Jaipur/ Ajmer, July 15 -- In the middle of growing global concerns over energy security and LPG supplies, a small village in Rajasthan's Bhilwara district has quietly demonstrated an alternative model of complete energy self-reliance. For the past four years, not a single household in Motipur Gram Panchayat has required an LPG cylinder. Instead, all 120 families cook entirely on biogas generated from cattle dung, creating a successful model of clean energy, organic farming and rural sustainability. Located in Asind tehsil, Motipur has become Rajasthan's first village to become completely LPG-free through community-wide adoption of household biogas plants under the National Dairy Development Board's (NDDB) Manure Management Programme. The project was launched in 2021 with the installation of 120 flexible biogas plants, each with a capacity of two cubic metres. Every beneficiary family contributed Rs.10,000 towards the installation cost, while the remaining Rs.30,000 was provided as a subsidy by the NDDB, taking the total cost of each unit to around Rs.40,000. Divisional commissioner Shakti Singh Rathore said the NDDB launched the project four years ago to encourage rural families to adopt clean cooking fuel through household biogas plants. "Each family contributed only Rs.10,000, while the NDDB provided a subsidy of Rs.30,000. Motipur has become the first village in Rajasthan to be completely free from LPG dependence and self-reliant on biogas. The administration is now considering expanding this model to other areas as well," he said. According to officials, the project has helped save nearly 5,300 LPG cylinders over the last four years, translating into savings of more than Rs.63 lakh. On average, every participating household has reduced its annual cooking fuel expenditure by around Rs.11,000 after making the one-time investment. The initiative has also created an additional source of income for villagers. The slurry produced after biogas generation is purchased by Bhilwara Dairy Cooperative at 75 paise per litre. This enables livestock-owning families to earn or save an additional Rs.1,500 to Rs.2,000 every month. The dairy processes the slurry using mechanised equipment and enriches it with rock phosphate to manufacture organic fertiliser, which is then marketed to farmers. A 25-kg bag of the organic manure is sold for about Rs.375, helping reduce dependence on chemical fertilisers while improving soil health. Each participating household owns an average of four to five cattle, providing sufficient dung to operate the biogas plants for daily cooking needs. Besides producing clean fuel, the plants convert cattle waste into valuable organic manure, creating a circular rural economy. Village resident Ratan Singh Rathore said his eight-member family has not purchased a single LPG cylinder since the biogas plant was installed. "The plant provides enough fuel for cooking throughout the day. We also earn additional income from the slurry, while the organic manure has improved our farm's productivity. The plant is easy to maintain, completely safe and does not produce any foul smell," he said....