IMPHAL, January 30: In connection with the fortnight observation of oil and gas conservation every year from January 15 to 31, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi has conveyed a message that Manipur has been experiencing scarcity in fuel more than any other state in India.
Emphasising that this will continue as fuel resources are expected to be exhausted by 2060, he urges one and all to conserve fuel as other renewable sources of energy are not commercially viable as of now.
Explaining that the government and oil industry can only create awareness about conservation but will be effective only when people start implementing it in their daily life, the CM asks the public to know the simple thumb rule that one unit of electricity saved equals to three units of electricity produced and do their bit by following this simple rule for the larger cause of oil and gas conservation.
Linking the most challenging environmental problems directly with the production, transportation, storage and usage of energy, he calls for having a sustainable energy system so that the resources are not exhausted before regeneration.
“Modern lifestyle is based on comfort, quality, safety and easy availability of a product. Hence today’s civilization is fast depleting the resources which have been formed through a gradual process over millions of years.”
“India, in the scheme of world petrol industry, is classified among “price takers”: meaning, we have no control over the price of an oil barrel. It’s able to meet only 28% of the total energy demand and the rest comes through exports which have been a huge burden on the exchequer. The Govt. of India, considering the issues set up the Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) which functions as a think tank proposing policies and strategies on Petroleum Conservation through mass media campaigns, printed literature, seminars and training programmes.”
The Oil & Gas Conservation fortnight is observed every year from January 15 to 31 under the aegis of ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to spread the message of conservation through a vast number of activities.