The meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to the Ministry of Power was held in Tehri, Uttarakhand today. Union Minister for Power and NRE Shri R. K. Singh chaired the meeting. Minister of State for Power and Heavy Industries Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar was also present at the meeting. Hon’ble Members of Parliament of various political parties took part in the meeting. The MPs present were Sh. Mahabali Singh, Lok Sabha, Sh. Khagen Murmu, Lok Sabha, Dr Amee Yajnik, Rajya Sabha and Sh. Dhiraj Prasad Sahu, Rajya Sabha.
The agenda for the meeting was ‘The Need for Enhancing Hydro Capacity’. Shri R. K. Singh informed that India’s consumption of energy has been growing at an exponential pace. He stated that consumption is an index of development and hence increased energy utilization is an indicator of the evolution of our economy. The Minister highlighted the challenge of tackling climate change while meeting the increased demand for energy. He noted that the per capita emissions of India is less than a third of the world average, while for the developed nations it is four to six folds of the global mean. He also added that nearly 80% of the emission so far are contributed by the developed world. However, in the light of the Paris Agreement, the government has resolved to move towards greener energy.
The Union Minister said that India has already surpassed its target to achieve about 40 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources in November 2021 against the deadline of 2030. He added that there has been exponential growth in the renewable energy capacity of India in the last seven years. He added that at 153 GW installed capacity by renewable sources, India is set to achieve its ambitious target of 500 GW of capacity from Non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. In this context, he added that hydel projects assume importance since it is a source of green and clean energy. The Union Minister said that apart from the direct benefit of clean energy, hydel projects also generate employment, give stability to the grid, improve infrastructure, help in flood management, and result in a multiplier effect on the local economy.
While outlining the challenges of implementing the hydel projects, the Minister emphasised the need to take all stakeholders into confidence and said that communication with the people affected will remain the key to success. He also said that a robust resettlement and rehabilitation plan would help in executing the projects.
Hon’ble Members of Parliament made several suggestions about various initiatives and schemes in the Ministry of Power. Shri Singh closed the meeting thanking the participants for their valuable suggestions.
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VK/NG/RT