TERI rekindles its commitment to the cause of environmental protection on 'Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Diwas'
Delhi CM and Minister for New and Renewable Energy and TERI Chief as Special Guests
Tweet-- Vowing its commitment towards addressing the physical, economic and policy aspects of energy, environment and resources, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) along with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, celebrated Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Divas 2007.
At a full capacity packed Talkatora Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, The Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Shri Vilas Muttemwar delivered a key note address along with Smt Sheila Dikshit, Delhi Chief Minister and Dr RK Pachauri, Director General of TERI, who joined the dais for a special address to the 2500 school children present with teachers and civil society think tanks.
Shri Muttemwar said that renewable energy was the only solution in the future to overcome the energy crisis in the country. He said that excessive use of fossil fuels were creating environmental problem in the form of global warming and climate change. “India is blessed with plenty of renewable energy sources such as solar, bio-energy, wind and hydel energy, which are non-depleting, environmental friendly and available in most parts of the country all the time. With such a vast pool of renewable resources available, the ministry is striving to provide energy in every village and lighting in every house.”
Encouraging people, especially children to increase the use of renewable energy to protect the environment the Delhi Chief Minister Ms Sheila Dikshit said, “Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Diwas, serves to educate and mobilize people across the country for environmental protection, to inspire action on personal, community, national and international levels. Through voluntary action, each of us can join in building a productive land in harmony with nature.”
Dr RK Pachauri, Head of TERI and also Chairman of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said, “We at TERI want to rekindle our commitment to the cause and mission to develop and promote technologies and policies for efficient and sustainable use of natural and renewable resources – an undaunting indication of TERI’s intent to help operationalize sustainability at the local and global levels.”
More than 2500 students from Public, Private and Government schools of Delhi participated at the event. Later on the Guests of Honour administered Akshay Urja pledge to the students to avoid excessive consumption of energy derived from conventional sources and to follow the path of renewable energy.
A weeklong series of events, organized by TERI in consonance with school children from all over the National Capital Territory, marked the celebrations for the Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Divas celebrated on 20th August every year, based on the this years common theme, “Akshay Urja ko banaye Manav pragati ka adhar”. The activities ranged from Essay writing competition, Inter-school banner and caricature painting competition, song, skits and a Signature Campaign on the occasion. Solar torches, lanterns and educational kits developed by TERI were given as prizes to students and schools.
Notes to Editor
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
A dynamic and flexible organization with a global vision and a local focus, TERI was established in 1974. While in the initial period the focus was mainly on documentation and information dissemination activities, research activities in the fields of energy, environment and sustainable development were initiated towards the end of 1982. The genesis of these activities lay in TERI’s firm belief that efficient utilization of energy, sustainable use of natural resources, large–scale adoption of renewable energy technologies and reduction of all forms of waste would move the process of development towards the goal of sustainability.
All activities in TERI move from formulating local and national level strategies to suggesting global solutions to critical energy and environment-related issues. It is with this purpose that TERI has established regional centres in Bangalore, Goa, and Guwahati, and a presence in Japan, Malaysia, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates. It has also set up affiliate institutes: TERI–NA (The Energy and Resources Institute, North America) Washington DC, USA, and TERI–Europe, London, UK.
In this world of increasing globalization and buoyed by optimism generated by the success of the Indian economy, TERI moves forward to meet the challenges of the future through the pursuit of excellence embedded in its visionary charter. There are nine research divisions within TERI –
§ Policy Analysis Division
§ Energy–Environment Technology Division
§ Environmental and Industrial Biotechnology Division
§ Biotechnology and Management of Bioresources Division
§ Regulatory Studies and Governance Division
§ Action Programmes Division
§ Information Technology and Services Division
§ Sustainable Development Outreach Division
§ Technology Transfer Division