PATNA: State energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav on Tuesday said a survey would soon be conducted for generating solar energy in flood-prone areas of Bihar and assessing future possibilities.
Speaking at a conference on ‘Accelerating Rural Development through Enhancing Energy Access’ organized by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in association with Jeevika on Tuesday, the energy minister said the perception of people towards renewable resources needed to be changed.
“Our future depends on green energy. The state education and energy departments and rural development committees should work together to set up systems to harness solar energy. Bihar has high potential for non-conventional energy and setting up solar panels on government schools’ rooftop will change the scenario,” he said.
According to TERI’s director general Ajay Mathur, “The TERI-Jeevika project demonstrates a strong decentralized model which brings together the state government agencies, local communities and the private sector to plug the energy gap that exists even in grid-connected villages.”
Mathur pointed out that the Centre’s Saubhagya scheme aimed at providing electricity to all households. “Under its Lighting a Billion Lives (LaBL) campaign, TERI in partnership with Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (BRLPS), has benefited over 50,000 households across Bihar by providing access to solar home lighting systems and clean cook stoves,” Mathur said and added the programme’s beneficiaries were in Gaya, Khagaria, Madhubani, Purnia and West Champaran districts.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes
