Ramesh pitches for use of eco-friendly vehicles

New Delhi, Nov 23(ANI): Union Minister of State for Environment and Forest Jairam Ramesh on Monday pitched for the use of eco-friendly vehicles to meet the challenge of climate change and global warming.

Addressing the Environmental Friendly Vehicles (EFV) Conference in the national capital, Ramesh said that fuel emissions from various transport vehicles are one of the main sources of pollution.

"Today the transportation sector accounts for something like 15 to 20 percent of the green house gas emission in our country. It is placed number three after the power sector, agriculture and third is the transportation sector," Ramesh said.

The minister also said that environmental friendly vehicles would play an important role in curbing the environment change.

"So, not just the air pollution point of view, but from a climate change point of view also, transportation assumes special importance, environmental friendly vehicle assumes special importance," Ramesh added.

Meanwhile, Union Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Minister Vilasrao Desmukh spoke about the depletion of non-renewable energy.

"From today's point of view which is very important as an issue of energy security, especially in the wake of fast depletion of the traditional sources of non-renewable energy that is petroleum is of great significance," Deshmukh said.

"In the recent past country has already witnessed a sharp increase of prices of crude and is only likely to aggravate in the future as no resources of crude get depleted," he added.

He further suggested that the Government would consider encouraging the automakers to introduce more environment friendly products to help bring down the pollution. (ANI)