By IANS,
Kolkata: The West Bengal government will declare a policy on solar energy after Durga Puja festivities, minister Manish Gupta has said.
“Solar energy is being promoted actively by the Indian government. Subsidies are given. We do not have a policy yet but are formulating one which will be declared after the Puja,” Gupta, the development, planning and power minister, said at a programme organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) here Saturday.
He, however, said subsidy-driven growth of solar energy was not a healthy system.
“Why there should be a subsidy? Because solar energy is very costly… per unit cost is about Rs.12-14,” he said. “Solar energy has a long way to go. It should be cheaper.”
He said every household in the state will have electricity connections in the next three years.
Stating the new government was taking ‘determined’ steps to bring in accelerated growth in the state, he said the annual agriculture growth was pegged at four percent.
The government is interested in infrastructure development through public-private-partnership (PPP) models, he said. “We are now talking to private players for that.”