New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday dedicated the Kochi-Mangaluru Natural Gas Pipeline to the Nation through a video conference. The event marks an important milestone towards the creation of ‘One Nation One Gas Grid’.
Governors and Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Kerala, along with Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister termed this day as an important milestone for both the people of Kerala and Karnataka as the two states are being connected by a natural gas pipeline.
He said the pipeline will have a positive impact on the economic growth of these two states. The rapid expansion of the Gas based economy is a must to achieve self-reliant India and cited this as the reason behind Government’s push for ‘One Nation One Gas Grid’.
While listing the advantages of the pipeline, he said, “The pipeline would improve the ease of living in both the states and reduce the expenses of the poor, middle class and entrepreneurs of both the states. He said the pipeline would become the base of the Gas Distribution System in many cities and would form the base of the CNG based transport system in these cities.”
He said the pipeline would provide clean energy to Mangalore Refinery and would play a major role in reducing the pollution in both states. He added the reduction of pollution will have a direct impact on the environment akin to planting millions of trees which would help in improving people’s health and reducing their health-related expenditure. He said that less pollution and clean air would attract more tourists to the city.
He added that the construction of this pipeline has generated 1.2 million man-days of employment and would develop a new ecosystem of employment and self-employment after its commissioning which would help the fertilizer, petrochemical, and power sector. It will also help India in saving thousands of crores of Foreign exchange for the country.
The Prime Minister cited that experts around the world say that in the 21st century, whichever country emphasizes the most on connectivity and clean energy would reach new heights.
He stressed that the pace of work in the connectivity front in the country happening now is never seen before in earlier decades. He further said in the 27 years before 2014, only a 15 thousand kilometer natural gas pipeline was built. But right now work is underway on more than 16 thousand kilometers of gas pipeline nationwide which will be complete in the next 5-6 years.
The Prime Minister said since 2014, the Government has brought in various reforms across the Oil and Gas sector covering exploration and production, natural gas, marketing, and distribution. He announced that the Government plans to achieve ‘One Nation One Gas Grid’ and to shift to a gas-based economy as this gas has several environmental benefits. He said the Government is taking policy initiatives to increase the share of natural gas in India’s energy basket from 6 Percent to 15 Percent. “Dedication of the Kochi-Mangaluru natural gas pipeline of GAIL is part of our journey to move towards One Nation One Gas Grid. Clean energy is important for a better future. This pipeline will help improve clean energy access” said the Prime Minister
The Prime Minister also talked of the recently launched 20 thousand crores Matasya Samapada Yojna which will directly benefit the lacs of fishermen in Kerala and Karnataka. India is progressing rapidly in fishery-related exports. All steps are being taken to turn India into a quality processed sea-food hub. India can play a major role in fulfilling the growing demand for seaweed, as farmers are being encouraged for seaweed farming.