In Short : Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami highlighted the huge potential in renewable energy, emphasizing its importance for sustainable development and economic growth. He stressed the need to harness this potential to secure a greener future for the region.
In Detail : Dehradun : Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated and launched various schemes run by UREDA at the Chief Minister’s Camp Office here today. On this occasion, he also inaugurated the portal www.uredaonline.uk.gov.in for application and issuance of grants in the Solar Water Heater Grant Scheme. Solar power plants and solar water heaters installed on government buildings of the state, 1.26 MW solar power plants installed on 27 establishments and 48,400 litre capacity solar water heater plants installed on 44 government buildings were also inaugurated by him on the occasion. Project allocation letters were handed over to 47 beneficiaries of Mukhyamantri Solar Swarojgar Yojana and 4 beneficiaries were given cheques of state grant under PM Suryaghar Yojana.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the importance of renewable energy has increased rapidly across the country. Renewable energy sources have emerged as a better alternative to traditional fossil-based fuels. The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken important steps towards eliminating carbon emissions from India and under the Panchamrit Action Plan, a target has been set to generate 500 Gigawatt renewable energy in India by the year 2030. A target has also been set to make the country carbon neutral by 2070. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kusum Yojana, farmers are getting subsidy and support for the installation of solar pumps and solar power plants, which is also increasing the use of renewable energy in the agricultural sector, Dhami observed.
Dhami said that there is a lot of potential in the field of solar energy and hydropower in Uttarakhand. A new solar energy policy has been formulated to promote solar energy rapidly in the state. A target has been set to install solar power plants on all government buildings in the state by the year 2026. A provision of Rs 100 crore has been made for this. To promote rooftop solar plants, a joint subsidy of 70 percent is being given by the Central and State Government. Under the PM Suryaghar Yojana, a grant of Rs 3.72 crore has been given to 734 beneficiaries in the state so far for the installation of rooftop solar power plants. It has been decided to provide a subsidy of 30 to 50 percent on the installation of solar water heater plants for domestic and non-domestic consumers. Under the Mukhyamantri Solar Swarojgar Yojana, 133 MW solar power plants have been provided to 750 developers so far through the establishment of solar power plants. Through this scheme, a target has been set to establish a solar plant with a capacity of 250 MW by 2026.
Cabinet Minister Ganesh Joshi said that there are many possibilities in the state in the field of solar energy. Solar energy can play an important role in promoting self-employment. Uttarakhand was initially conceptualised as an energy based state. Solar energy can play an important role in promoting energy generation in Uttarakhand.
On this occasion, MLA Banshidhar Bhagat, Secretary Energy R Meenakshi Sundaram, Director UREDA Ranjana Rajguru, MD PTCUL PC Dhyani, Deputy Director General NIC Ashesh Kumar Agarwal, General Manager Punjab National Bank Sachidanand Dubey, Chief Project Officer UREDA Manoj Kumar, Deputy Chief Project Officer, Akhilesh Kumar Sharma, Sandeep Bhatt and Vandana were present.
