Nature cure from India

By Shalini Bhutani

In February 2009, India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (mnre) signed a
memorandum of understanding (mou) with the US Department of Energy (doe). The
memorandum formalizes “cooperation in the development of biofuels” between
the two countries.

For the US the focus on biofuels is part of a strategy to de-addict its
oiloholic economy. It is estimated the world’s most energy guzzling country
will require approximately 60 billion gallons of advanced biofuels by 2030. The
Obama government signed the biofuel cooperation agreement with India two weeks
after it was sworn in.


The US-India energy dialogue between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former US
President George Bush had, in 2005, led to the creation of five working
groups�"the most talked of being the one on civil nuclear energy. Less heard of
is the working group on new technology and renewable energy.

The memorandum lists eight areas of cooperation. It seeks the production of
feedstock with active involvement of local communities. There are fears of more
government programmes like National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme being
diverted to encourage US-designed energy cropping. Also on the anvil is the
development of quality planting material�"this will open the gates for new
proprietary technologies.

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