Thursday, May 29, 2014: The BJP-led NDA government has chosen former national treasurer, head of communications and party MP Piyush Goyal as the country’s new energy minister. Goyal will be taking over the position of minister of power, coal and new and renewable energy (MNRE). The newly elected prime minister Narendra Modi is an advocate of solar power and envisions a future where every household in the country will have at least one light bulb, with solar energy being at the periphery of it all.
MNRE currently oversees the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), which is in turn responsible for directing the national mission (JNNSM). Evidently, Goyal is expected to fulfil Modi’s prophecy and usher in a rejuvenation in the country’s solar power ambitions. Even as an estimated 300 million plus people still remain unconnected to the grid in India with the power demand here likely to double by 2020, the country sees fresh hope in Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Among the many political promises Modi has made to bolster the growth of the world’s largest democracy, that of bringing light to every home is perhaps one of the most noteworthy ones. Even before Goyal took over as energy minister, he had made his intentions to deregulate the energy sector clear. Whether or not, Goyal under the leadership of Modi will be able to power up India’s homes and use solar energy to drive the same is something that will become clearer in the days to come.
Goyal, initially an investment banker has gone on to serve on the Board of India’s largest commercial bank, the State Bank of India and the Bank of Baroda. A trained chartered accountant, Goyal also has a degree in law from Mumbai University. The decision to appoint Goyal as the new energy minister goes against solar analyst Bridge to India that has contended that Suresh Prabhu could have been a good choice for the position.
