(a) whether the Government has established regional units for promotion of new and renewable energy sources in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof alongwith the name of places where the said units have been set up, State-wise including Gujarat; and
(c) the facilities and assistance to be provided to these units for setting up of plants of alternative energy in the country?
THE MINISTER OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY (DR. FAROOQ ABDULLAH)
(a),(b)&(c): Yes, Madam, the Government had set up regional units/offices at Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Guwahati, Patna, Chennai and Bhubaneswar to assist in implementation and monitoring of the Ministry’s schemes for alternative sources of energy in the States. With the establishment of State Nodal Agencies (SNAs), the need for Regional Offices (ROs) was diminished substantially. Hence, the Government decided to wind up the Regional Offices in a phased manner. As on date, only two Regional Offices, one in Guwahati and another in Bhubaneswar are functional.