MPs ask PM to develop renewable energy sector

A group of parliamentarians Monday submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to implement a slew of environment-friendly measures for the development of renewable energy in the country.

The group of MPs included J.D. Seelam and Jhansi Lakshmi Botcha of the Congress, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Sanjay Jaiswal of the Bharatiya Janata Party, K.P. Ramalingam of DMK, Vandana Chavan of the Nationalist Congress Party, Anup Kumar Saha of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, Shashi Bhusan Behera of the Biju Janata Dal, Jayant Chaudhary of the Rashtriya Lok Dal and Ali Anwar Ansari of the Janata Dal-United.

The memorandum sought enforcement of the recommendations of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) at the state level through amendments in the national electricity policy, enactment of the Renewable Energy Act and mobilisation of low-cost funds for the renewable energy sector.

The group has been putting pressure on the prime minister and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to implement a series of policy, financial and regulatory measures for the development of renewable energy in the country so that targets set in the NAPCC and in the 12th Five Year Plan, are fully met.