RAS question
Consider the following statements about India's first cooperative-run CBG plant: 1. It will produce 12 tonnes of CBG daily. 2. It will also produce 75 tonnes of potash from jaggery/molasses. 3. The government plans to establish similar units in 15 cooperative sugar factories. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct answer: (D) 1, 2 and 3.
India's first cooperative-run Compressed Biogas plant will produce 12 tons of CBG daily and 75 tons of potash from jaggery/molasses, and the government plans to support similar units in 15 selected cooperative sugar mills.
Explanation
All three statements are correct. Press Information Bureau says that the country's first cooperative multi-feed Compressed Biogas plant was inaugurated at Kopargaon in Ahilyanagar district, Maharashtra, and that it is linked to the Maharshi Shankarrao Kolhe Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana. The plant will produce 12 tons of CBG daily and 75 tons of potash from jaggery/molasses. Both products are currently imported by India, so the project is framed as a self-reliance and circular-economy initiative for cooperative sugar mills. The government will provide full support to 15 selected sugar mills to set up CBG plants and potash granule production units with NCDC assistance.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) It leaves out statement 3, although PIB says the government will support 15 selected sugar mills in setting up CBG plants and potash granule production units.
- (B) It leaves out statement 2, although the plant will produce 75 tons of potash from jaggery/molasses.
- (C) It leaves out statement 1, although the plant will produce 12 tons of CBG daily.
Concept
This tests government initiatives in the cooperative sector, especially circular-economy use of sugar-mill by-products. Such questions recur in RAS because they combine agriculture, rural economy, import substitution and cooperative institutions.