First seminar of Agni Tattva campaign under LiFE mission held in Leh

Power Foundation of India in association with Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA) is currently running a campaign to create awareness on Agni Tattva under LiFE – Lifestyle for environment. This campaign includes conferences, seminars, events, and exhibitions across the country involving educational institutions, communities, and relevant organisations to create awareness of the core concept of Agni Tattva, an element that is synonymous with energy and is amongst the five elements of Panchmahabhoot.

The first conference of the Agni campaign was organised in Leh yesterday, on the theme of ‘Sustainability and Culture’. It witnessed participation from key stakeholders working in the areas of energy, culture, and sustainability, from diverse fields such as administration, policymakers, academics, and start-ups.

The conference was inaugurated by Shri R K Mathur, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh. Speaking on the occasion, he said that Ladakh always had a sustainable lifestyle, however, increased modernisation is leading to an imbalance in the ecosystem of the region, and this not only adversely impacts the region but could also alter the monsoon cycle of the entire country since it is inter-linked with the Himalayan ecosystem. He further added that the UT administration of Ladakh has laid out a clear roadmap to reverse this imbalance and move toward sustainable development. He emphasised several key areas.

Ladakh has immense solar energy potential, which should be harnessed. Ladakh should work towards generating systems to provide power to remote areas. The focus is to provide decentralized renewable solar power across Ladakh thereby reducing grid dependency. This is in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of a Carbon Neutral Ladakh.

Geothermal energy is another focus area that holds immense potential in the Ladakh region. Unlike other renewable energy sources, which are intermittent in nature, it is available throughout the day and the year and should be suitably harnessed.

Green Hydrogen is another option in Ladakh, as the region has plenty of solar energy. It also has water. The Hydrogen harnessed from this could be used to substitute petrol and diesel and the oxygen could be used in hospitals and by tourists.

Shri Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, MP of Ladakh emphasized on an interdependent world. He said that Indian philosophy views the world as one and everything in it as one, but in the development model so far, the oneness has been lost. Shri Namgyal underlined that the model being formulated by Hon’ble PM is based on Oneness, such as One Sun, One World, One Grid, and the efforts are on to promote and propagate a lifestyle that is conscious of the environment, based on this Indian philosophy of oneness. He said that Ladakh has always been in harmony with nature and has thrived on interdependency and coexistence. This is something that the rest of the country and the world can learn from, he added.

The other eminent speakers at the Conference highlighted sustainable construction practices, energy access for mountain areas, social behaviour, and its impact on electricity demand.

About Agni Tattva campaign – Energy for LiFE : An initiative under the umbrella campaign of Sumangalam, was launched by Shri R K Singh, Union Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy, in New Delhi on 21^st September 2022. A series of seminars spanning the length and breadth of the country have been planned as a part of the campaign.

Power Foundation of India is a Society formed under the aegis of the Ministry of Power, Government of India, and supported by leading CPSEs. The Foundation is involved in areas of advocacy and research, positively impacting the evolving energy landscape.