India is fifth largest wind energy producer: Anand Sharma

New Delhi, Feb 10 (ANI): Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma today said that India is today fifth largest wind energy producer in the world and 8th in terms of investments made in clean energy technologies.

Inaugurating 7th edition of Eco-Products International Fair (EPIF 2011) and 19th International Engineering Trade Fair (IETF), here today, Sharma informed that globally, investments in clean energy have growth by as much as 230 per cent in the last four years and are touching 200 billion dollar.

"Within the manufacturing sector, we need to pay special focus to the development of green technologies which will be one of the dominant themes over the next two decades, providing both challenges of adaptation and opportunities of growth for manufacturing," he added.

Sharma said that if we look at the overall scenario of engineering exports, we are one of the fastest growing exports in the world at nearly 30 per cent, well above the global average of 13 percent.

"The engineering exports are already touching 40 billion dollar and I expect that it should be nearly 50 billion dollart his year. We have remained mindful of the fact that we need to align government policies with the ambitious target of tripling India's engineering exports of 120 billion dollar by 2015", the Minister added.

Sharma also informed that India is making a major contribution in the growth of manufacturing and high-value engineering and added that this decade will be particularly significant in the development and growth of this sector even as the global focus shifts on clean energy technologies and processes.

"It is indeed appropriate that the Eco-Product International Fair which focuses especially on green productivity for sustainable energy is being organised as a concurrent event within the ambit of International Engineering and Technology Fair," he said.

"This becomes important and relevant in contemporary times as the world is grappling with the challenge of finding a new model for sustainable development new solutions for and addressing the issue of energy security and climate change in ensuring that we continue to grow on a low carbon growth path", he added. (ANI)