New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu said on Thursday energy efficiency and renewable energy are the key pillars for achieving India's goal of net-zero emissions. Addressing officers of the Central Power Engineering Service (2018, 2020 and 2021 batches) and probationers of the Indian Trade Service (2022 batch) at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the President said that the power sector is one of the prime movers for India's development.
"One of the indicators of the socio-economic progress of a country is energy demand and consumption. Therefore, as India moves ahead to become the third largest economy of the world, demand and consumption of power will certainly increase, which will further drive the country's development," she added.
"According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), energy efficiency is called the "first fuel" in clean energy transitions as it provides some of the quickest and most cost-effective climate change mitigation options", she noted.
"It also reduces energy bills and strengthens energy security. I urge you to focus on increasing energy efficiency, which will make it easier to achieve the climate change-related goals. You may face several challenges in the process of energy transition and grid integration, but you must play a productive role in adopting a holistic approach to address the challenges," Murmu told the Central Power Engineering Service officers.
She said that the future of the power sector lies in research and innovation, be it in energy storage, grid management or new forms of energy generation. "I urge you to give importance to research and development in the power sector so that India remains competitive at the global stage," Murmu told the officers.
Murmu said that the social, economic and political interests of a country are interlinked and whatever decisions the officers take, will have an impact on the overall development of the country.
Addressing the officers, President Murmu said that they are not just trade regulators, but trade facilitators too. She also mentioned that the officers require a holistic outlook as well as specific domain expertise to comprehend and handle global challenges.
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