Karauli, August, 2026.
Dharampal Satyapal Group (DS Group), a leading FMCG conglomerate and multi-business corporation, has announced the “Biogas Village” initiative in Karauli, Rajasthan, to promote clean cooking energy, sustainable agriculture and climate-resilient rural livelihoods. In first phase, the initiative will support the installation of 300 household biogas units, converting locally available cattle dung into renewable cooking fuel.
The initiative builds on DS Group’s ongoing Water Economic Zone (WEZ) project, implemented in partnership with Gram Gaurav Sansthan, across vulnerable communities in Karauli. The region faces recurring droughts, erratic rainfall, groundwater depletion and limited livelihood opportunities, with agriculture and livestock remaining central to rural incomes.
Over the years, the WEZ project has brought together interventions spanning water conservation, climate-resilient agriculture and dairy development. These include water-harvesting structures such as Pokhar, Pagara, Taal and Anicut; WADI models for fruit and vegetable cultivation; improved practices for paddy, pearl millet and pigeon pea; Bio-Resource Centres and Custom Hiring Centres; as well as model cattle sheds, green fodder development, veterinary services and community-based dairy support.
The Biogas Village initiative emerged from two household biogas units installed as demonstration models under the dairy interventions. The experience provided valuable insights into the feasibility of converting cattle dung into a reliable source of clean household energy.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Prabhakant Jain, General Manager, Sustainability and CSR, DS Group, said, said, “For us, sustainability is about creating solutions that deliver value across generations. The Biogas Village initiative by DS Group brings energy, agriculture, livelihoods and environmental stewardship into one integrated model. Through the initiative, DS Group and Gram Gaurav Sansthan demonstrate how locally anchored solutions can help build climate-resilient communities at scale.”
The biogas units will help participating households reduce dependence on firewood, crop residues and dung cakes, while improving air quality and reducing the time and effort associated with traditional cooking fuels. The process will also produce bio-slurry, a nutrient-rich organic input that can be used in agriculture to improve soil health and reduce dependence on chemical fertilisers.
By linking livestock, clean energy and agriculture, the initiative seeks to create a circular rural model in which locally available resources generate multiple benefits—for households, farms and the environment. It also strengthens the larger objective of the WEZ project to build resilient communities through integrated interventions rather than isolated solutions.
The 300 units will serve as the foundation for developing Biogas Villages across the region. Learnings from implementation will help assess adoption, demonstrate the potential for community-level scale-up and encourage wider uptake of decentralised clean-energy solutions.
