Puducherry: M Venkaiah Naidu, Vice Presiden of India, urged large institutions and public sector organisations to strive towards sustainability in their operations by using renewable energy. He also suggested more adoption of rooftop solar plants in industries and big establishments like universities and government buildings and godowns. He was inaugurating 1.5 Megawatt rooftop solar power plant at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry, as per press release.
Naidu said that India is fast moving towards becoming the global leader for ‘energy transition’. He also hailed the recent landmark of 100 Gigawatt of installed renewable energy capacity in India. He also advocated the need to make solar rooftop plants, solar water heaters and rainwater harvesting mandatory for large buildings and government organisations, along with ensuring sufficient light and ventilation.
Naidu called for State, Central and UT governments to work together as Team India to popularise the tapping of solar energy and bring about greater awareness among people on the benefits of installing solar panels on their rooftops. He called for massive campaigns to publicize the subsidy programmes for solar rooftop systems and the resultant electricity savings.
Naidu also stressed the importance of ventilation and air circulation in buildings from the insights of Covid pandemic. "Sunlight is a natural disinfectant. Our ancestors understood this – it reflected in their planning and construction of houses”, Naidu noted. He underscored the need to create living and working spaces with ample ventilation and natural light in order to maintain good health.
Naidu also commended medical institutions like JIPMER for showing extraordinary resolve during the pandemic and rising to the occasion. He said that due to the collective efforts of such institutions, doctors, medical staff, and healthcare workers, the country has been fighting the pandemic effectively.
Lt. Governor of Puducherry, Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, Chief Minister, N. Rangasamy, Speaker, Puducherry Assembly, Embalam R. Selvam, Lok Sabha MP V. Vaithilingam, MLA from Puducherry, V. Aroumougame, Director, JIPMER, Puducherry, Dr. Rakesh Aggarwal and others were present during the event.
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