President Pranab calls for energy conservation policies

Inaugurating the Annual National Energy Conservation Day at a function here on Friday, President of India, Pranab Mukherjee said that it is worthwhile to note that policies to promote energy efficiency, along with high energy prices and structural changes in the Indian economy towards the services sector have resulted in a sharp decline in energy intensity of the Indian economy. This is a direct contribution of policies to reduce energy use during the Eleventh Five Year Plan period which has yielded 10,836 MW of avoided generation capacity. The President informed the gathering that the nations’s demand for energy will double in a short while and the demand for imported energy is likely to increase by 8 per cent annually. Pranab Mukherjee also advocated an equitable and multilateral response to climate change for effective reduction of energy consumption. He added that enforcement of energy conservation policies is critical to climate change. He congratulated the award winners from various industries for working together with the government in its endeavor to promote sustainable development. Calling for an inclusive approach to energy conservation, the President called for greater involvement of the citizens: ‘We have to promote, universal access to energy, while, at the same time, promoting energy efficiency and a shift to cleaner energy sources is imperative.’ We have great expectations from our children and hope and pray that they will excel in diverse fields and make the country proud.

The President also handed over the prizes to several industrial units and other establishments on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion,  Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of State for Power said that industrial units which have participated in this year award scheme of the Ministry of Power, have been collectively able to save 616 MW of equivalent avoided capacity. The total annual energy savings worth Rs. 2,886 crores is achieved by all participating units of National Energy Conservation Award Scheme- 2012. Scindia added that children are the best agents of change and should be made aware of energy saving mechanisms.Union Power secretary, P Uma Shankar, in his welcome address said that the Industrial units and other establishments have already realized the cost effectiveness of energy conservation measures over the years. Honouring their efforts on National Energy Conservation Day gives message to those other industrial units and establishments who may come forward to harness the energy saving potential through various approaches.