Waste to Wealth Presented by Somnath Pyne Secretary, Freed

The F orce for R ural E mpowerment and E conomic D evelopment 128/18, Hazra Road, 1st Floor Kolkata, India Mobile FREED.org / W:

A Sustainable Business Plan Background Abundant waste lands The waste land is a result of soil erosion, arid nature and also mining activity. The waste land in addition to strip of roadsides railways tracks canal banks can be planted with Jatropha - a plant which bears a fruit which yields an oil which can be used with minerals with mineral diesel oil. FREED creates livelihood for marginal population with income opportunities. Thus creating economic development, reducing their cost of oil consumption, and meeting mandates to use renewable energy.

Resource There is approximately 60 million hectares of wasteland in India and more than 421 million Indians below the poverty line in 8 states. The disadvantaged people do not have access to sustainable livelihoods and suffer from a social environment that worsens over time. About 1,65,000 hectares is waste lands in the West Bengal. Freed trains Self Help Groups that undertake cultivation and fuel extraction, providing marginal population with income opportunities.

Producing Livelihood and Energy By turning the wastelands in India into jatropha plantations to improve the environment and produce bio-fuel. Local marginalized women are employed to cultivate the land which increases their income potential and raises the standard of living. Utilizing waste lands and unused manpower bio- energy is produced which is very valuable to meet the needs of a fast growing economy.

Investment Required $500,000 USD of seed capital is required to develop each 300Ha. unit project. Grants are needed to fund a unit project for which land has been allocated. Grant amounts for subsequent unit projects will be lower because earned income will be used to fund new unit projects. The Government supports it by funding through. MNREGA, CSR funding is available. The environment protection and pollution control regulations also support this program.

Advantage As per directive and recommendation of the Govt. of India all oil marketing companies are to use 20% biodiesel from 2016 – a goal to improve environment, save and stretch the reserve of fossil fuel. As such buyback arrangements with the oil companies/the coal producer. Indian Railways/ National Thermal Power Company etc. can be made as a back to back support.

Methodology The local women is trained to undertake all the operations including planting, maintaining, guarding, harvesting. The cost of labour becomes economical helps the women to achieve a better living standard. The various projects for eg. MNREGA and other similar schemes of the Govt. can be utilized for the innovative social entrepreneurship mode. The role of the private sector will be immensely important in providing the seeding / the technology for improved production, as buyer of Jatropha oil, and provider of technical solution for oil extraction and esterification.

Validation & Associations The Freed model waste to wealth has been accepted at GSBI program, Santa Clara University USA. GSBI is associated with World Bank, Scholls Foundation and Ashoka among others. Freed works with leading PSUs of India and the local and Central Government. Universities and Academic Institution are also partners.

Conclusion Thus by utilizing waste lands, we can produce energy, livelihood as well as wealth. The environmental quality improves by the cultivation of Jatropha. The people will get employment. The cultivation is quite chip because no fertilizer is required. It replaces imported fossil fuels and qualifies for carbon credits.

Thank you