Energy Synergy Dialogue on “Delivering Sustainable Energy Security to Rural India”

8th September 2008, New Delhi

World Energy Council-Indian Member Committee’s Energy Synergy Dialogue this time aimed to synergize the needs of half of billion population of rural energy poor of India. The topic of the day was “Delivering Sustainable Energy Security to Rural India”. The Chair of the session and the scientific leader of the Green Revolution Movement and Indian agricultural renaissance, Prof. M. S. Swaminathan, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) & Chairman of M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation made this talk show exclusive. Dr. S. K. Chopra, Advisor (Former Special Secretary), MNRE was the guest speaker and Mr. Anil Razdan, Secretary, Ministry of Power/Chairman (WEC-IMC) & Mr. R. S. Sharma, CMD, NTPC & Member Secretary also addressed the gathering.

Mr. J. K. Mehta, GM, WEC-IMC, Mr. R.S. Sharma, CMD, NTPC, Dr. S. K. Chopra, Advisor (Former Spl. Secy.), MNRE, Prof. M. S. Swaminathan, MP (Rajya Sabha) & Chairman of M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and Mr. Anil Razdan, Secy., Ministry of Power (Second Left to Fourth Right) with energy professional on the occasion of 5th Energy Synergy Dialouge of WEC-IMC

In his welcome address Mr. R. S. Sharma shared that over 2 billion people around the world are without access to modern cooking fuels and 1.7 billion people are without access to electricity and India alone accounts for 40% of this population. He said that while the country is surging ahead economically at a growth rate of 8-9% of GDP, the need of the day is to ensure that the benefits trickle down to economically underprivileged section of the society.

Dr. S. K Chopra in his impressive presentation, emphasized that any endeavor to rural energy development should be pro-poor, pro-women and pro-nature. Food security, nutrition security and ecology security require to be closely linked with Energy Security. Highlighting these linkages, he expressed that even the fuel to cook the food is a greater constraint then the food itself. Agriculture the largest producer of bio-mass, itself needs energy for food production, harvesting and transportation.

Recognizing the essentiality of social engineering to involve the people, he called for Sustainability Science, a mix of Physical Science & Social Science. His model for ensuring sustainable energy security for rural India proposed an integrated rural energy programme with large utilities like NTPC to supply the grid power supported by distributed generation projects at local level which are self sustainable.

Mr. Anil Razdan recommended integration of Rural & Urban Energy programmes .His prescription was that non conventional energy sources should not be limited to rural areas only but the lead for demonstration of usage of non-conventional energy sources should be taken up by urban megacities. He advocated a power sector wherein freedom and facility to use electricity is provided to the people.

Chairing the session, the Living Legend & Father of Economic Ecology, Pro. M. S. Swaminathan, made three keypoints ; first, that Energy Security has correlation with food Security; costs of food goes up with the cost of energy. Second, that local people need to empowered for rural energy development. Third is that the democratic setup of Gram Panchayat can be used to facilitate its organization, management and administration. He suggested that we must launch community rural energy manager in villages. Appreciating the initiative of talk show by WEC-IMC, he quoted that synergy in energy use is the pathway to sustainable energy security and wished a continued success to Indian Member Committee in its effort to take energy to every home and heart in the country.

Followed by a lively discussion amongst the participants on the theme, the session eventually ended with the conclusion that “Take power to the people, they will do the rest.”