Inaugurating the second South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Energy Ministers' meeting in New Delhi, Union Power Minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde said that cooperation in energy is gaining increasing importance in various international fora including SAARC.
He said that since South Asia is heavily dependent on import of oil and gas for its energy needs, efforts must be made for development of gas pipelines within and outside the region.
Pointing out that sixty percent of the population in this part of the world does not have access to electricity, Shinde called for a unified SAARC position on energy issues at global foras. He said that India is ready to share the state-of-the-art technologies in the energy sector with her neighbors to realize the dream of a prosperous region.
Earlier, the two-day South Asia Energy dialogue has identified development of hydro-potential as one of the high priority areas. The minister said that successful development of the Tala Hydroelectric Project in Bhutan in partnership with India should inspire many more such projects in South Asia.
Speaking on the occasion, Secretary General SAARC Chenkyab Dorji said enormous demand and low level of productivity in energy sector underlines the need for enhanced cooperation among the member nations. He also urged the SAARC nations to give utmost priority to harness clean and sustainable sources of energy like Solar and Hydro-power for the economic development of the region.
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