LUCKNOW, Jan. 16 -- Many villages in Uttar Pradesh are generating wealth from waste while also managing their stray cattle more effectively and creating a cleaner environment. These inspiring success stories are now creating a pattern across the state. Of the 117 biogas plants sanctioned under the panchayati raj department, 115 are operational, 110 of them located inside cow shelters where dung, kitchen waste and agricultural residue are processed daily into clean fuel and organic fertiliser. The installed capacity of all the operating plants together is 6230 cubic metres with a monthly production capacity of 146,742 cubic metres. "Till December 2025, UP panchayats have together earned own source revenue to the extent of around Rs 24 lakh during the last two years by selling manure produced from the leftover slurry, adding a stable revenue stream to local bodies," director (panchayati raj) Amit Kumar Singh said. The government, he said, had planned setting up at least one biogas plant in every district. "The Centre is supporting the expansion through its GOBARdhan scheme, which offers a Rs 50 lakh per plant grant," he said. Sample these: In Lalitpur's Karipahadi village, a biogas plant inside a cow shelter has become the panchayat's engine of transformation. The 85-cubic-metre unit supplies piped biogas to 12 households and powers a 15 KVA generator that runs two flour mills where milling costs have dropped to just Re 1 per kg, drawing people from nearby villages. Revenue from gas supply, milling and organic manure has built a corpus of over Rs 3 lakh in the panchayat's own-source revenue account, while a local farmer employed as caretaker now earns a steady monthly income. Mainpuri's Alapur Khera is showing how a panchayat can run itself like a financially self-reliant institution. Its RO plant supplies affordable drinking water, SHG women manage a resource recovery centre (RRC) that converts cow dung and wet waste into vermicompost and investments in public spaces - from a beautified Amrit Sarovar to a free digital library - have reshaped the village's social life. With own source revenue (OSR) collections of Rs 60,000 this year and more than Rs 1 lakh last year, the panchayat is funding essential services without waiting for departmental releases. In Lucknow's Bakkas, an ODF Plus village, the biogas-linked solid waste system has eliminated garbage heaps and improved overall sanitation. Door-to-door waste collection, systematic segregation and sale of vermicompost have generated over Rs 1 lakh in six months. Cleaner drains, organised waste disposal and revenue reinvestment have turned the village into a model of urban-rural cleanliness. Shravasti's Tandwa Mahant stands out as a showcase of the Govardhan Yojana. Its biogas plant inside the cow shelter runs the village flour mill entirely on gas produced from cattle dung, keeping milling costs at Re 1 per kg. With a daily capacity of two to three quintals, the mill meets household needs and earns steady revenue for the panchayat. The village has also earned more than Rs 50,000 from its solar plant, while the availability of bio-slurry supports natural farming and reduces dependency on chemical fertilisers. According to Shiv Kumar, the pradhan of Tandwa village, the village's biogas plant operates on cow dung collected from around 600 cattle housed in a government-run shelter for stray animals. "The shelter meets all its energy requirements through the power generated by the plant, which also runs a flour mill (aata chakki). In addition, the panchayat earns substantial revenue from the sale of manure," he said. Rampur's Kira Gram Panchayat has demonstrated how biogas can directly substitute costly electricity. Its 85-cubic-metre plant generates enough gas to produce over 25,000 units of electricity a year, saving the panchayat nearly Rs 2.5 lakh lakh and earning over Rs 50,000 more through manure and service charges. The power is used for irrigation, fodder processing and community services, including an oil-press unit that helps local branding of agro-products. One reason cited for the model's rapid acceptance is that the plants are located inside cow shelters turning a long-standing challenge, stray cattle, into a resource. "Regular collection of dung creates an economic incentive to keep cattle in organised shelters, reducing crop damage, accidents and conflicts that once strained both villagers and the administration," deputy director, Raghvendra Dwivedi, pointed out. These villages are being described as "models of rural self-reliance", and officials say biogas plants are emerging as a multi-purpose tool that deliver clean energy, strengthen sanitation, create jobs, support farmers and stabilise cow shelters. The Gobardhan Scheme is a national programme being implemented as a priority initiative under Phase II of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin). Its objective is to help villages effectively manage cattle dung and other biodegradable waste. The aim is to develop GOBARdhan as a people's movement, ensuring that community-level efforts lead to tangible outcomes. The initiative seeks to enhance community awareness and ownership while supporting villages in managing cattle dung, agricultural residue and other organic waste. Under the scheme, districts are provided technical support and financial assistance of up to Rs 50 lakh to ensure safe management of dung and organic waste. This enables villages to generate wealth from waste, improve environmental cleanliness and reduce diseases caused by unhygienic conditions....