The GOBARdhan (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan) is a national scheme launched by the Government of India in April 2018. It was announced in the Budget Speech of February 2018. The scheme was created to address the challenge of solid and liquid waste management in rural areas, particularly after villages achieved Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, by supporting the transition to ODF-Plus under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) (SBM-G) Phase II. Its core objective is the "Waste-to-Wealth" concept, aiming to convert organic waste into valuable resources.
The scheme's mechanism involves incentivizing entrepreneurs and Gram Panchayats to set up community-based plants that convert biodegradable waste, such as cattle dung and agricultural residue, into biogas, Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG), and bio-slurry (organic manure). Financial assistance of up to Rs. 50 lakh per district is provided for setting up community/cluster-based biogas plants under SBM(G) Phase II. A Unified Registration Portal has been established to streamline the registration and monitoring of these plants.
GOBARdhan is an integral component of the SBM-G Phase II and operates on a "Whole-of-Government" approach. The nodal department is the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. It is closely connected to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), which is the nodal ministry for CBG projects under the initiative, and the SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) Scheme.
In the Union Budget 2023, the government announced a significant expansion with the establishment of 500 new 'waste to wealth' plants with an investment of Rs. 10,000 crore. Recent policy changes include extending the CBG–City Gas Distribution (CGD) synchronisation scheme until 2034 and providing a central excise duty exemption for CNG blended with CBG to prevent double taxation. Regulatory changes under the Fertiliser Control Order (FCO) have also been introduced to promote the use of Fermented Organic Manure (FOM) produced by GOBARdhan plants.