New Delhi, Dec 8: The Ministerial Conclave on ‘Transforming India – Key Initiatives’ was held in New Delhi yesterday at Petrotech- 2016. Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Shipping, Shri Nitin Gadkari chaired the session. Other dignitaries on the dais were Union Minister for Railways, Shri Suresh Prabhu, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Petroleum & Natural Gas, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of State (IC) for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Anil Madhav Dave.
Addressing the session, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan said that with the present and projected growth of energy sector in India, our initiatives to transform energy have the potential to transform the world. He said that environmental protection and industrial progress are complimentary to each other, which is the crux of ‘Transforming India’.
Shri Pradhan said that the Government took up the challenge of providing Clean Gas i.e. LPG to BPL households through the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). Under this scheme, the Government aims to provide clean gas to 5crore BPL families by 2019. He added that the Government had also set up the largest Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme in the world which ensures that LPG subsidy is directly deposited in the bank account of the consumer, thereby preventing leakage and misuse of subsidy.
Shri Pradhan noted that the schemes of DBT and PMUY have the potential to transform the whole world if applied globally. He said that Energy is not just an Economic Commodity that is traded, but it is a vehicle for Social, Economic and Technological Transformation. He gave the motto of ‘Transforming Energy to World Welfare’.
Talking about the acceptance of Digital Transactions in day to day life by the people, Shri Pradhan said that, in the last four days, digital transactions at various fuel stations across the country have noticed a manifold increase. He also added that over a short span of time, India has developed the expertise and infrastructure for refineries of great complexity which is appreciated by the world.
Speaking at the session, Shri Nitin Gadkari noted that in order to reduce the dependency of Indian economy on imported oil, firstly, logistic costs of the transport sector need to be reduced, which currently is much higher than other countries. Further, there is a need to bring about diversification of the Agriculture sector towards the Energy sector. Plants converting cellulosic biomass to ethanol have already started functioning in India, he added.
Shri Nitin Gadkari also said that presently, India is a Power surplus country, which is an opportunity for diversification of our energy mix towards Clean Fuels like Bio-energy for transport sector, Electric Vehicles etc. Further, talking about the importance of waterways, he added that India has a seafront of over 7500 kms which can be used for bulk of freight transport by building infrastructure for inland and coastal shipping using clean fuels like LNG. The Ministry of Shipping is already implementing projects in this direction and it would reduce our dependence on imported oil to a great extent as well as reduce our carbon emissions, he added.
Speaking on the contribution of his Ministry in achieving energy efficiency and use of clean fuels in Railways, Shri Suresh Prabhu said that Railways is the most environmental friendly mode of transport in India. The Ministry is working towards modernisation of its rolling stock and tracks in order to make the Railways more energy efficient. He added that in the next few years, Railways is taking steps like electrification of all major rail lines and becoming the largest producer of solar power in India soon, after which it would be able to meet its energy needs through clean energy, thereby reducing its dependence on fossil fuels.
During his address, Shri Piyush Goyal said that in order to realize the vision of Prime Minister of India to decrease India’s dependence on imported oil, it is imperative that India becomes self-reliant in using renewable energy for different sectors of economy. We have to ensure that energy efficiency takes centre stage and measures like the introduction of clean fuels, electric vehicles etc. are given priority in India. Ministry of Power is working tirelessly in this direction by initiatives like UJALA LED scheme, PAT scheme etc. and it needs all the stakeholders present at Petrotech to collaborate to achieve this vision, he said.
Shri Anil Madhav Dave, speaking about the importance of balancing environmental sustainability with economic growth, said that India has charted its own path regarding fighting Climate change and there is a need to incorporate cutting edge technologies from around the world according to our needs. The Indian energy sector needs to innovate and adapt in such a way to ensure environmental sustainability along with an energy secure future for the future generations.
Source: PIB
