Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Monday said the Gujarat model of renewable energy will play a key role in helping India achieve its target of 500 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy by 2030.
Speaking at a seminar on Solar Dividends during the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference in Rajkot, Goyal said two major central government schemes have helped citizens become self-reliant in energy through solar power. He said that after the NDA government came to power in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi significantly raised India’s renewable energy ambitions.
“The earlier target was 20,000 MW by 2030, but Prime Minister Modi increased it to one lakh MW by 2022,” Goyal said, adding that policy reforms and a transparent reverse auction mechanism helped reduce solar power costs and accelerate capacity addition.
Highlighting Gujarat’s contribution, the minister said the state has set a target of 100 GW of renewable energy by 2030. “Gujarat is a leading renewable energy state, and its progress will support India’s 500 GW goal,” he said.
Calling Gujarat India’s growth engine, Goyal said its success drives national development. He also praised the Vibrant Gujarat initiative for inspiring other states to compete for investments.
Goyal said India already has about 50 per cent renewable capacity and highlighted PM Surya Ghar and PM Kusum schemes for empowering households and farmers.
