Kathmandu, July 30

India has said it will share its experience on renewable energy sectors with the rest of SAARC countries to reduce energy scarcity in the region.

Minister of State of Rural Development of India Sudarshan Bhagat shared New Delhi’s readiness to share its knowledge and technology in renewable energy sectors with its neighbours during the fourth ministerial meeting of SAARC on poverty alleviation in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu yesterday.

According to SAARC Secretary General Arjun Bahadur Thapa, India proposed a concept note to share experience on renewable energy for the development of wind, solar as well as hydropower generation.

Nepal’s Minister for Urban Development Narayan Khadka took part in the two-day meeting, where ministerial delegations from all SAARC member states — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka — were present.

The meeting endorsed the proposal of setting up SAARC handicraft development centres, for which all member states have to allocate land and develop a sustainability report. The project is aimed to have a common standard, market promotion, training and design centres in each of eight SAARC countries. It also approved a proposal of urban poverty alleviation and slum up-gradation in the SAARC region.

Meanwhile, Minister Khadka also called on Bhutanese Prime Minister Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay in Thimphu yesterday.

According to a press statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today, Minister Khadka thanked Togbay for Bhutan’s prompt support to Nepal in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake on April 25 and the International Conference on Nepal’s Reconstruction held on June 25.