India devoting great importance to solar energy, says PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India is devoting great importance to solar energy to ensure a stronger fight against climate change and also connect the country's farmers with the solar sector.

Speaking after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone of key projects in power and urban sector in poll-bound Kerala via video conference, Modi said in the last six years, India's solar energy capacity has gone up 13 times.

"India is devoting great importance to solar energy.Our gains in solar energy ensure: A stronger fight against climate change.A boost to our entrepreneurs." "Work is also underway to connect our hardworking farmers with the solar sector - make our Annadatas (farmers) also Urjadatas," Modi said.

He noted that India has also brought the world together through the International Solar Alliance.

Describing cities in the country as engines of growth and power houses of innovation, Modi said the cities are seeing three encouraging trends including technological development, favourable demographic dividend and increasing domestic demand.

Talking about Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) to improve urban infrastructure, he said the initiative is helping cities expand and upgrade their wastewater treatment infrastructure.

Earlier, the prime minister dedicated to the nation the 320 KV Pugalur-Thrissur power transmission project, built at a cost of Rs 5,070 crore, to facilitate transfer of power from the western region and help meet the growth in load in Kerala.

Modi also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of some key projects in power and urban sectors in the state via video conference.

The projects inaugurated included the 50 MW Kasaragod Solar Power Project, developed under the National Solar Energy Mission and the much-awaited 75 MLD (million litres per day) Water Treatment Plant at Aruvikkara near here under the AMRUT Mission.

Modi laid the foundation stones of the Integrated Command and Control Centre and Smart Roads Project, both in Thiruvananthapuram.

Built at a cost of Rs 5,070 crore, the Pugalur (Tamil Nadu)-Thrissur (Kerala) power transmission project is a Voltage Source Convertor (VSC) based High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Project and has India's first HVDC link featuring state-of-the-art VSC technology.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and R K Singh and state ministers attended the virtually organised function.