NEW DELHI, Mar 2:
Promising new initiatives in the field of green energy, Union New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah today expressed hope that the Budget proposals will allow his ministry to ensure that electricity reaches people who do not have access to it till now.
“I am happy with the Budget. We have got sufficient fund and they have promised to give more help once we are done with the complete utilisation of the given money,” Farooq said.
He was addressing around 150 students from Jammu and Kashmir who met him at his residence here under a youth exchange programme ‘Watan Ko Jano.’
Farooq said “this year we are going to take new initiatives related to our ministry which we are planning to make public very soon so that people who do not have access to the electricity may get it”.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram had during his budget speech on Thursday termed as priority the promotion of clean and green energy. He announced schemes for making renewable energy cheaper by providing for low interest bearing funds and to encourage cities and municipalities to set up waste-to-energy projects in PPP mode.
About 150 students have come here from Jammu and Kashmir especially from militancy hit areas as part of the programme organised by the State Rehabilitation Council of Jammu and Kashmir. The students have visited several places in northern India.
“Students’ visit here was an important one which will help us to connect with them. I want these students to go for renewable energy. These students have met so many people. This programme is an excellent initiative and we should take this forward,” the Minister said.
“We have been to places like Chandigarh, Amritsar and others so that these young kids should know about their country, its food, its language and people. We had received very good response from our last year programme,” Hafiza Muzaffar, Director of State Rehabilitation Council, said.
“Initially the students were scared. We took the initiative to give exposure to these young students who got themselves registered at the district offices and from there they got selected for this programme,” she said. (PTI)
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