UP to showcase solar energy-powered Jal Jeevan Mission projects at regional conference

    Lucknow, Nov 20 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh's innovative use of solar power in its Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) projects, will be showcased at the Regional Conference on Good Governance being organised by the Government of India in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, starting Thursday.
    Over 80 per cent of these JJM projects in UP are running on solar energy, a move that helped reduce project costs and minimise carbon emissions and reason why the state's solar usage is expected to be emulated by other states who are sending senior bureaucrats at the Raipur conference to study the UP model, the state government said in a statement.
     Reflecting the potential of the UP model for nationwide acceptance, the IAS officers from other states who would attend the conference will gain insights into how Uttar Pradesh tapped solar power in its Jal Jeevan Mission projects, the government said.
     UP's Additional chief secretary of Namami Gange and Rural Water Supply Department Anurag Srivastava will make a presentation under "Innovation State" on the subject at the conference. The presentation will highlight how Uttar Pradesh's successful implementation of solar power in water schemes enabled projects to run at a lower cost for a longer duration.
    The Government of India's Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances has selected Uttar Pradesh's initiative as a model for good governance in the field as 80% of the JJM projects in Uttar Pradesh are powered by solar energy making UP the first state to adopt solar power on such a large scale, setting a benchmark for sustainable practices, according to the government statement.
    The purpose of the conference is to encourage other states to adopt a similar model that saves electricity and enables projects to run for longer, officials said.
    Under the UP Jal Jeevan Mission, of the total 41,539 projects, 33,157 projects are utilising solar energy, generating 900 megawatts of electricity daily making UP a leader state in tapping solar power.
     Moreover, 12.50 lakh people in rural areas have been trained to operate solar-based pumps. These trained villagers are tasked with managing and maintaining the projects.
     "It is a proud moment for Uttar Pradesh to share its key solar initiative in Jal Jeevan Mission Schemes. Working on the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi we have achieved great success in reducing carbon emissions," says Brajraj Singh, Executive Director, State Water and Sanitation Mission.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)