There are very few details in the story, but it’s intriguing nonetheless: Chhattisgarh, a reasonably undeveloped and biodiverse state in the heart of India, aims to plant some 2.5 million acres of jatropha, a source of bio-fuel, in a bid to become “energy secure.”

Chief Minister Raman Singh said the plantations would cover only one million of the state’s eight million hectares of wasteland and would provide energy security to the country by saving at least Rs.100 billion ($2.2 billion) on fuel imports every year.

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“Besides import savings, jatropha cultivation would give the state Rs.40 billion from the sale of seeds. Reducing hazardous pollution from diesel-pumped vehicles, developing greenery in wasteland areas and providing employment to local population would be the other major advantages,” he said.

Hm… using green industry and agriculture to develop and revive rural land while protecting it from old-school, polluting industrial development … if only there were some other country where that might work …

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