New Delhi (Business Wire India): Reiterating their commitment towards creating awareness about the development of renewable energy in our country and addressing the physical, economic and policy aspects of energy and environment, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) along with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the Govt. of NCT, Delhi , celebrated Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Divas 2010 in the capital today based on the common theme, “Akshay Urja Se Desh Vikas, Gaon Gaon Bijli, Ghar Ghar Prakash”.

Present on the occasion was Smt Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister of Delhi along with Dr Leena Sivastava, Executive Director, Operation TERI, Dr N P Singh, Advisor, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Govt of India and Sh. Dharmendra, Secretary (Environment) Govt. of NCT, Delhi along with over 2500 school children, teachers and civil society think tanks at Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi.

Addressing the students Smt Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister of Delhi in her special address said, “India is blessed with abundant solar energy and other renewable sources and if harnessed efficiently, we will be capable of producing electricity which would rid the current energy crisis to a large extent, hence it is the aim of my government to achieve environmental excellence and I am happy to see that Delhi Govt, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, TERI, colleges and schools are working towards addressing the national problem of energy crisis. Smt Dikshit further said, “Akshya Urja will help in the development of the nation and I believe that children today are going to play a key role to propagate this agenda nationally. I thank all the children across India who have participated in various competitions and have supported this joint campaign.”

Addressing students from various schools and colleges, Dr Leena Srivastava, Executive Director, Operations TERI said, “Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Diwas encourages us present here, to propagate the message of judicial use of electricity and promoting the use of renewable sources of energy for leading an eco-friendly lifestyle. India has a great potential in utilizing renewable sources and is extremely beneficial as its non-polluting and its generation can be decentralized. The future of our country is in the hand of children, hence we need to come together and take initiatives to create technologies for a greater use of these sources to combat climate change by reducing green house gases.”

A weeklong series of activities were organized by TERI in consonance with schools and colleges from all over the National Capital Territory based on a common theme, ‘Akshay Urja Se Desh Vikas, Gaon Gaon Bijli, Ghar Ghar Prakash. College students were invited to participate in the inter-college musical symphony. For the school students collage making and envirotisement was organised. More than 2500 students from Public, Private and Government schools of Delhi participated at the event. The function concluded by an Akshay Urja pledge by every one, to avoid excessive consumption of energy derived from conventional sources and to follow the path of renewable energy, administered by the Guests of Honour. All the participants received certificates from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India and solar torches from TERI.

TERI has already treaded in the path of proliferating renewable through its ‘Lighting a Billion Lives Campaign’ (LaBL), that has experienced enormous support from the corporate world and stalwarts such as Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and government heads like the President of Maldives, Mr. Gayoom. The LaBL project has already been implemented in more than 580 villages across the country, benefiting more than 1,50,000 lives as education and businesses can continue even after sunset.