GOBARdhan — Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan — is India's umbrella programme to convert cattle dung, crop residue, press mud and municipal organic waste into compressed biogas (CBG) and organic manure.

Basic Details

  • Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (restructured in August 2026; earlier phases were driven by the Ministry of Jal Shakli's Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation).
  • Origin: Launched in 2018 under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) as a rural sanitation and biogas initiative.
  • Current Form: Reconstituted as the National Circular Bioenergy Scheme by the Union Cabinet on 6 August 2026, with an outlay of ₹23,731 crore for FY 2026-27 to FY 2035-36.
  • Beneficiaries: CBG plant developers and rural entrepreneurs, farmers supplying feedstock, and City Gas Distribution (CGD) entities as offtakers.

Aim and Objectives

  • To establish compressed biogas as a major pillar of India's energy mix, targeting a roughly ten-fold increase in domestic CBG production.
  • To convert agricultural residue, cattle dung, press mud and municipal organic waste into clean fuel and organic manure, strengthening energy security and rural livelihoods.
  • To unify the CBG value chain — offtake, pricing, capital support, infrastructure, credit and technology — under one integrated framework instead of scattered schemes.

Key Features

  • Assured Offtake: City Gas Distribution entities must meet CBG blending targets rising from 3% in FY 2026-27 to 5% from FY 2028-29, across CNG and PNG segments.
  • Administered Pricing: A fixed price of ₹2,110 per MMBTU gives CBG producers long-term revenue certainty.
  • Capital Assistance: Greenfield CBG plants can receive support up to ₹2 crore per tonne per day of installed capacity; brownfield expansions also qualify.
  • Integrated Design: Combines offtake assurance, administered pricing, capital assistance, pipeline connectivity, credit support, and technology/ecosystem development in one framework.

Significance

  • Energy Security: A near ten-fold rise in domestic CBG output would cut India's reliance on imported natural gas and LPG.
  • Circular Economy: Converts waste that would otherwise be burnt or dumped into clean fuel and manure, easing stubble-burning and landfill pressure.
  • Rural Income: Creates a steady income stream for farmers and rural entrepreneurs supplying feedstock or operating CBG plants.