The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee attended the Annual Convocation of the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) today (August 26, 2013) at Dehradun.
Speaking on the occasion, the President said that India is the fourth biggest consumer of energy in the world, after US, China and Russia. He stated that to sustain high levels of consumption, our energy resources are inadequate. Energy Intensity, which is a measure of energy efficiency of an economy, indicates that India uses more energy to produce one unit of GDP, than nations like UK, Germany, Japan and US.
The President said that to achieve a high growth rate while meeting the energy needs of the population poses a challenge to us. It calls for higher energy production and for devising measures that promote energy efficiency. He said that we must explore alternative energy models to reduce our dependence on conventional sources. A greater intensity of science and technology in the energy sector is required today. There is need for domain knowledge, for developing capabilities and strengthening systems through innovation. He said that UPES, as a specialized energy university, has a crucial role to generate state-of-art knowledge to fulfill the needs of the energy sector.
The President said that he was happy to witness the exciting innovations made in UPES. He said he was told that patent has been granted on the multi-fuel cook stove. He called upon the University to continue pursuing research and innovation in a big way.
The President said that Uttarakhand recently suffered from massive flood and landslide that resulted in loss of large number of precious human lives. Many people suffered from heavy damage to property. He urged the adequate mobilization of all possible resources in rebuilding the lives and hopes of the people.
This release issued at 1615 hrs