Haryana Government on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with International Solar Alliance (ISA), under which every year Kalpana Chawla Haryana Solar Award will be conferred upon scientists selected by ISA.
This agreement was signed during the first General Assembly of ISA at India-ISA Partnership Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo held in Noida.
On the occasion, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy RK Singh, Haryana Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy, Banwari Lal, and Chairman HAREDA, Shailendra Shukla were also present.
International Solar Alliance (ISA) is a group of 121 countries that will every year honour the scientists who are doing exceptional work in the field of solar energy research and development or associated with such research institute, with Kalpana Chawla Haryana Solar Award, said an official spokesman.
For this, the Haryana Government has made a fixed deposit of Rs 10 crore and the interest received from this fixed deposit will be used as award money, he said.
The state cabinet had recently approved initiating Kalpana Chawla Haryana Solar Award.
Such awards will encourage their participation in solar sector and provide them a platform to access affordable, reliable and sustainable energy across 121 member countries of ISA. It will help in achieving the universal goal of sustainable energy for all, the spokesman added.
The MoU was signed between the Additional Chief Secretary, New and Renewable Energy, PK Mahapatra, on behalf of Haryana Government and the Interim Director General, ISA, Upendra Tripathy.