(a) the details of steps being taken by the Government to promote alternative sources of energy in rural areas of the country under the National Action Plan for climate change;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the names of States and the cities identified to be included under the said action plan?
THE MINISTER OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY (DR. FAROOQ ABDULLAH)
(a),(b)&(c): The Government has been promoting deployment of various alternative/
renewable systems/ devices in the country under various programmes/ schemes. Systems
specific to rural areas include biogas plants, solar lighting systems, solar pumps,
solar cookers/ driers, biomass gasifiers, micro-hydel units/ watermills, aero-generators/
hybrid systems, etc. Consequent to announcement of the National Action Plan for Climate
Change, Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission has been approved recently to give a boost
to deployment of solar energy systems, with an approved target for the first phase upto
March 2013 of 1,100 MW of grid connected solar power plants, 200 MW capacity equivalent
off-grid solar applications and 7 million square metre solar thermal collector area. The
Mission is pan India in scope.