“I think we should make an advisory panel of children to guide us on energy conservation,” said Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy, after being grilled by schoolchildren across India on Sunday.

The occasion was the National Energy Conservation Day, and Goyal was presenting awards to companies and schoolchildren for their paintings. The Minister utilised the event to take questions from children across States, such as Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Maharashtra and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Questions ranged from how one can contribute to energy saving to trickier ones like why the Government can’t bring down its fuel consumption by using fewer security vehicles for VIPs.

Perhaps not expecting such googlies from children, Goyal was pleasantly surprised by the variety of suggestions from them, and even promised to enact some of them.

For instance, a Class VII child from Bhopal suggested setting up a toll-free number to help citizens report wasteful use of street lights. Goyal promptly declared, “By January 31, we will set up a number. We would request the help of the States also in this, but I think this is a great way to ensure street lights don’t remain switched on during the day.”

On another suggestion about making electric vehicles tax free, the Minister said he will take up the matter with the Finance Ministry. “Perhaps a pilot project can be started, but the matter needs discussion. I want India to be the leader for creating a healthy atmosphere for electric vehicles,” he told reporters after the event.

Portal launched During the event, the Minister also launched the Energy Savers portal to help children assess and optimise energy usage in their schools and homes.

Goyal said the target should be to save at least 10 per cent of our current energy usage.

“I hope by next year this time, we can save 10,000 crore units of electricity. This would help us save ₹40-50,000 crore which would help in providing electricity to those who don’t have it,” he said.

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