The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has called for promoting solar energy in the country to attain the goals of energy security and to meet the challenges arising from climatic changes. He was addressing a public meeting in Jaipur today after dedicating the first phase of Jawahar Lal Nehru National Solar Energy Mission to the nation.

He said the requirement of energy has gone up considerably during the last decade. The country has to depend on petrol, diesel and coal to meet this requirement, which not only proves expensive but is harmful for the environment also. The Prime Minister said that renewable energy is best alternative to this. With this objective, Jawahar Lal Nehru National Solar Energy Mission has been started with a target to generate 20, 000 Megawatt solar power by the end of 2020.

Commenting on the rapid pace of urbanization, the Prime Minister said that providing a good public transport system to 60 crore people who will be residing in the cities by 2031 will be a big challenge. He said that Metro rail project is the only solution to this problem.

Referring to welfare schemes like MGNREGA, MDM, NRHM and Food Security, Dr. Man Mohan Singh said that these schemes have been instrumental in improving the quality of life of the people and infrastructural development in the country.

Speaking on the occasion the Chief Minster Ashok Gehlot said that additional generation of 7222 Megawatt electricity in last five years is a big leap in the field of power generation in Rajasthan.

The Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Dr. Farooq Abdullah informed the gathering that under the Jawahar Lal Nehru National Solar Energy Mission, 1970 Megawatt solar power has already been added to the national power grid. He said that India is blessed with ample opportunities of solar and wind energy generation.