The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, released a commemorative postage stamp to mark the 60th birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, here today. The day is also being observed as 'Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Diwas'. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said:

"I deem it a great honour to be present at this historic function where we seek to commemorate Shri Rajiv Gandhi on his 60th birthday and to celebrate his life and work. It is an excellent idea that we are observing this occasion as "Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Diwas", as it spreads, as it serves the purpose of spreading the message of renewable energy across the length and breadth of our country. We are living in an age where energy is emerging as a major constraint on the pace of social and economic development and we have to think of new ways and means to grapple with the challenge of energy security. I am, therefore, very happy that the name of Shri Rajiv Gandhi is being associated with the propagation of renewable energy which I believe is the key for a better future for our people.

We all know that Rajivji had the foresight to envision the promise of information technology and the immense potential of the telecommunication revolutions at least 15 years before this whole process unfolded itself in a big way. Had he not taken the requisite steps to build the necessary infrastructure for the development of several high technology sectors, it is quite possible that we may not have been able to achieve what we are witnessing today in our own country.

While focusing on high technology, Rajivji also paid great attention to the need for bringing the benefit of technology for purposes of rapid socio-economic and technological change in the rural areas of our country. Some of you might be aware that it was Shri Rajiv Gandhi who inaugurated the National Programme on Improved Chulhas. In fact, he lit the first improved 'Chulha' developed by the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, with his own hands. Today, another initiative of the Ministry is on the anvil for the development of our rural areas, which indeed is our heartland. This time, we will provide a host of energy services, including those for cooking, lighting and motive power, through several bio-energy technologies, including the hi-tech bio-mass gasification route and leafy biomass based biogas technologies. This apart, we will work to replace the use of diesel in agricultural pumpsets and tractors, by bio-fuels. Let me assure you that I will be keenly watching the outcome of this initiative, and I look forward to results at an early date.

We must not forget that despite the great progress we have recorded in rural electrification, over 56 per cent of our rural households continue to go without access to electricity. Indeed, I am given to understand that in some States, this figure is much higher. The National Common Minimum Programme enjoins us to ensure that rural household electrification will be completed in a period of five years. I believe decentralized power in terms of local electricity generation and use can make the old Gandhian vision of decentralized production not only a reality but also a viable techno-economic option. I expect the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources to play a major role in providing renewable energy solutions in fulfillment of our aim of providing electricity to all rural households. Electricity in the past has been a major source of encouraging decentralisation tendencies in economic processes. The decentralised sources of energy through the use of renewable resources are becoming a reality. As I said the Gandhian dream of decentralised production will not only be more ethical but also be more economic. I think it is today on the verge of being realised.

Several non-conventional energy sources fall in the domain of high technology. The immediate need then is to take stock of what we have achieved so far in this sector and compare it with the 'state-of-the-art' technology available elsewhere. The gap between the two has to be bridged in the shortest possible time. Sun and solar power in many ways are a great asset of our nation. We have to convert this potential into a living reality. I do not have to remind you that technology is today universally accepted as one of the major vectors of power. Most developed nations have relentlessly pursued the goal of retaining technological leadership simply because there is a close nexus between technology and development and technology and the power and the wealth of the nation. Technology has the potential to radically convert every area of our potential comparative advantage into actual competitive advantage. That, I believe, is both a challenge and an exciting opportunity.

While we consider the need to protect the environment and there is no going away from the fact that we may be living in different countries, but the whole world today in this increasingly interdependent world that we live in, we serve a single common environment and its protection is an obligation on the entire humankind. Therefore, while the need to protect the environment must remain one of our key concerns, the prime reason for the development and deployment of new and renewable energies is also linked with our quest for energy security. In a global situation of constant flux, we cannot be excessively dependent on external sources alone for meeting our energy requirements. Therefore, diligent efforts have to be made to find viable substitutes in particular, for crude oil, as this will be probably the first natural resource to be exhausted on our planet. Although the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources has made much progress in the deployment of renewable energies to replace the use of coal, I believe the time has come when a shift, may be required to focus more attentively on the alternatives to crude oil. In this connection, the Ministry needs to accelerate the development and deployment of new, frontier technologies like hydrogen and fuel cells.

The litmus test often used today to determine the effectiveness of technology development programmes in every country is whether a country is a net foreign exchange earner in technologies, products, processes and services. Our endeavour at the national level, therefore, must be to make India a leader in the new and renewable energy sector in the shortest possible time. This will enable us to realize the dream of Rajivji, of all of us working together to usher in a strong, self-reliant and developed India, standing tall in the comity of nations. This was Rajivji's dream, it is incumbent on all of us to remain faithful to the ideas and the ideals which inspired Rajivji. We all have an obligation in our own humble way to contribute to the realisation of his dreams, which were dreams for the people of our country as a whole in all walks of life."