Indo-US N-deal will help India to increase energy output

Pune, Sep 16 (UNI) The Indo-US nuclear agreement will help India, the second fastest growing country in the world, to increase its Atomic energy output from the current one per cent level to a much higher level seen in countries such as France, which has Atomic energy usages of 28 per cent, Pune University Vice-Chancellor and wellknown economist Narendra Jadhav said.

Speaking at a seminar on ''Energy Conservation'', organised by Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) here today, Dr Jadhav said that Non conventional Energy Department of the state government has given a ''No Converational Energy Rath'', fitted with non conventional energy equipments for one year to the University of Pune, which will be used for propagating the message of energy conservation.

Narrating the story of the three Oil shocks - first one in 1973 when oil rose to 12 dollars per barrel from three dollars due to supply shortage, the second shock in 1979 when oil rose to 35 dollars and India had to take IMF's help to bail it out from foreign exchange shortage and the third is the present one, when the oil prices went to 150 dollars before coming back to the 100 dollars level.

Dr Jadhav questioned how long the government will continue to take the 78 per cent burden of the oil price rise and pass on only 22 percent of it to consumers. Government must encourage for alternate source of energy, he said.

He also spoke about the increasing shortage of electricity in rural areas and said that the situation is worsening day-by-day.

Students from 24 colleges, affiliated to the Pune University, participated in the one-day training seminar, where experts from different fields counselled with them on energy conservation and taking the issue to the asses.

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