Agartala, May 15 (IANS) Tripura Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath on Friday said the state is moving rapidly towards expanding solar energy and announced that all offices of the eight Zila Sabhadhipatis would be brought under solar power by the end of this month.
The Minister made the announcement after chairing the 29th Governing Body Meeting of the Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency here on Friday.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Nath said that all eight Zila Sabhadhipatis are members of the governing body of the Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency and attended the meeting, along with the Secretary of the Power Department and the Director of the Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency.
“In today’s governing committee meeting, we reviewed the progress made on decisions taken during the previous meeting and also prepared plans for the next phase of work. We are giving special emphasis to the power sector and renewable energy initiatives. PM Modi has also highlighted the success of the Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency and Tripura’s solar power initiatives during his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme,” said Nath, who also holds the Agriculture and Parliamentary Affairs portfolios.
The Minister pointed out that the Prime Minister had specially mentioned the Reang tribal-inhabited areas of the state, where electricity was supplied through solar microgrid systems.
“He appreciated the work done in remote areas where electricity has been provided through solar microgrids. Under the Prime Minister Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan scheme, Tripura currently holds the top position in the country, and we are committed to maintaining it. We are working extensively to help farmers through the Prime Minister Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan project. We do not want even a single piece of cultivable land to remain unused,” Nath said.
Sharing an example of the scheme’s impact, the Minister said that a farmer had informed him that, due to the Prime Minister Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan project, he was now successfully cultivating a variety of vegetables with assured irrigation and electricity support.
The Minister further informed that against the target of installing 10,000 solar pumps under the Prime Minister Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan scheme, the Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency has already completed 5,000 installations.
He said that more than 4,000 kan of agricultural land has already been covered under the project, while work is continuing in several other areas.
“Under the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for the North East Region scheme, in areas where conventional electricity connectivity has not yet reached, we are providing electricity through solar microgrids free of cost. Alongside this, arrangements are also being made for drinking water facilities in those remote regions. Today, almost everything depends on electricity and solar energy. Therefore, we are steadily moving towards greater use of solar power,” Nath said.
The Minister also informed that solar panel installations have already been completed in all the offices of the eight District Magistrates of the state.
“Today (Friday), we have made the decision to install solar power systems in all the offices of the eight Zila Sabhadhipatis within this month. We are moving firmly towards green and clean energy. During the meeting, we also took suggestions from all the Sabhadhipatis, and they expressed satisfaction as the works suggested by them in connection with the Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency have already been completed,” the Minister added.
