Need to undertake research to turn bio-waste into socially useful and productive products: Gadkari
Nagpur: We lack cooperation, coordination and communication between various departments, counterparts in other government and private organizations which is preventing us from progress and development. Union Cabinet Minister for Surface Transport Nitin Gadkari while addressing the august gathering at the concluding ceremony of International Conference for Research for Resurgence said that he is grateful to the Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal for orgazing such a conference where the need, the direction of research and other very relevant topics were discussed in detail.
Gadkari in his inimitable style delivered a speech where the audience was nodding their head to everything he proposed or stated. He said that Research is very important for our country especially now since we do not know where our country is headed. Our nation is still gripped with Poverty, Hunger and Unemployment. He said that we are a rich nation with poor people. Through this International Conference we have got to know which direction our Research should be undertaken. We can formulate policies and proposals for promoting Research in our educational and professional educational institutions. Our Research should be for the benefit for the crores of poor and needy people.
Our government is committed to national development or progress, good governance and e-governance. This is going to be our mission and objective. Scores of Indians are still without food, clothing and shelter.
Gadkari claimed that though he is not an engineer, he has undertaken and completed the most civil work involving tons of cement on flyovers and expressways. He said that he encourages his department to undertake research and experiments often.
He rued the way the universities, IITs and other esteemed professional colleges have no co-ordination among them. They lack cooperation, coordination and communication. He elaborated this by quoting how every state and every city is different from others and how these professional colleges should undertake Research projects which can allay the problems of that particular state. He said that there exists an imbalance of rural and urban society in India.
Best use of waste to allay unemployment and economic crisis
Gadkari in his usual style quoted many examples of how we can convert waste material into products that are useful to the masses, could provide employment opportunities. We could convert liquid and solid waste for creation of products useful to the masses. He said that Nagpur is the only place where for the first time in India, we sold the sewage water for Rs 18 crores to Maharashtra Government for power generation.
One can get Methanol, CO2 gas and Bio-CNG gas. All the three products can be useful in some or the other ways. We have employed 100 Ton Bio-Digestor where Fruit and Vegetable Waste is converted in the Bio Digestor and Methanol, CO2 gas and Bio-CNG gas is taken out.
He said that how when he (Gadkari) and CM Fadnavis inaugurated a Fish Market in Sadar area on February 12, 2016, and how the fish traders or sellers wanted them to make some arrangement where they can get ice slabs or cubes. He then said that CO2 taken out from the Fruit and Vegetable Waste can be used to make ice-cubes or slabs.
He said that when the officials of NTPC approached him for 40 MLD water, he said that recycled our waste water and gave the clean water for their thermal power generation.
Plastic waste proposed to lay roads
He then elaborated about how he saw huge mountains of garbage piled up in Delhi. When he was passing that way, a thought came to him that they need material to fill-up many places. He said that he directed the officials of the road-transport department to bury all the plastic and other waste material in the Delhi-Mathura Highway that is in the process of being made.
He said that he has directed the Mahila Bachat Gat can get employment and financial benefits if they pick-up waste plastics from various garbage bins. He has agreed to buy plastic waste for Rs 30 per kilogram. He said that even if comes to Rs 45/Kg, they will make a saving of 8% for making electric power. He said that there are five types of wastes
- E-waste
- Plastic waste-which can give 2 lacks
- Metal waste
- Glass waste
- Battery waste (harmful)
- Organic waste.
He said that he has sent the proposal for using the garbage for making roads. He said that out of 9, he has received 8 positive reports.
Gadkari made a very relevant observation and said that there is a need to do away with the bureaucracy and old laws. He added that he does not want to offend any organizers who organize seminars and conference yet he believes in the concept that “Where there is a will, there is a way,” Where there is no will, there is surveys, seminars, conference, committees etc.”
He claimed that the BJP Government has so far changed or amended 900 laws. He said that it is high time that the bureaucracy and old laws should be changed which are proving to be hurdles in the path for new researches.
Electric buses to be cost effective
He urged the engineering students to undertake research projects in automobile sector. He said that we import Rs 8 crores of crude oil. However, with the methane and other innovations, he will ensure that soon Electric busses are running all over India. He said that if we run electric busses there will be reduction in the cost of travel by 30% and will cost only Rs 6-7/-. The second advantage is that it is pollution free, good import substitute and yet is cost effective. He said that the Minister of Power has said that if the buses are charged in the night, it will cost only 50%.
Plan to do away with Naxals
He said that he has recently got information from a sugar mill which had huge quantity of waste sugar. Their R&D finally made a sugar based detergent which is of a better quality that many reputed brands of detergents. He said that he has approached Baba Ramdeo to market it. Gadkari went on to ask Ramdeo Baba to adopt villages of Gadchiroli. He said that he can get some of the best herbs and medicinal plants which will create employment opportunities for the tribals and when they get good money for their labour, then Naxals and Maoists will disappear from there. He added that there is a need for society to bring about vital changes which in turn will bring about economic revolution.
Need for Research in Agriculture and Rural based issues
He said that there is an urgent need to undertake Research in Agriculture and Rural based issues. He said that we should undertake research of converting various rural waste material into socially useful products. He elaborated how the Thermal Power Plants spew out enormous amounts of fly-ash. He said that he has made the construction people to use bricks made out of fly ash to develop or make a house costing Rs 1000 per square feet. This will cost Rs 5 lakhs per house which even a poor man can afford. The government is giving a subsidy of Rs. 1.5 lakhs so the house will cost only Rs. 3.5 lakhs.
Best out of waste
He said that the cut hair collected from hair saloons have be used to make Amino Acid. This Amino Acid has proved to be very beneficial for farmers or gardens. So good is the Amino Acid developed from cut hair that recently the company had purchased five trucks for Rs Crores from Tirupathi Temple. The Amino Acid will prove very useful for the farmers of Vidarbha.
Gadkari concluded by saying that a time has come when we should motivate students from our professional colleges to undertake Research projects that will make our poor people into rich people in our rich nation.
Earlier Member of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) constituted to replace the Planning Commission N K Saraswat addressed the gathering at the concluding ceremony of International Conference for Research for Resurgence and said that Research is necessary for growth of our nation. He said that we need to develop a strategy for a value added research. This will help us in working towards self-sufficiency in every aspect. We need to get an independence from controls. He said that our National priority should be to undertake Research driven by requirement.
We should not be undertaking research to develop products or innovate products or goods only to serve the people of the nation but also to be at par with America and other developed nations.
He spoke about the Trajectory of research which includes three components:
- Bio
- Nano and
- IT
We need to develop an innovation culture in our society. Research is a passion. He cautioned the students that if you are looking for a 9 to 5 job, you should take it up in some government office but if you are undertaking a research, you have to work 24 hours and day and very passionately at that.
He concluded with a concept that what we need today is not quantity but qualitative research in the right direction.
