In a bid to tackle stubble burning and boost the renewable energy sector, the Punjab government on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Delhi-based Virgo Corporation for a ₹630 crore biofuel project.
An official statement said that the technology for the project will be provided by the U.S. giant Honeywell.
The MoU was signed here in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and U.S. Ambassador to India Kenneth I. Juster.
Capt. Amarinder said the project would go a long way in containing the environmental pollution due to stubble burning, besides supplementing the income of farmers by helping turn the unmanageable agro-waste into raw material for producing biofuel.
“Every paddy season, the State generates nearly 20 million metric tonnes of paddy straw, which would be scientifically utilised for manufacturing biofuel,” the Chief Minister said.