Parliamentarians involved with clean energy are concerned that there is no firm Government commitment yet for achieving the target of 15 per cent renewable energy in the total electricity mix of the country by 2020. The target was spelled out in the National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC).
The Climate Parliament Group, a multi-party forum of Parliamentarians, will soon meet the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, to suggest adequate financial, fiscal and policy measures for achieving the NAPCC recommendation and the 12th Plan targets for renewable energy.
The budget allocations in the first two years of the 12th Plan are not promising enough to meet the NAPCC and Plan targets, said Sanjay Jaiswal, BJP Lok Sabha MP from Bihar and Convenor of Climate Parliament.
The NAPCC has proposed a five per cent renewable mix in the electricity basket in 2010, and one per cent increase annually till 2020.
Jaiswal said, “There must be adequate budget allocation to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), keeping in view the recommendations of the Parliamentary Estimates and Energy Committees.”
Stressing on alignment of MNRE budget according to NAPCC targets, Jaiswal said the 12th Plan had allocated a budget of about Rs 19,000 crore for the 30,000 MW target, but only 14 per cent of this has been allocated in the first two financial years of the Plan.
Also, both the Plan and annual budgets do not meet the Estimates Committee’s recommendation of allocating one per cent of the total Union Budget to MNRE, he pointed out.
Jhansi Lakshmi Botcha, Congress MP from Andhra Pradesh and member of Climate Parliament Steering Committee, said schemes announced for the sector need to be implemented without further delay to promote private investments and realise national renewable energy targets
The Parliamentarians will also push for alignment of renewable purchase obligations (RPO) trajectory in States according to NAPCC recommendations and ensure compliance to realise national targets. Most States have declared lower RPO targets than recommended, and some are not increasing their targets.
The Parliamentarians called for making RPO compliance mandatory.
The members of Climate Parliament include, Ijyaraj Singh, Jayant Chaudhary, Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, P.D Rai, Ranjana Patil, Shivkumar Chanabasappa Udasi, Vandana Chavan, Milind Deora and Rajeev Shukla are the patrons, while Rajiv Pratap Rudy is Chairman of the Climate Parliament India Steering Committee.