BHUBANESWAR: Deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo on Thursday met former prime minister of the United Kingdom and executive chairman of Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), Tony Blair, in New Delhi and discussed collaborations for implementing sustainable energy solutions in Odisha.
The state government signed a tripartite letter of intent (LoI) with the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and TBI. As per the LoI, Odisha will take the leadership for setting up a community of practice for energy ministers from various states of India. A conference of energy ministers of all the states is scheduled to be held in Odisha later this year.
Praising Odisha for pioneering reforms in the electricity sector, Blair said the state has attracted significant investments in renewable energy in the last one year. He also noted that Odisha faces typical challenges because of mineral-based industries and thermal power plants, and expressed readiness for continued collaboration with the state to accelerate sustainable energy solutions.
Singh Deo reiterated Odisha’s commitment to a low carbon future and achieving net zero. The state will adopt a strategic approach aligned to best international standards, he said.
The issue of distress migration, particularly from the western parts of Odisha was also discussed in the meeting. The TBI has supported the state government in formulating the artificial intelligence (AI) policy which has recently been approved by the cabinet.
Country director of TBI, Vivek Agarwal, dean IIT-Kanpur Prof Sachidanand Tripathy and additional secretary in Energy department Debidutta Tripathy signed the agreement.