India to generate 175 GW of clean energy by 2022: Minister

Union Minister for Science andTechnology Harsh Vardhan said on Monday that the country was on course to generate 175 GW of clean energy by 2022.

"You know our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) has said that by 2022, we want to have at least 175 GW of clean energy production in thecountry, out of which 100 GW would be through solar and rest throughother sources", he said here.

"We are making good progress. In fact, we are leading from the front," the Minister said after inaugurating the National Interdisciplinary Centre for Energy Research and the National Clean Coal Research and Development Centre at the Indian Institute of Science here," he said.

The country has set a target of reducing the emission of greenhouse gases between 33 per cent and 35 per cent to combat climate change and global warming. So far, the country has been able to reduce it to 21 per cent, Harsh Vardhan said.

Speaking about the 'Ayushman Bharat', a health insurace scheme, the Minister, who also holds the Health portfolio, said more than 50 lakh people have availed themselves of benefits under it over the past one year, and the government has spent Rs 7,500 crore.

The government, he said, was trying to build "good quality synergy" in terms of research work at various laboratories which, he added, was lacking earlier.

This synergy would help achieve the Prime Minister's vision of making the country among top scientific nations by 2030", Harsh Vardhan said, adding, the country was already ranked number three in the world in the field of nano technology.