. By July 2026, only 217 plants were working [3], against 1,908 registered [1].
• Wrong incentive: Capital subsidy rewards building plants, not producing gas. The Committee asked for output-linked support [2].
• Feedstock seasonality: Crop residue is available for only a few months, so plants need costly storage [2]. Only about ₹248 crore of biomass-machinery aid has been approved so far [1].
• Clearances: Plants need central, state and local approvals, and there is still no single window [2].

GOBARdhan fixes SATAT's gaps on price, assured buyers and capital, so it can serve both energy security and a circular rural economy. The Standing Committee's remedies would help it work in practice [2]:

• shift part of the support to gas actually produced;
• use year-round feedstock such as municipal waste and sugar press mud first;
• have states set up single-window clearance.

With these steps, GOBARdhan can advance SDG 7 (clean energy) and SDG 12 (responsible consumption). Its success will be measured by gas produced, not plants registered.