India has potential to become solar energy leader: Venkaiah Naidu

Noida, UP, Mar 10: India has huge potential to become the leader in solar energy sector, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Saturday.
However, the Indian electrical equipment industry, which provided direct employment to 5 lakh people, was facing stiff competition from imports and was seeking creation of a level playing field for the domestic industry, he admitted and expressed confidence that the power sector would rise to the occasion and ensure quality of international standards.
Mr Naidu was addressing the inaugural session of ELECRAMA 2018, organised by the Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturing Association, in Noida, UP on Saturday. Union Minister for Commerce & Industry Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
The Vice President also said global warming and climate change were affecting every aspect of life and any new policy had to factor in the urgent need to protect the environment and ensure sustainable development. ‘With India ranking second in Renewable Energy Attractive Index 2017, this sector is bound to play a major role in the years ahead. Energy storage technologies are needed not only to create more resilient infrastructure but also to bring down costs,’ he added.
Referring to the various initiatives taken by the government that had improved India’s rank in World Bank’s Ease of Getting Electricity Index from 99 to 26, he pointed out that by December 2017-end, only 1,370 villages remained to be electrified of the last 18,452 un-electrified villages.
Apart from providing direct employment to 5 lakh people, the industry provided indirect employment to 10 lakh others and more than 50 lakh across the entire value chain. The Indian electrical equipment industry consisted of generation, transmission, distribution and allied equipment, an official release here said.