National Energy Conservation Day Observed
The National Energy Conservation Day is observed every year on 14th December to spread awareness among the energy consumers and general public to save energy and to improve energy efficiency. This year, due to the restrictions imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19, the Office of Engineer-in-Chief(Electricity) under Dept of Energy, Govt of Odisha, as the State Designated Agency (SDA) carried out a few activities in the virtual mode like Online Quiz Competition and Virtual meeting and display of posters and banners for this year’s observance.
The virtual programme has been organized on 14th December 2020 which was presided over by Captain Shri Dibya Shankar Mishra, Hon’ble Minister, Energy, Industry, MSME & Home. Hon’ble Minister Shri Mishra emphasized that climate change is the greatest threat to mankind. With the melting of glaciers and ice caps in the polar regions, the seawater level is rising and access to fresh water is reducing. He also spoke about the ozone layer depletion and the harmful effects of Ultraviolet radiation on life. Energy conservation is a viable option and each one of us should undertake some simple efforts to conserve energy. He highlighted that if a lot of energy can be saved, it will help to meet the energy demand from the remotest corners in the state. With the advent of technology and access to electricity, a student, especially a girl child shall not be deprived of education. Minister Sri Mishra suggested the creation of a pool of experts in the energy sector in the state who will lead the state in Energy Efficiency improvement and requested the Distribution companies to look for innovative ways to reduce Aggregate Technical and Commercial Losses. As part of the observation of National Energy Conservation Day, an online quiz competition for Energy Professionals of Odisha was organized and the winners in the Platinum, Gold and Silver category were announced by the Minister.
Also speaking on the occasion, Principal Secretary, Dept of Energy Bisnupada Sethy highlighted that each installation in the generation, transmission and distribution sector has to be thoroughly audited and every unit of energy has to be accounted for. He also mentioned the adoption of e-vehicles (EV) and that the state is working on an EV policy. Other speakers include the Engineer-in-Chief(Electricity), Director State Load Dispatch Centre, CEO of Tata Power Central Odisha Distribution Ltd and Regional Director, National Productivity Council, Bhubaneswar.
The Virtual function witnessed a gathering of participants from Govt Organizations, PSUs, Industries and Energy professionals.
