BackMahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary: India to attempt two Guinness world records
Indian government has provided solar lamps to around 6.5 million studentsIndia plans to reduce its carbon footprint by 33-35% from its 2005 levels by 2030
PremiumNew Delhi: As part of India’s strategy to project itself as a green energy champion, around 10,000 students will assemble their own solar lamps and light them in unison for Guinness world records on Wednesday.
The Indian government has provided solar lamps to around 6.5 million students. These students will be helped by trainers to assemble their own solar study lamps.
The event, organised by the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE), to commemorate 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi will also attempt a second Guinness world record of providing sustainability lessons to the largest number of participants at a single place.
India is now the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the US and China, and is among countries most vulnerable to climate change. India plans to reduce its carbon footprint by 33-35% from its 2005 levels by 2030, as part of its commitments to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted by 195 countries in Paris in 2015.
“To commemorate 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and to promote the Gandhian idea of sustainable living, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in association with IIT Bombay, is organizing the Global Student Solar Assembly on 2nd October 2019," MNRE said in a statement.
India has been trying to rejig its energy mix in favour of green energy sources and making a statement about the same. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently gifted $1 million ‘Gandhi Solar Park’ to the United Nations when he attended the Climate Action Summit 2019 in New York.
India has taken a lead in efforts to combat climate change in the backdrop of US withdrawal from the Paris climate deal, “With the severe threat of climate change looming large, world is increasingly turning towards Gandhian ideas of environmental care and sustainable living. Gandhi Ji’s concept of non-violence went beyond human race and envisaged non violence towards environment as well. His maxim that, ‘The earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed’ has to be our guiding principal in our fight against climate change," the statement added.
At present, India has an installed power generation capacity of 357,875MW, of which around 22%, or 80.47 GW, is generated through clean energy projects. Of this solar and wind comprises 29.55 GW and 36.37 GW respectively. With addition of large hydro projects to clean energy segment, India is poised to have 225 GW of renewable energy by 2022.
“In addition to the event at New Delhi, similar workshops will be organised in other Indian cities and also in foreign countries. It is expected that more than 1 million students in 60 countries will join this global event on a single day and will become Renewable Energy Ambassadors to carry the message green energy far and beyond," the statement said.
This also comes in the backdrop of the second general assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) to be held from 30 October-2 November in New Delhi. ISA, the first treaty-based international government organization headquartered in India will see the number of inducted countries that have signed its framework agreement reach 100 nations at the second general assembly.
“This Workshop aims at sensitizing young minds about energy sustainability and environmental care. While making their own solar lamps, the students will also get introduced to the concept of self sufficiency – another idea that was so close to the heart of Mahatma Gandhi. At the end, all students will switch-on their self-assembled solar lamps in remembrance of Mahatma and will take pledge of non-violence towards the environment," the statement said.
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