 "PM Modi's Mann ki Baat: Waste-to-energy will enrich farmers, power villages")
Addressing the nation in his Mann ki Baat speech on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dwelt at length on an initiative under the mantle of the Swachh Bharat scheme to turn animal and other waste to wealth.
Coining the phrase, Waste to Wealth, Waste to Energy, the Prime Minister said the initiative, called Gobardhan (literally, wealth from cowdung) was largely targeted at the rural sector.
Modi stated that some three million tonnes of animal and kitchen waster were already converted into electricity under this scheme, and added that there were several benefits arising out of this initiative. These included power supply to rural homes, cleaner villages, and greater earnings for the farmer.
In this connection, he spoke about a unique garbage collection drive undertaken by villages in Chhattisgarh's Raipur district. The measure encouraged innovative ideas on waste management and recycling, and educating the masses through the use of song and poetry.
Modi informed the nation that he had read an article about three villages in the Elephanta island off Mumbai, which were electrified 70 years after independence. The Prime Minister said what was most surprising was that it had taken such a long time for power to reach the three villages given that Elephanta is a tourism hub and a world heritage site. What's more, it is in close proximity to the Mumbai, the country's financial capital.
The Prime Minister also dwelt on other issues such as natural disasters and general safety, stating that the country was well-equipped to meet catastrophes like earthquakes and flood. However he urged citizens to make the 'value a safety' an integral part of their lives.
Recounting that March 8 is celebrated as International Women's Day, he proclaimed that the country was moving from women's developmeny to women-led development.
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