Active role of states needed to harness green energy: Prabhu

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today sought more active participation of states in harnessing renewable energy.
"We will also need the cooperation of states. All the states in India should come forward and make their own state-centric renewable energy policies," he said at Renewable Energy Global Investors Meet (RE-Invest) here.
He further said states, which generate more renewable energy should be given more incentives. State-wise action plans should be formulated and the potential of each district should be mapped, he added.
The Centre has taken many proactive steps in the field of renewable energy and now it is the turn of the states to carry it forward, he said, adding that now clean energy should be made a part of 'Swachh Bharat Mission.

"We are importing coal, oil the kind of fossil fuels that constitutes the largest mix of energy today. Obviously this is not sustainable economically and this is not possible geopolitically....Therefore inevitably we will have to change the energy basket of the country. We have to move towards more and more renewable, he added.
He added that the country's macro economy will be managed in a much better way if there is more more renewable energy, "because to that extent you don't have to import that much of fossil fuel. It would also mean that our current account deficit which always worries us will go down significantly, which will also in a way strengthen our currency.