January 30, 2002

Kathmandu: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba today said that it was essential to ensure the villagers’ access to power for the uplift of their lives and overall development of the country.

“The country will not prosper unless the quality of life of the 80 per cent countrymen living in the villages improves,” Premier Deuba told the inauguration ceremony of a one-day interaction on ‘Alternative Energies: Today’s Need’ here this morning. “And this is not possible in the absence of power.”

Deuba said a large number of people still used firewood to cook food and kerosene to light their houses and added, “The government will push ahead the initiatives to promote alternative energy to cater to people’s power requirements.”

Deuba said energy was necessary to offer agro-processing and storage facilities to the farmers, adding the assistance of Rural Energy Development Programme and the Danish and the Dutch governments would be instrumental in this direction. “We will also put the agenda of alternative energy in the forthcoming meeting of the Nepal Development Forum.”

State Minister for Science and Technology Bhakta Bahadur Balayar said alternative energy was a prerequisite for rural development. “We need to work in coordination with the donors and the non-governmental organisations to develop alternative energy and reach technology to the grassroots for the development of the rural people.”

UML lawmaker Pradip Nepal said, “We have to make people aware of the importance and benefit of the alternative energy, particularly the micro-hydro schemes.” He stressed on result oriented strategies to mobilise the communities for the development of alternative energy.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party General Secretary Pashupati SJB Rana said that the micro-hydro schemes and the improved stoves would be the ideal forms of alternative energy for the low-income people in the villages.

“Nepal can benefit significantly from the micro-hydro projects as it can produce and export the equipment used for micro-hydro projects. It will be economic; besides, it can support the domestic industry.”

He also urged the government to take initiatives to avail of Danish expertise in tapping wind energy.

National People’s Front lawmaker Chitra Bahadur KC said the government should recognise people’s willingness and capability to develop the nation. “The government should see how the country’s resources could be utilised for the benefit of the countrymen.”

National Planning Commission member Dr. Rameshananda Baidya said the Tenth Five Year Plan targeted optimum production of water related and other alternative energies through the mobilisation of the community based organisations.

The Danish Embassy’s Minister Consular Chrestan Peterson said Nepal held out huge potential in micro-hydro and called for an even distribution of improved stoves. He said Denmark would continue its assistance to Nepal in the field of alternative energy. On behalf of the Dutch government, SNV-Nepal’s Energy Advisor Felix ter Heedge stressed on integrated efforts to explore the opportunities.

Welcoming the participants, Secretary at the Ministry of Science and Technology Mahesh Man Shrestha said alternative energy catered better to the needs of individuals and the community.

The interaction organised by Alternative Energy Promotion Centre under the Ministry of Science and Technology and participated in by a significant number of lawmakers aimed at disseminating information on alternative energy. The interaction in the capital is to be followed by regional interactions.