India's clean mobility debate often pits EVs against CNG, but the fuel source and supply chain matter more. EVs are winning in two and three wheelers, while heavy trucks and buses still need practical alternatives. Compressed biogas made from paddy straw could fill part of that gap, but only if feedstock collection and year-round supply get solved. A recent TERI study compares fuels across their full life cycles. CBG can be carbon negative when methane from dung is captured and digestate replaces synthetic fertiliser. However, blending obligations alone are not enough. Existing CBG plants run at only 20 to 60 percent capacity because straw is seasonal and aggregation is fragmented. Long-term offtake contracts and simpler clearances would do more than fines to stop stubble burning. The practical path is a mix: electrons for urban trips, green gas for high-mileage vehicles, and farms as both feedstock suppliers and beneficiaries. That is the agricultural lens India's transport policy needs.
