Question Mark on Biomass Projects

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Question Mark on Biomass Projects

By Dr Arvind Kumar

An official report released by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry of Japan and published in Japan Times dated 16 February 2011 reveals that none of the government's 214 biomass promotion projects — with public funding coming to ¥6.55 trillion — over the past six years has produced effective results in the struggle against global warming. Japan’s Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, which evaluates public works projects, has called on the agriculture and five other ministries conducting biomass projects using sewage sludge, garbage and wood, to take corrective action. The six ministries taking part in such projects, however, have yet to confirm the financial results for 92, or 44 percent, of the 214 projects, with one bureau official saying: "The figures tell everything. The ministries need to produce certain results because they are using taxpayers' money."

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry spent about ¥1.6 billion on a project to produce livestock feedstuff from unsold boxed lunches from convenience stores. The project was abandoned after its management firm collapsed, the report says. While the six ministries have argued that 161, or 75 percent, of the 214 projects have produced some results, the bureau concluded that none has produced results that would lead to the formation of a recycling-based society, the report says. This example from Japan brings into focus the need for evaluating bio-mass projects in India wth transparecy, accountability and long-term projections of continuing such projects.

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