Urging use of alternative and cost effective fuels to reduce pollution caused by vehicles, union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said finding cost-effective fuels is the need of the hour and underlined that use of fuels like bio-CNG and green hydrogen help in protecting the environment as also save fuel cost.

He said that India's potential for green hydrogen is 5 million metric tonnes per year. “It is the responsibility of all the stakeholders to make these fuels available to the people at cost-effective rates and create awareness among common citizens about the necessity of using these fuels,” he iterated.

Gadkari was in Mumbai to inaugurate the 'Green Hydrogen Conclave.'

Adding that the government is taking up the initiative to create wealth out of waste generated, he said if cost of green hydrogen is high, it will provide no benefit to people. He urged stakeholders to focus on keeping the rates low.

The senior BJP leader said that the country is facing two big challenges. On one hand, he said, import of fossil fuels amounting to lakhs of crores of rupees is posing a huge economic challenge to the country. On the other hand, we are facing a very serious problem of air pollution, particularly in the metro cities. Climate change, he said, has put the focus of discussions on the issue of decarbonisation.
 
Gadkari said to realise the vision of a self-reliant and a five trillion-dollar economy as soon as possible, India needs to focus on more cost effective production, pollution-free and environment-friendly indigenous products that provide alternatives to imports and lessens all sort of pollutions in the country. "Our dream is to make India an exporter of energy,” he said.  

The minister said though we are working fast on thermal, hydro and wind power, we also have to look at nuclear power which is a zero-emission clean energy source. “By linking agriculture with proven technology and power sector many jobs can be created.”