A National Plan for Energy Efficiency

Addressing an international conference in new Delhi, Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar recently "pledged to formulate a national response plan for reducing the unsustainably high energy intensity levels in India". Among other points he suggested taking energy-efficiency to the villages and househol manufacturing units in the country.
1. The Public Private Panchayat Partnership (PPPP) would be used as a platform
2. 1 million women representatives of panchayats to make energy conservation a mass movement
3. The Institute of Engineers would provide basic petty engineering skills to the end users.

When compared to Japan, India needs 4.5 times more energy per unit of GDP. We even need 2.5 times more than the lavish US. Of course there is a good reason for this. As Aiyar said at the conference, energy-efficient technology, though necessary, is expensive and not easily available. Here is his solution:

He also reflected upon the planet protection fund advocated by former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Under this programme, member countries would contribute the same percentage of their GDP towards creating eco-friendly technology which could then be retrieved free of cost by all member countries.