market: PM to start-upsBengaluru, Oct 29 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Moditoday gave a call to start-ups run by the city youth toinitiate a clean cooking movement by tapping the huge marketpotential of solar energy, saying they would get blessings ofwomen from the poor sections of society.
Modi said in the last 35 years, governments had spent Rs4,000 crore on renewable energy but within three years of hisgovernment assuming office, nearly Rs 11,000 crore had beenspent.
"I invite start-ups run by youth residing in Bengaluruto initiate a clean cooking movement by tapping a huge market potential of solar energy. Whoever initiates it, will beblessed by mothers belonging to poor households," he saidparticipating in a function here.
He said through this the country would be in a positionto save a huge sum of money.
Modi said by 2030, India aimed to address 40 per cent ofits power needs by means of renewable energy. Thegovernment's aim is to produce 175 gigawatt powerby 2022, he added.
He said LED bulbs which earlier cost more than Rs 350were now available for Rs 40 to Rs 45 under the Ujala scheme.
More than 27 crore LED bulbs had been distributed so far, hesaid, adding that through this scheme the middle class hadbeen able to save Rs 7,000 crore.
The government had distributed more than three crore gasconnections to rural women which had not only made a positivedifference in their lives, but also contributed to a cleanerenvironment, he said.
The prime minister said the need of the hour was to makeefforts to free India from evils such as illiteracy,ignorance, malnutrition, black money and corruption.
Modi also highlighted how Adi Shankaracharya, an eighthcentury philosopher who founded the Advaita Vedanta,integrated the whole of India with the knowledge of Vedas andUpanishads.
"Adi Shankaracharya assimilated good things of different ideologies and philosophy and inspired people to follow the path of knowledge and devotion," he said.
Recalling his visit to Kedarnath a few days ago, Modisaid Adi Shankaracharya had removed evils from society andprevented them from reaching future generations.
He said Adi Shankaracharya's penance still exists in thepresent form of Indian culture--a culture that accepted alland moved forward together.
"This culture is the foundation of New India and followsthe mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas," he said.
The prime minister said in a way, India's culturalheritage held the answers to all global problems andadded that in India, the stress has always been onpreventing exploitation of nature.
At the event, "Dashamah Soundarya Lahari ParayanotsavaMahasamarpane" here, thousands of people recited SoundaryaLahari hymns composed by Adi Shankaracharya.
The event marks culmination of the programme organisedby Vedanta Bharathi, a branch of Sringeri Sharada Peetha, tospread moral values, religious harmony and spiritualenlightenment. PTI BDN RA APRAAR.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.
