Promotion of solar energy brings applause to Haryana govt

Chandigarh, Oct 26: The Haryana Government has taken a lead in installation of solar water heating systems in social sector institutions as an innovative initiative aimed at benefitting socially deprived sections of the society.

The scheme has drawn applause from all quarters including the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Giving this information here, an official spokesman said that the objective of the programme is to popularise the use of solar water heating systems and conserve electricity and conventional fuels in water heating applications on one hand and to take the latest technologies to the deprived sections of the society on the other.

Under the Scheme, solar water heating systems are installed in socially oriented institutions with 90 per cent financial assistance. The popularity of the scheme can be gauged from the fact that Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency (HAREDA) has already installed solar water heating systems of 42,800 lpd capacity at a cost of about Rs 1.00 crore against a target of 40,000 lpd for the current financial year.

The spokesman further said that social sector institutions are working for the welfare of the under privileged and deprived sections of the society and therefore, the State Government has decided to equip them with solar geysers so that their inmates get hot water for their cooking, bathing and washing requirements in the winters. Under the scheme, socially orientated institutions like working women hostels, orphanages, deaf and dumb centres, creches, old age homes, nari niketans, bal niketans, sports hostels, charitable institutes, natural treatment centres, hostels for the Scheduled Caste students which are registered institutions for last three years and are working on no-profit basis are eligible for the financial assistance.

However, INLD leaders and pro-alliance sources in the BJP claimed that the alliance would sweep the coming Lok Sabha polls in Haryana as the two parties had always benefitted in the past whenever they contested elections together. The BJP had joined hands with the INLD in 1999 Parliamentary elections and the two parties won five seats each out of the total ten Lok Sabha seats.

The BJP had also fought the 2000 assembly elections in Haryana in alliance with the INLD and the alliance secured a majority winning 53 of the 90 seats. While the INLD won 47 seats, the BJP garnered six.

The BJP extended outside support to the government headed by Mr Om Prakash Chautala. However, the state BJP leaders later started complaining that they were sidelined by the INLD supremo.

The alliance broke ahead of the 2004 Lok Sabha polls which the two parties contested separately, with dismal results for both of them. While the BJP won only one seat, the INLD could not secure even a single seat. Nine out of the ten seats were won by the Congress alone.

The 2005 assembly elections in Haryana were again contested by the BJP and INLD separately. The Congress swept the polls, winning 67 of the 90 seats. The INLD could secure nine only while the BJP was reduced to two.

The INLD leaders and a section of the BJP was hopeful that the revival of the alliance would once again brighten the poll prospects of the two parties.

UNI