Minister for Coal, Railways, Finance and Corporate Affairs Piyush Goyal on Monday said India’s solar power generation capacity would nearly double by the end of current fiscal and more wind power auctions are expected in the coming months.
Speaking at an interactive session organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) here, Mr Goyal said the Centre is planning to introduce solar power for cooking as it is more efficient and environment-friendly With technological advancements in solar power, India is emerging the first major country which is fast transitioning into a new era of carbon-free energy for its citizen, he added.
The Minister said, country is set to exceed the target of 175 GW in renewable energy and touch 200 GW by 2022 which shows the seriousness India attaches to climate change and environment protection.
Highlighting several flagship schemes such as Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Accounts, Jan Suraksha Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana, the Minister stated that these schemes were launched to empower the poor and marginalized people of the country. Under UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable Electricity for All) scheme, he mentioned, India has received world recognition for its energy efficiency initiatives as over 900 million LED bulbs were distributed under UJALA across the country in the last four years.
The union minister claimed that the distribution of LED bulbs helped in saving Rs 45,000 crore in electricity bills and reduced CO2 emissions by over 2.5 crore tonnes annually.
Mentioning the achievements of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led-Central government in the last 4 years, Goyal said, government has been working to provide quality education, quality health services, 24X7 power facility, clean drinking water to all and better rail and road connectivity to connect rural areas with rest part of the country.
The Centre is committed to provide better and dignified life to its citizens, he added.
The minister stated that with GST, tax collection has grown up and good governance had instilled confidence and revived trust of the people on the government.
He urged all to work collectively to build New India in which every citizen can get equal opportunity to lead a dignified life and where life of marginalized and poor people can be changed.
Goyal also released a booklet on 4-years achievements of Indian Railways in West Bengal on this occasion.
Shashwat Genka, President, ICC and Rudra Chatterjee, Senior vice-president, ICC were also present among others on the occasion.
Source: UNI