KATHMANDU: Minister for Science, Technology and Environment, Umakant Jha, has said that the government was committed to the development of alternative energy sector.
Inaugurating the ‘Clean Stoves Fair-2013’ organised by the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre, here today, Minister Jha said that the government has put such technology in high-priority to resolve energy crisis of the country through alternative energy at a time when building large scale hydropower projects was a failure.
Stating that the government has a target to make houses free from smokes by taking energy technologies to all houses of the country by 2017, he said it was necessary to develop new technologies to fulfill the target and such fairs would be helpful for the publicity of such technologies.
On the occasion, Vice-Chairman of the National Planning Commission (NPC), Dr. Rabindra Kumar Shakya, said that new technology should displace the resources and technologies of energy used in a traditional way.
Secretary at the Ministry, Somlal Subedi, said that around 87 per cent people across the nation are using energy through traditional technology.
Subedi said that the government has set a target to take technologies of clean energy at every household of the country by 2017 and stressed on the need of support of all stakeholders to fulfill the target.
Similarly, Energy Department Chief of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Gyanendra Lal Pradhan, said that the private sector has contributed a lot in development of energy sector and added that they are ready to work collaborating with the Centre.
Executive Director at the Centre, Prof. Dr. Govinda Pokhrel, said that improved cooking stoves of national and international standard as well as its samples are put on display in the exhibition, started from today.
A ‘Nepal Clean Stoves Mechanism’ has been declared on the occasion where FNCCI, Federation of Nepalese Small and Cottage Industries, foreign donor agencies and other stakeholders working in the sector of alternative energy are associated.
On the occasion, it was informed that improved stoves have been already installed in more than 720,000 households, bio-gas at 300,000 houses and around 600 solar cookers were distributed across the country under the Clean Energy Technology.
Stating that more than 7,500 people every year die of different diseases including asthma, cough and throat cancer caused by air pollution in the houses, the Centre informed that it has been creating public awareness through the fair for protection of lives of people through clean energy.
More than 250 clean cooking stoves entrepreneurs from the country and from foreign countries are participating in the fair.
The government has set a target of supplying power to around 1.5 million houses through medium scale and small hydropower projects as well as illuminating 6 million houses through solar energy by 2017.
Similarly, there is a target to provide service to 4.75 million houses through improved stoves and 130,000 houses through bio-gas.
Similarly, 1,300 small and medium scale industries would be established and around 19,000 people would get employment directly from it.
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