All Govt buildings in J&K to be covered under rooftop solar programme

Jammu, Jan 27: All the government buildings in Jammu and Kashmir are to be covered under the rooftop solar programme.

In a meeting attended by the Principal Secretary of the Power Development Department (PDD); Principal Secretary of Finance; Commissioner Secretary of Science and Technology (S&T); Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE); Managing Directors of Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) and Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL); and representatives of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo took note of the rooftop solar power plants here.

During this meeting, he asked the concerned to ensure the implementation of the scheme as per its guidelines.

The chief secretary asked for appointing nodal officers at both J&K and district levels for its smooth implementation here.

He asked them to identify all the buildings fit for installation of the solar rooftops.

Dulloo also advised them to increase the expenditure besides taking other measures for the evacuation of this energy to the grid.

During the meeting, it was informed that it was envisaged that 100 percent of government buildings in J&K would be covered under the rooftop solar programme.

It was also informed that the MNRE had nominated NHPC as a technical partner for the assessment of the potential and feasibility of rooftop solar under the government sector in J&K.

The meeting was also apprised that the sites which are easily accessible and are proposed to be taken up in the first year and others in the next calendar year.

To meet this objective, MNRE has designated Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) Limited as the overall Programme Implementing Agency (PIA) for coordination with all stakeholders to implement the rooftop solar programme across the country.

In another meeting, the chief secretary reviewed the progress in the implementation of the PM Vishwakarma scheme which was attended by the Commissioner Secretary of the Industry and Commerce (I&C); Secretary of the Rural Development Department (RDD); Secretary of Skill Development Department (SDD); Deputy Commissioners (DCs); and Director SDD participated in the meeting.

Regarding the smooth implementation of this scheme launched by the PM for the handholding of the artisan class, the chief secretary impressed upon the concerned DCs to saturate the scheme in their areas.

He directed the on boarding of all the Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) for the registration of artists residing there.

Dullopo stressed holding camps in villages and towns to make the registration process easy for the artists.

He asked them to give more focus to the clearance of cases at both the first and second tiers so that these are sent for approval to the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).

The chief secretary called for accelerating the process of transferring the benefits to the artisans by providing them with toolkits and credit linkages as per the scheme guidelines.

He advised the SDD to plan meticulously about the training programme of the selected artisans.

Dulloo sensitised them about the need to identify both the trainers and the venues for imparting the necessary training to the artisans.

He asked them to have close coordination with the district administration for making such planning and subsequent arrangements.

In their presentations Commissioner Secretary, I&C, Vikramjit Singh and Secretary SDD, Kumar Rajeev Ranjan highlighted their roles in the scheme.

The meeting was informed that the training had to be given by the SDD while the extension part like enrollment and registration had to be done by the Industries Department.

It was told that in J&K, 1,71,093 applications had been received putting J&K at the 13th spot in the country.

The meeting was informed that out of the 18 registered trades, tailoring had received the majority of 95,093 applications followed by 27,608 in carpentry, 25,5632 in masonry, and 5295 for barbers.

It was told that the trained artisans would be provided the toolkit costing upto Rs 15,000 each and could also avail a loan of Rs 3 lakh in two installments.

The meeting was informed that the departments would ensure that the necessary approvals at tiers first and second are given within a week or so.