Bhopal, Sep 25 (PTI) Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said the use of ethanol could help raise farmers' income and reduce India's dependence on petroleum imports, as he called for wider adoption of alternative fuels and cleaner public transport.

He was addressing a programme here after launching Madhya Pradesh's new public bus service with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.

"Today, the farmer is not only our 'anna data' (food provider) but also our 'urja data' (energy provider)," Gadkari said.

Ethanol production has already benefited farmers, the Road Transport and Highways Minister said, citing the increase in maize prices from around Rs 1,200 per quintal to Rs 2,600 per quintal after ethanol production began.

"This is the meaning of swadeshi, self-reliance and independence," he said.

The minister said flex-fuel engines, capable of running on 100 per cent ethanol, were being developed and vehicles using this technology would be introduced.

India imports petroleum worth around Rs 22 lakh crore, he said, and stressed the need to reduce the country's dependence on imported fuel by using ethanol, electricity, hydrogen and other alternative energy sources.

The government was also promoting electric vehicles. Electric tractors had been introduced and hydrogen-powered vehicles were being developed, according to Gadkari.

"I travel in a hydrogen vehicle. Its name is Mirai, which means future," he said, adding that hydrogen buses would be introduced on 10 routes.

Using clean fuels would help reduce pollution and fuel imports without compromising on safety, the

Speaking about public transport, Gadkari said the new bus service launched in Madhya Pradesh would provide safer, affordable and accountable transport facilities, particularly to poorer sections of society.

"Poor people should get facilities. They should get better facilities in AC buses and the ticket fare should be 30 per cent lower than that of diesel buses. This is our dream," he said.

Gadkari said the government wanted to make public transport more popular in India and pointed out that the transport sector accounted for a substantial share of pollution.

He said the government was working on several measures to improve bus safety and quality, including stricter testing requirements before registration.

Gadkari said buses would also be made more accessible for persons with disabilities and senior citizens, with designs enabling easier boarding.

He said the government was promoting the scrapping of old vehicles and increasing the number of vehicle scrapping and testing centres.

Gadkari said 32 driving centres had been started in Madhya Pradesh to address the shortage of trained drivers.

The minister also highlighted the potential of converting waste into fuel, saying Nagpur was producing 28 tonnes of CNG daily from waste and that around 4,000 such projects were being taken up across the country.

Such projects would help farmers earn additional income while reducing imports and pollution, he said.

Gadkari said the Centre's PM e-Bus Sewa scheme envisaged deployment of 10,000 buses with an outlay of Rs 57,000 crore and was expected to generate 45 lakh to 55 lakh jobs. He said 972 buses had been sanctioned under the scheme.

He said India had about two buses per 1,000 people, compared to the requirement of eight buses per 1,000 people, indicating the need for a substantial expansion of public transport.

The government wanted to facilitate the manufacture of two lakh buses in three years and make India a global leader in the automobile industry, the minister said.

The country's automobile sector has grown from being the world's seventh-largest to the third-largest, after overtaking Japan, he added.

Gadkari said the transport sector accounted for around 40 per cent of the country's air pollution adding that he took responsibility for addressing the problem.

He said amendments to motor vehicle rules in 2019 had enabled private vehicle owners to use their vehicles as taxis, creating employment opportunities.

"These small decisions have created four crore jobs," he said, adding that four crore drivers had found employment -- 1.2 crore through cars, 55 lakh through autorickshaws and 2.5 crore through two-wheelers.

Gadkari said the provision had so far been implemented in only three states and if all states adopted it, up to 12 crore employment opportunities could be created.

"Providing employment to the unemployed is the most important task in the country today. If all states implement this, 12 crore employment opportunities will be created," he said.

Gadkari said if Madhya Pradesh implemented the measure, 40 lakh to 50 lakh unemployed people could earn a livelihood with dignity.

Referring to the philosophy of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, whose birth anniversary falls on Friday, Gadkari said his social thinking was known for "antyodaya" or uplift of the last person standing at the very bottom of society.

Gadkari said the earlier state government bus service had suffered losses and was eventually shut down, but buses were now being introduced under a new model using technology to provide safe, economical and accountable services.

He said the objective was to ensure that poor people could access better transport facilities and that the benefits of development reached those at the bottom of society. PTI LAL MAS NP