Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
New Delhi
Describing the biodiversity of India as a “unique treasure” for the entire humankind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to preserve and conserve it.
Addressing his monthly ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio address, the Prime Minister referred to Tamil poetess Avvaiyar to drive home his point.
“What we know is just a handful of sand. What we do not know is like a universe in itself,” he said quoting her.
Similar is the case with the biodiversity of this country, the Prime Minister pointed out.
“The more you know, the more you realise the magnitude of what you do not know. Our biodiversity too is a unique treasure for the entire human kind. We have to preserve it, conserve it and explore further,” he said.
The Prime Minister also hailed the use of a mixture of 10 per cent indigenously produced bio-jet fuel to fly an Indian Air Force transport aircraft, saying such efforts will not only help bring down carbon emissions, but also reduce the country’s dependence on imported crude oil.
Addressing his monthly ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio address, he said “history was made” when an IAF AN-32 aircraft took off from Leh’s Kushok Bakula Rimpoche airport using a mixture of 10 per cent Indian bio-jet fuel.
“This was the first time that this mix was used in both engines. Not just that, the airport from which this plane took off from Leh is not only one of the highest altitude airports in India but also in the world,” the prime minister said.
He pointed out that the bio-jet fuel is prepared from “non-edible tree borne oil” and is procured from various tribal areas of India.
“These efforts will not only reduce carbon emissions but may also reduce India’s dependence on crude oil imports. I congratulate all the people involved in this significant mission, especially the scientists of CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) and Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun, who made it possible to develop the technology to fly an aircraft with bio-fuel,” he said.
Such efforts, The Prime Minister said, also empower the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the government.
