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Chief Minister Calls for New Policy at Climate Parliament Recommendation
Members of the Climate Parliament group in the Maharashtra State Assembly have welcomed the recent announcement of the state Energy Minister that the Ministry has instructed a team of experts to formulate a draft of a new renewable energy policy.
Mr. Jaykumar Rawal, MLA and Chairperson of Climate Parliament Maharashtra Chapter, said, "Maharashtra Government’s recent decision and public announcement to launch a new integrated policy for renewable energy in 2015 is a much-welcomed decision. A comprehensive and integrated renewable energy policy, with higher capacity addition targets in line with the national ambitions, increased emphasis on the development of solar energy including net metering, enhancement of grid infrastructure, addressing rural electrification supply issues and human resource development, will tremendously improve the power scenario of the state".
Mr. Jaykumar Rawal also thanked the Chief Minister Mr Devendra Fadnavis for responding to the demand of the Climate Parliament MLAs for the formulation of a "comprehensive new state renewable energy policy". The announcement follows a campaign by Climate Parliament MLAs for a new law, which led to a meeting with the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on 18 December 2014, in which they submitted a memorandum signed by 21 MLAs, including Jaykumar Rawal, Sanjay Bala, Sangeeta Thombre, Sanjay Kute, Prashant Tahkur, Shirish Chaudhary, Harish Pimple and Raju Narayan Todsor. They also submitted to him an expert report titled ‘RE Energising Maharashtra: An Assessment of Renewable Energy Policies, Challenges and Opportunities’ and the ‘Guidelines for a Model Renewable Energy in Indian States’, on the basis of which Maharashtra government can suitably modify or replace its existing renewable energy policy. The Chief Minister then assured the Climate Parliament MLAs that he would coordinate with the Energy Minister and will work towards comprehensive new legislation in the state for the development of the renewable energy.
Mr. Jaykumar Rawal said today that the memorandum and the expert report mention a number of suggestions that should be taken up immediately for the benefit of Maharashtra's renewable energy sector. He also said that the Climate Parliament network of MLAs will work further with the Chief Minister and the Energy Minister and the team of experts towards the launch of the new renewable energy policy in the state.
