Union Minister of State (Independent Body) Ministry of Science and Technology; Minister of State (Independent Representative) Ministry of Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Space and Atomic Energy, Dr Jitendra Singh to lead India’s joint ministerial official delegation of Ministry of Power, New and Renewable Energy and Ministry of Science and Technology on a 5-day visit to the US, to participate in the Global Clean Energy Action Forum and also to interact with eminent academics as well as the Indian diaspora.
Dr Jitendra Singh will fly to Washington tomorrow evening for the first leg of the US tour and from there continue to Pittsburgh and later to New York. The coveted joint convening of the Clean Energy Ministerial Conference (CEM13) and the Innovation Mission (MI-7) will take place from September 21 to 23 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, United States of America. The event is expected to bring together thousands of clean energy leaders from around the world, including CEOs, innovators, young professionals, civil society and ministers from more than 30 countries to accelerate clean energy innovation and deployment.
In a departure statement, Dr Jitendra Singh said he was looking forward to very close meetings at the Clean Energy Global Action Forum plenary and roundtables, especially in light of recent breakthroughs in clean energy technologies at home and abroad. He said that in the post-COVID era and the recent challenges of climate change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strongly advocated close coordination and cooperation on clean energy solutions for the betterment of humanity.
Referring to Modi’s speech at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in February this year, Dr Jitendra Singh quoted him as saying, “Despite much talk in the last 50 years, since the Stockholm Conference in 1972, very little has been done. But in India we’ve gone through talk and action, like 90 million households getting access to clean cooking fuel under the Ujjwala Yojana and renewable energy for farmers under the PM-KUSUM scheme, where farmers are encouraged to set up solar panels, use is and sold excess energy to the grid will promote sustainability and equity”.
On September 20, Dr Jitendra Singh will host an important roundtable with executives from around 35 companies and federal representatives associated with geospatial, space, earth and ocean sciences, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology sectors, hosted by the US-India Business Council at the US Chamber of Commerce Headquarters in Washington , DC Minister will invite companies to explore and invest in these most prevalent sectors after deregulation of some sectors and liberalization of FDI norms. The minister is likely to interact with key US federal officials at a dinner at India House hosted by the Indian ambassador.
On September 21 and 22, Dr. Jitendra Singh will make several engagements at the Global Clean Energy Action Forum, where he is likely to underline India’s commitment to a low-carbon future, which aims to transform the country’s energy landscape by accelerating clean energy innovation. under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Minister may also inform the delegates that to accelerate clean energy solutions, India is actively involved in clean energy research and development initiatives and has made significant efforts in biorefineries, sustainable aviation fuels, accelerated materials platform, energy efficiency of buildings (smart grids), Carbon Capture, Hydrogen Valley Platforms among others.
At the 1st Round Table on Sustainable Bioenergy and Biorefineries on September 22, Dr. Jitendra Singh will talk about India’s plan to work towards transforming the energy landscape with a significant share of clean energy. Significantly, India has agreed to achieve 500 GW of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030, shift 50% of energy requirements to renewable energy sources, reduce total expected carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes, reduce the carbon intensity of the economy by 45% from 2005 levels and finally achieve net zero emissions by 2070.
At the 2nd Round Table on Net Zero Built Environment with Connected Communities on September 22, Dr. Jitendra Singh will expand on India-supported research development and technology deployment with an investment of US$34.3 million over the last decade. It can also share information regarding India’s strengthening of R&D infrastructure as well as bilateral and multilateral cooperation through R&D programs in energy efficiency of buildings and smart grids.
Both round tables will be followed on the evening of the 22nd by a joint Ministerial Plenum of Ministers for Clean Energy (CEM13) and the Mission for Innovation (MI-7), where Dr. Jitendra Singh will inform the Ministers and delegates that India has been a founding and active member of both MI & CEM since launch and is now actively engaged with MI2.0 through various mission work streams and platforms.
On September 23, there will be a Main Stage Event on “International Cooperation to Accelerate the Clean Energy Transition”, where Dr. Jitendra Singh will talk about the role of sustainable biofuels playing a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector. It will also outline India’s efforts through the Ministry of Biotechnology in promoting R&D innovation in advanced biofuels and Waste to Energy technologies.
On the same day, there will be a side event on the “India Clean Energy Showcase” where Dr. Jitendra Singh to share the Indian government’s ambitions and steps towards a clean energy future.In the final stage, Dr. Jitendra Singh interacted with leading diaspora at a social reception the evening before his flight from New York to Delhi. At the diaspora gathering, the minister will highlight India’s Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration of India’s 75th year of independence and its incredible journey as a vibrant democracy and thriving economy. He also acknowledges that the Indian diaspora in the US also participated in these celebrations in the US with great fanfare.
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