Himachal signs MoU with Oil India Ltd for Green Hydrogen
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced on Monday that the state has signed an agreement with Oil India Limited to promote green hydrogen production.
Today, CM Sukhu presided over the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board’s (HPSPCB) ‘Enviro-Ideation Hackathon’ at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI) Shimla.
“State Government has imposed a ban on single-use plastic in Himachal Pradesh since 2009 and now it was working to find suitable alternatives to plastic. The government is committed to environmental protection and has made various provisions in the budget to improve the state’s climate,” CM Sukhu said.
“The state government is promoting the production of green hydrogen and has signed an agreement with Oil India Limited in this regard,” he added.
Even though the Central Government has placed economic limitations due to the return of the old pension system, the current State Government is determined to continue progressing.
He assured that the government would sympathetically consider the request for an old pension for Pollution Control Board employees.
In addition, he emphasized the government’s efforts to integrate technology and governance.
The Chief Minister also spoke about the efforts made in the last five months to improve the system for the future.
He said, “The government is focused on bringing the economy back on track, converting HRTC diesel buses into e-buses, establishing quality education through Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding Schools, and introducing robotic surgery in healthcare facilities. The state government has adopted 6000 orphan children as ‘Children of the State’ and would provide a helping hand to them for pursuing higher education and other expenses.”
The winners of the Enviro-Ideation Hackathon received cash prizes and certificates from the Chief Minister.
Gokul Butail, Principal Advisor (IT & Innovations), thanked CM Sukhu for launching various innovative environmental initiatives and stated that steps must be taken towards waste-to-energy in order to address future challenges.
Anil Joshi, Member Secretary of the HPSPCB, had earlier welcomed the Chief Minister and detailed the Board’s various activities.