Numaligarh, Sept. 14 -- India got its first second-generation ethanol plant on Sunday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the Numaligarh Refinery Ltd's bamboo-based refinery unit in Assam. The foundation stone of the NRL Bio Refinery at Numaligarh was laid by the PM himself on February 9, 2019.

This is significant news for Assam in particular, and the northeast region as a whole, as these states grow bamboo in abundance.

In 2014, the ethanol blending was just 1.53 per cent. By 2022, India had achieved a 10 per cent blending rate, five months ahead of schedule. The original target of 20 per cent blending (E20) by 2030 was advanced to 2025 and has already been achieved in the current ethanol supply year (ESY)

The Numaligarh R...