Sivaganga (Tamil Nadu): A village panchayat's initiative to produce power from the food waste in Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga district was lauded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent Mann ki Bhat.
Kanjirangal Panchayat is located at a distance of 1 km from the Sivaganga District Collectorate. About 500 families live here. The village has been successful in generating electricity from food waste and garbage.
A biogas plant has been set up to generate electricity from waste at a cost of about Rs 66 lakh under the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj National Rurban Project. Under the scheme, the Sivaganga Rural Development Department has started generating electricity using poultry, fish and vegetable waste which are collected in Kanjirangal village and Sivagangai urban areas. The initiative also plays a key role in pollution control.
Engineers say the waste collected here is mixed with water, poured into a tank, milled and used for generating electricity by using a generator. After the generation of electricity, the residue is used as a natural fertilizer for agriculture and the farmers are eagerly coming and collecting them.
According to the Rural Development Department sources, the entire Sivaganga district will become somewhat self-sufficient in electricity if the production capacity of the plant is increased. The fact that the Prime Minister has welcomed the project in his speech has made the Sivagangai district administration even more excited.
