India launched the Biofuel Alliance as a part of its bold mission to achieve net zero by 2070 without compromising on economic growth and by balancing the ecological needs with strong sustainability principles.
India is still primarily an agrarian country, and the majority of the first and second generation biofuel feedstock from India is dependent on agrarian, biomass resources. Biomass is the root of the majority of Indian biofuels, which are currently operational and are planned for the future. So, for instance, bioethanol blending in India, which has been achieved at 20 per cent primarily comes from sugarcane, grains like rice, and maize.
Other future sources that are explored are agricultural waste, newer feedstocks like bamboo, to tap the lignocellulosic potential of biomass to convert to biofuels. Similarly, biodiesel blending of 5 per cent is encouraged from the cooking oil and oil using non-edible oilseeds like Jatropha and Pongamia, edible oils such as soybean and sunflower, animal fats like tallow, and waste cooking oil.
The country also has the potential for using less common sources like microalgae and certain seaweeds, which are currently being explored. Biodiesel is mostly focused to be produced through the transesterification process, while bioethanol is produced through biochemical processes. In ethanol production, fermentation is done, and then it is followed by distillation. However, for woody biomass with lignocellulosic content, pre-treatment and hydrolysis are required to break down the cellulose into sugars.
In the biofuel resources spectrum of India, the other root is compressed biogas. The SATAT scheme (Sustainable Alternatives Towards Affordable Transportation) promotes the production and use of CBG (compressed biogas) as a green alternative to petrol, diesel, and CNG (compressed natural gas). In a more futuristic frame, biojet fuel is considered for a 2 per cent blending by 2028 using vegetable oils and advanced technologies of alcohol to jet and waste to jet conversion. Other than this, the biofuel feedstock spectrum includes microalgae for 3G biofuels, non-grain-based feedstocks, including agricultural residue, forestry waste, and other biomass, to avoid food security concerns. The vision primarily attempts to reduce the oil import bill, enhance farmer income, promote the rural economy, mitigate climate change impacts, and manage waste.
For this Biofuel Vision of the country to be successful, the Vision of Biofuel Policy of India must be implemented with a coordinated execution method imbibing the principles of Sarvodaya Philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, and the philosophy of Antyodaya, which was popularised by Mahatma Gandhi and later adopted and developed by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. The success of the Biofuel Policy of India and hence the vision of Biofuel Alliance will only happen when in the villages of India the upliftment of all will happen through the production of biofuels by villagers, be it in the form of bioethanol, biodiesel, compressed biogas, and any lignocellulosic biofuel in the long term. It will only be successful if policies are implemented that ensure cooperation and trusteeship in the production and sharing of revenues from production for the village economy, and then within and for the entire value chain at large. Such a trusteeship has to be connected to the soil, cultural practices, and local economy in which market forces and investors have to work together and not see biofuel feedstock or production as just another form of capital. When biofuel production from villages of India will happen through such a trusteeship between villagers, market players, government agencies, and private developers, with risk sharing in a decentralised, self governed way, cooperation will happen over class struggle.
Biofuel will become a hope of cooperation and trusteeship for the future of India which will rely a lot on self reliance (both Swaraj and Swadeshi), labour dignity, non-possession, and equality. All these are necessary principles of the Sarvodaya Philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi and are also reflected in the “Trusteeship Principle” of Rabindranath Tagore. Biofuel Policy Implementation allows the country to realise it through the implementation of its various schemes and programmes.
A programmatic, transparent, decentralised, trusteeship-based self-governed biofuel policy implementation of India, not only will ensure net zero by 2070 but will lead to the realisation of “rise of the last person”. Hence, India’s biofuel policy and clean energy transition through it is not just a transition, but it is a hope and opportunity for – “Prioritising the most vulnerable”, “Inclusive Development”, “Empowerment and Self Reliance”, “Social Equity and Justice”. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay’s Antyodaya highlights all of the above. The socio-political pulse of Biofuel Mission of India lies in India’s villages, and hence a seamless integration of all “Sarvodaya” and “Antyodaya” Principles in all implementation plans of Biofuel Policy of India is a necessary condition.
India’s National Bio-Energy Mission (NBEM) and the updated National Policy on Biofuels (2018, revised in 2022) provide strong foundations for this vision, with robust financial incentives, viability gap funding, and regulatory measures. Currently, the Biofuel sector policy encourages private investment and innovation, with capital subsidies covering up to 30 per cent of project costs for new biofuel plants, easy licensing, and tax waivers to attract diverse players and technologies. The thought should be to reflect whether, in each of these measures, “Sarvodaya” and “Antyodaya” Principles are ensured. Schemes like the Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana exemplify the commitment to 2G and 3 G biofuel technologies, which not only improve yield and sustainability but also address rural pollution and stubble burning challenges.
However, are these technologies agnostic to the “Sarvodaya” and Antyodaya” principles. A regular policy reflection and monitoring needs to be done in this regard. This is because, the repeated rise of concerns around food versus fuel, ecological impacts of large-scale feedstock diversion, and the integration of small farmers into value chains call for carefully calibrated policy interventions and continuous stakeholder engagement push us to think and self reflect on how “Sarvodaya” and “Antyodaya” principles have to be the core thematic principles of India’s Biofuel and Clean Energy Transition. India’s Biofuel Vision is bold, and the policy implementation of that vision is an opportunity to establish a new form of “Social Trusteeship” in and for the Global South with a voice that is primarily people-centric. The time has therefore come to innovate and reinvent “Trusteeship” Capital in the enforcement of India’s Biofuel Mission for a People Centric Net Zero By 2070 in India!
The writer is a Research Lead, Senior Research Fellow at Ashoka Centre For People Centric Energy Transition and Professor, Advisor at MRIIRS. The views expressed are personal.
