**Executive Summary**
This report highlights the success of the Shrimati Manekba Vinay Vihar Educational Complex in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, in achieving energy self-reliance through waste-to-biogas conversion. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 and the state’s Institutional Biogas Plant Scheme, the institution has eliminated its monthly requirement of 30 LPG cylinders. The project demonstrates a scalable model for sustainable waste management, energy production, and organic farming.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Operational Scale and Infrastructure**
* The institution operates two biogas plants with a total capacity of 90 cubic metres per day.
* The system provides enough fuel to cook meals for over 500 individuals daily, including 250 hostel students and 15 resident staff families.
* Feedstock for the plants includes dung from 222 cows, kitchen waste, and agricultural residue from nearby fields.
* **Environmental and Economic Benefits**
* The transition to biogas has completely negated the need for conventional LPG cylinders.
* The anaerobic decomposition process produces a nitrogen-rich slurry by-product used as organic fertilizer.
* The use of this slurry maintains soil fertility and reduces financial expenditure on chemical agricultural inputs.
* **Government Support and Regional Adoption**
* The Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA) provides financial assistance for plants with capacities between 25 and 85 cubic metres.
* Non-profit institutions are eligible for subsidies of up to 75% to make the technology financially accessible.
* Approximately 193 institutional biogas plants have been established across Gujarat over the last five years.
**Impact Analysis**
**Educational Institutions and Non-Profit Organizations**
**Impact**
These entities can achieve energy self-sufficiency and significant cost savings by eliminating LPG dependence. The availability of high subsidies makes the transition to sustainable energy financially viable.
**Action Required**
Institutions should adopt circular waste management practices and apply for GEDA subsidies to install biogas infrastructure.
**Agricultural Sector and Gaushalas**
**Impact**
Waste from livestock and fields is managed scientifically, reducing pollution. Farmers benefit from the production of high-quality organic manure, facilitating a shift toward organic farming.
**Action Required**
Stakeholders must integrate waste collection systems (for dung and crop residue) with biogas production to maximize resource value.
**Urban India and Municipal Authorities**
**Impact**
Such initiatives support the objectives of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 by promoting cleaner, greener, and self-reliant cities. They provide a scalable pathway for scientific waste disposal in urban and semi-urban settings.
**Action Required**
Policy-makers should continue to implement forward-looking policies and encourage community participation to replicate this model in other regions.
Key Entities Referenced
Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0: The national initiative under which scientific waste management and circular economy projects are promoted to achieve sustainability.
Institutional Biogas Plant Scheme: A Gujarat state government program that provides a framework for institutions to transition from LPG to self-reliant biogas cooking systems.
Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA): The nodal agency responsible for providing financial assistance and up to 75% subsidies for the establishment of institutional biogas plants.
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs: The primary central ministry responsible for the oversight and promotion of urban sustainability and waste management missions.
Shrimati Manekba Vinay Vihar Educational Complex: An educational institution in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, serving as the central model for implementing large-scale waste-to-biogas conversion.
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
GUJARAT INSTITUTION TURNS WASTE INTO
BIOGAS, COOKS 500+ MEALS DAILY
Posted On: 27 APR 2026 1:34PM by PIB Delhi
Demonstrating how efficient waste management can enable energy self-reliance and sustainability, an
educational institution in Gandhinagar prepares 500+ meals daily using two biogas plants, eliminating
LPG dependence.
In a compelling example of innovation under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, an educational
institution in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, has demonstrated how scientific waste management can drive energy
self-reliance and sustainability.
The Shrimati Manekba Vinay Vihar Educational Complex, located near Adalaj and managed by the
Vasumati Charitable Trust, has eliminated its dependence on conventional LPG by transitioning to a
biogas-based cooking system. The campus now prepares meals daily for over 500 individuals - including
approximately 250 hostel students served twice a day and 15 staff families residing on campus.
The institution operates two biogas plants with a combined capacity of 90 cubic metres per day. These
plants utilise dung from 222 cows housed in the trust's cowshed, along with kitchen waste and agricultural
residue from nearby fields. The biogas generated meets the institution's entire cooking fuel requirement,
negating the need for LPG cylinders entirely."We have become self-reliant in cooking gas under Gujarat government's Institutional Biogas Plant
Scheme. The cows provide sufficient dung, and the slurry produced after gas generation is used as manure
in our fields, enabling fully organic farming. Without this plant, we would require around 30 LPG
cylinders every month”, said officials.
Biogas, produced through the anaerobic decomposition of organic waste, is among the most viable,
economical and environmentally friendly cooking fuels available. The by-product slurry, that is rich in
nitrogen, serves as an effective organic fertiliser, reducing dependence on chemical inputs, lowering costs
and maintaining soil fertility. This delivers dual benefit from a single initiative.
The Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA) provides financial assistance for biogas plants with
capacities ranging from 25 to 85 cubic metres. Non-profit institutions are eligible for up to 75% subsidy,
making the transition financially accessible for a wide range of organisations.
Over the past five years, approximately 193 institutional biogas plants have been established across
Gujarat. Gujarat continues to advance alternative energy and sustainable development, reducing pollution,
achieving energy self-sufficiency and enabling the scientific disposal of organic waste from gaushalas and
educational institutions alike.
In line with the objectives of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, such initiatives reflect how cities and
institutions are emerging as frontrunners in the journey towards sustainability. By adopting innovative,
circular approaches to waste management, they are not only reducing environmental impact but also
unlocking the value of waste as a resource. From generating clean energy to promoting organic practices,
these efforts highlight a scalable pathway for urban India, where scientific waste management, community
participation, and forward-looking policies together pave the way for cleaner, greener, and more self-
reliant cities.
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SK
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