State mulls solar power use for mid-day meal cooking

Kolkata: The Non-Conventional & Renewable Energy Sources (NRES) department in Bengal aims to introduce solar-powered mid-day meal cooking in 3,500 schools and 1,000 Anganwadi centres.

A successful pilot at a Dum Dum Park school on April 28-29 demonstrated significant savings. The school, using one gas cylinder every three days at Rs 350 daily, could save Rs 230 per day by switching to solar power, according to Barun Kumar Ray, NRES additional chief secretary. Ray announced this at the Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Power Conclave on ‘Powering Bengal’s Future:

Vision 2030 – Scope, Opportunities & Challenges in Power & Renewable Energy Sector.’ He also revealed that Bengal’s draft Renewable Energy Policy will be released in two months, with plans to convert Kolkata street lights to solar, reducing the Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s Rs 350 crore annual power costs.

He emphasised the need for industry and households to shift from CO2-emitting energy sources, noting that green energy transition, though costly, is critical. Ghulam Rabbani, NRES minister, highlighted the conclave’s theme, stressing the urgency of cleaner energy for Bengal’s growth and India’s goal to become a developed nation by 2047, with reduced fossil fuel dependency.