India's first jatropha plant coming up in MP

BHOPAL: The movement to promote jatropha - a plant that is a rich source of bio-diesel - will receive a boost when Madhya Pradesh sets up India's first power plant running on the fuel next month.

The plant is coming up at Basgarhi village in Mandla district. "The country's first ever plant commissioned as a pilot project will go into power generation from December 2006," said the state's Additional Chief Secretary Vinod Chaudhary.

The Madhya Pradesh government is making all efforts to electrify every village of the state and the proposed plant will help source power in addition to the conventional modes of power generation.

"If this pilot project succeeds, 10 more villages in far-flung areas of the state would be electrified through jatropha energy in the second phase," the official said.

The Basgarh plant, ready to provide electricity for the domestic use, streetlights, flourmills and other uses, has been set up with financial support from the Union Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Resources.

The district administration has planted 178,000 jatropha saplings to cater to the requirement of the plant.