The inauguration ceremony was led by Suzuki Motor Corporation Chairman Toshihiro Suzuki, Banas Dairy Chairman Shankar Chaudhary, and NDDB Chairman Dr. Meenesh Shah. Alongside the operational opening of the biogas processing unit, the partners inaugurated a commercial Bio-CNG dispensing station and flagged off the “Gramin Bharat Taxi” initiative—the country’s first rural-level cooperative taxi service, featuring an initial fleet of nine vehicles owned directly by local drivers under a cooperative framework similar to the dairy sector’s producer-member structure.

The broader Bio-CNG programme represents a combined investment of approximately ₹250 crore backed by Suzuki. The network has expanded from its initial pilot facility at Dama (45 MT daily capacity) to four operational plants with a combined processing footprint of 340 metric tonnes of cattle dung per day, with subsequent facilities already scheduled for construction in Tharad and Radhanpur. The Vinchhiwadi installation is engineered to process up to 100 tonnes of dung daily, generating around 1.5 tonnes of automotive-grade biomethane.

Banas Dairy Chairman Shankar Chaudhary highlighted that Banaskantha district maintains a livestock population of approximately three million head, representing an ecological and economic foundation capable of supporting up to 100 decentralized bio-CNG plants. Beyond generating clean vehicle fuel, the anaerobic digestion process produces high-grade organic bio-fertilizer as a secondary co-product, helping enhance soil organic carbon and supporting chemical-free natural farming among local cultivators.