Trishna Pegu Doley
GUWAHATI : Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria inaugurated Saksham-2023 which is an awareness campaign for conservation of petroleum products at Madhavdev International Auditorium here today. It may be noted that as part of Saksham, Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Govt. of India has been organizing a campaign to sensitize the consumers about energy conservation efforts in the country since 1978. Over the past 30 years, PCRA and the Oil Marketing Companies have helped consumers in different sectors such as Transport, Industry, Agriculture and household to realize energy conservation to a great extent. Speaking on the occasion, Governor Kataria said, “While our country is the third largest consumer of energy in the world after China and USA, our one third source of energy basket grossly constitutes of petroleum products, which is diminishing at a very fast rate. While we are recognizing and adopting measures to increase our dependence on renewable energy sources, the demand for petroleum products as source of energy is still growing.” The Governor also said that India has huge deficit in crude oil production level compared to its consumption pattern. As per figures of 2022-23, the country consumed about 214 million metric tonne per annum (MMTPA) of petroleum products and has a refining capacity little over 249 MMTPA. Thus, the country is depending heavily on import of crude oil to meet the energy demand of the country. While for the state of Assam, though the state is having sufficient refining capacity with the four refineries put together and the capacity will be further ramped up, crude oil for Bongaigaon Refinery has been sourced through import. The Governor however said that it has become imperative for everybody to devise ways and means of reducing the country’s dependence on imported energy. The Government of India has formulated various plans and strategies to considerably enhance availability of crude oil and gas. Biofuels are being promoted to reduce consumption of fossil fuels. Also, energy conservation efforts need to be intensified to make the whole country more energy efficient than ever before. The Governor hailed the efforts of PCRA and Public Sector Oil and Gas companies for undertaking intensive conservation awareness campaigns among the masses throughout the country. He also appealed to all concerned to actively participate in this great cause and transform the campaign into a way of life. Executive Director IOCL G. Ramesh, State Head-Retail, North East, BPCL Pankaj Das, Sr. Depot Manager, HPCL-Guwahati Rahul Kumar Singh, GM(Lubes), IOCL Vineet Kaul, students from different schools along with a host of other dignitaries were also present in the inaugural function.
