Speech of the Hon'ble President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, at the Function to Release the Commemorative Postage Stamp and Present the Renewable Energy Awards

Shri Vilas Muttemwar, Minister of State of New and Renewable Energy,

Dr. Shakeel Ahmad, Minister of State of Communications and Information Technology,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very happy to join you today as we celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and on this occasion to release Commemorative Postage stamps, to launch the new website of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and to give the Renewable Energy Awards.

This is also a very proud and solemn moment for us as we pay tribute to Smt. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister, for her foresight in creating a separate Department of Non-Conventional Energy Sources in 1982. Indiraji strongly believed in the application of modern science and technology for the development of our country and the welfare of our people. She could envision, as far back then, the promise of renewable energy and its immense potential towards diversifying our energy resources to meet the increasing demands for energy. Indiraji's vision was translated into vigorous action by Shri Rajiv Gandhi. Rajivji worked to build a modern India and had a deep and abiding commitment to India's energy security.

Removal of poverty is an immediate imperative for us. The ambitious development goals that we have set for ourselves will require increased use of energy. Today, as we aim for a 10 percent growth rate, we must recognize the critical importance of energy security. Though fossil fuels will continue to be our mainstay in the near future, we will need to realize that they are finite. We will need a new paradigm of energy security to address our development goals - this would imply not only assured supply of energy to our vast population, but also energy that is environment friendly and leads to sustainable development. Along with coal, oil and gas, we need to develop other energy sources such as hydro, nuclear and renewables. We are blessed with diverse natural resources - the sun, wind, water and biomass - which we can harness, for our growing energy requirements in the years to come.

I understand that we have a grid power capacity of over 11,000 MW from renewables, which is about 8 percent of the total installed capacity in the country. Access has been provided to electricity in over 4,000 villages and hamlets through renewables. This has been achieved through the use of indigenous resources and people's participation, while creating employment and new economic opportunities. We need to remind ourselves that despite the progress that we have made in rural electrification, about 45 percent of our rural households continue to have no access to electricity. We must ensure that electricity for all households is provided in a time bound manner.

Local energy generation through locally available renewable resources can provide a host of energy services apart from facilitating decentralized production, income generation and all round development of the rural economy. Energy needs of cooking, lighting and power in our remote and tribal areas and the rural hinterland can be met through simple devices such as improved chulhas, biogas plants, solar lanterns, or systems run on locally available biomass. Such interventions could bring about energy security at the village level through active community participation. The quality of life could be significantly enhanced, particularly of women who most often carry the burden of managing energy and water in rural households. Access to energy will have dramatic impact on productivity in the rural economy and will create opportunities at all levels. Children will have longer time to study, women will have the option to carry out some income generation activity as they will spend less time on collecting water and wood for fuel, farmers will get higher agricultural output with electricity for irrigation and small scale industries could be set up for processing farm produce.

Attention is also being focused on tapping the potential in urban areas and industry. About two million square meters of solar collectors have been installed for water heating. Apart from this, major programmes have been established in new technologies such as hydrogen energy, fuel cells, bio-fuels, etc. Green fuel alternatives will help in making our environment cleaner and bringing down pollution levels. The use of Compressed Natural Gas as a fuel for vehicles has helped reduce emissions and pollutants and its wider use across the country should be encouraged. Similarly, ethanol blended petrol and bio-fuels will lower hydrocarbon emission levels from fuel consumption. Energy generation from waste recycling is another eco-friendly practice that could be explored, especially for the urban areas.

India today is among the global leaders in the development and deployment of renewable energy technologies. A number of technologies have matured, and considerable operational experience is now available from their application in the country. Though we have made good progress in technology development, much more needs to be done. As we aspire to attain the status of a developed nation, we will need to significantly augment our efforts in frontline research and development. We should aim to 'leapfrog' in the development of frontier technologies so as to supplement energy supply to our masses. Cost effective technologies, due to affordability factor, would be more widely used by people and we should also focus on such technologies on our R & D efforts.

It is heartening to note the increasing involvement of the private sector in the renewable energy sector and that industry is playing a major role in the production of renewable energy equipment and development of renewable energy capacities. A few Indian companies in the sector have already attained global leadership in their respective fields. The Clean Development Mechanism has been working well for us and our industry is seeking out opportunities from the expanding carbon trading market.

We have a vested interest, along with all other nations, in making our planet secure for future generations. Though our Green House Gas emissions are among the lowest in per capita terms, we fully recognize our responsibility as a developing country, and have been lending weight to global efforts towards protecting the environment. We have made considerable progress on our own, but our efforts could get significantly enhanced through greater flow of resources and technology from the developed countries. This will not only spur growth and alleviate poverty but help us to realize our development goals, while addressing environmental concerns in a sustainable manner. Access to critical and promising clean, new and renewable energy technologies to developing countries should be the key in the global environment agenda.

Massive information and awareness campaigns will be necessary to make renewable energy a part of our daily lives. I am informed that the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has taken several initiatives in this direction. District Advisory Committees for Renewable Energy have been set up, renewable Energy is being incorporated in the curricula at different educational levels, a National Renewable Energy Quiz competition was run for school children on television and an Akshay Urja Newsletter has been started for providing information about renewable energy. Such efforts must continue for deeper and wider dissemination of knowledge about non-conventional sources of energy and their utilization. The media can play an important role in spreading the message and awareness about renewable energy across the country. Civil society and NGOs can contribute to create awareness and motivate people to use alternative renewable energy sources.

Our endeavour is to make India a leader in the New and Renewable Energy sector in the shortest possible time. All the people of the country, in all walks of life, should come together to promote the use of renewable energy as a National movement.

I congratulate the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and commend the efforts of Minister, Shri Vilas Muttemwar, and all officers and staff on this occasion, as we celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the Ministry. I am sure that the Ministry would not only maintain the momentum that has been built over the years but get geared up to face new challenges ahead.

I also congratulate all those who have won the Renewable Energy Awards for their commendable work, and wish them every success in their pursuit to popularize the cause of new and renewable energy.

Thank you. 
JAI HIND