WORLD ENVIORNMENT DAY GREEN CITIES stamp released on 05 06 2005
Denomination :500p
Stamps Printed :0.8 Million
Date of Issue :05-06-2005
Theme:Enviornmental Issues
World Environment Day
Green Cities
World Environment Day was established in 1972 .by the United Nations General Assembly and its commemoration is entrusted to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
The World Environment Day is considered as one of the most important events on the environment calendar and is celebrated every year on 5th June in more than 100 countries. The event seeks to give a human face to environmental issues, empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development, promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues, and advocate partnerships.
Virtually all population growth in the next quarter century will be in urban areas of the less developed countries. Deteriorating standards of basic services, expanding slums, increasing poverty, rising traffic congestion, increasing pollution, lack of green spaces, lack of educational and health facilities, etc. are some of the major challenges of urbanization.
The World Environment Day theme for 2005 focusses on Green Cities: Plan for the Planet. It emphasizes that with careful planning our cities can be places where people can live in a clean and healthy environment and be the showcases of Sustainable Development.
The UNEP has devised an innovative model in the international environmental cooperation. For the first time, there is an environmental cooperation among cities instead of nations and the Green City Declaration that is being signed by world’s 100 largest and environmentally innovative cities is going to bring in a new form of cooperation.
The Urban Environmental Accords signify a new concept in the framework of international environmental cooperation. Unlike nearly all other international efforts on this issue, the Accords forge a cooperative framework among cities instead of nations. Thus, the vision for the Accords is that by creating a grassroots political movement through Mayors and local government, cities can work together to solve and implement common-sense solutions to common problems. The Accords will become a living and dynamic process that incorporates mechanisms for ongoing follow up, technology transfer and information exchange.
At the National level, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India is implementing an ambitious scheme called Ecocities in identified heritage cities. This was conceptualized for improving environment and achieving sustainable development through a comprehensive urban improvement system. The scheme is currently being implemented in the cities of Puri, Vrindavan, Ujjain, Tirupati, Kottayam and Tanjavore.
The Department of Posts is happy to issue a commemorative postage stamp on’Green Cities’ on the occasion of World Environment Day.
RAJIV GANDHI RENEWABLE ENERGY DAY stamp released on 20 08 2004
Denomination :500p 
Stamps Printed :0.8 Million
Date of Issue :20-08-2004
Theme: Personality
Rajiv Gandhi (1944-1991) - India’s Prime Minister from 1984 to 1989, is remembered by teeming millions whose eyes tears of sorrow were replaced with the rainbow of hope by the sheer power of his visionary personality. To remember Rajiv Gandhi is like remembering those millions of youth of India and beyond who were simply charmed and inspired by the sheer honesty, integrity and beauty of his personality.
Rajiv Gandhi envisioned a modern India and initiated several policy initiatives for modernization of the Indian economy, applications of science and technology for serving the poor and devolution of authority and responsibility to institutions of local government - Panchayati Raj and Nagarpalikas. An important step was to electrify all villages within the shortest possible time. It was his desire that no house should remain unelectrified and for which he laid emphasis on providing alternate sources of energy.
To fulfill Rajiv Gandhi’s dream to illuminate all the houses in the country, the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES), Government of India has set out ambitious targets to meet the energy demand for the people particularly those living in about 18,000 remote villages.
The MNES has declared that the 20`h of August, 2004, the 6011 birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, be observed as the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Diwas’ and has launched a massive awareness campaign throughout the country. The campaign is focussed on educating school children about achieving energy security through various applications of renewable energy. District level competitions, such as essay writing, painting, debates, rallies, human chains, dramas and street plays, using local folk-art forms and idioms, etc., are being organized.
Renewable energy is derived from natural resources that are replenished constantly and are eco-friendly. India is endowed with a vast potential of renewable energy resources. It could solve problems pertaining to power shortages and lack of availbility of clean fuels in rural areas. Examples of renewable energy include : biomass, hydro, solar, wind and ocean.
The Sun is the primary source of energy for all life on our planet. Biomass energy comes from energy crops, agricultural residues, trees, cow dung, city garbage, etc., and can be used in three ways : burnt to produce heat and electricity, changed into biogas or converted into liquid fuel, such as alcohol and biodiesel. Hydropower is derived from the flow of water to generate electricity and wherever feasible, small and microhydro systems can fully meet the electricity demand of villages. Solar energy is utilized through thermal and photovoltaic (direct conversion into electricity) technologies. Wind energy is used primarily to produce electricity and for water lifting. Ocean energy is derived from thermal energy conversion, tidal and waves. Already about 5,000 MW capacity renewable power projects have been installed.
On the First Day Cover, the four most common applications of renewable energy, i.e., solar lantern, domestic solar water heating system, biogas unit and small hydropower plant have been depicted (from left to right).
The Department of Posts is happy to issue a commemorative postage stamp on the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Diwas’.
ENERGY CONSERVATION STAMP RELEASED ON 14 12 2004
Denomination :500p
Stamps Printed :0.8 Million
Date of Issue :14-12-2004
Theme: Environmental Issues
The current millennium is witnessing a rapid depletion of primary resources of energy which are largely based on fossil fuels. The management and use of conventional sources of energy has become as important as the quest for alternate sources. Conservation of energy is the cheapest method of augmenting the scarce energy resources of the country. Energy conservation and efficiency, envisages the various ways of sensitizing all citizens of its need, in addition to specific programmes in targeted areas.
Energy Conservation has received attention in India since the mid 70’s. The impact of Energy Conservation efforts are felt at a very low pace as the commercial energy consumption per capita is low in the country and efficient end use devices are costly. The growing energy demand, mainly in the industrial and the service sectors has created a renewed awareness about the need for conserving energy.
There is a huge potentioal of conserving energy. Conservative estimates indicate an energy saving potential at the consumption end equivalent to 25000 MW of fresh capacity, or about Rs. 1,00,000 crores of fresh investment.
The Energy Conservation Act, 2001 provides the necessary legal and institutional arrangement for a focused. Energy Conservation campaign throughout the country. The Act identifies stakeholders as target groups for promoting energy efficiency, such as Energy generating companies, T&D companies, Manufacturers, Consumers and R&D Laboratory/ Establishment.
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has been set up as a nodal agency to implement the policies of the Government on Energy Efficiency. It has accordingly drawn up an action plan through various programmes keeping the target groups in mind. These are, Indian Industry Programmes for Energy Conservation, Standard & Labeling programme, Demand Side Management, Energy Efficiency in Buildings and Establishments, Energy Conservation Building Code, Professional Certification and Accreditation, Manuals and codes and Energy Conservation Awareness Campaign.
The Ministry of Power has been observing 14th December as the Energy Conservation Day since 1990 to promote the cause of Energy Efficiency and the need to conserve the finite resources of energy in the country.
To promote public awareness and to encourage the achievers, National Energy Conservation Awards are presented every year as recognition of the need for Energy Conservation as much as to acknowledge the implementation of programmes to demonstrate the commitment. These awards given on Energy Conservation Day are amongst the various measures taken by the Government to enthuse the public to promote Energy Efficiency throughout the country.
The Department of Posts is happy to issue a commemorative postage stamp on Energy Conservation.
RENEWABLE ENERGY stamp release on 22 11 2007
| Denomination :500,500,500,500p Stamps Printed : 0.8 Million each Date of Issue :22-11-2007 Theme : Environmental issues |
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Energy is a basic requirement for economic development. Every sector of economy - agriculture, industry, transport, commercial and domestic - needs inputs of energy. The economic development plans implemented since independence in India have necessarily required increasing amounts of energy. As a result, consumption of energy in all forms has been steadily rising all over the country.
This growing consumption of energy has also resulted in the country becoming increasingly dependent on fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. Rising prices of oil and gas and potential shortages in future lead to concerns about the security of energy supply needed to sustain our economic growth. Increased use of fossil fuel also causes environmental problems both locally and globally.
Against this background, the country urgently needs to develop a sustainable path of energy development. Promotion of energy conservation and increased use of renewable energy sources are the twin planks of sustainable energy supply.
Fortunately, India is blessed with variety of renewable energy sources, the main ones being biomass, biogas the sun, wind and small hydropower.
Advantages of renewable energy are that it is:
- Perennial.
- Available locally and does not need elaborate arrangements for transport.
- Usually modular in nature, i.e. small-scale units and systems can be almost as economical as large-scale ones
- Environment-friendly.
- Well suited for decentralized applications and use in remote areas.
The Government has been implementing comprehensive programs for the development and utilization of various renewable energy sources in the country. As a result of efforts made during the past 25 years, a number of technologies and devices have been developed and have become commercially available. These include biogas plants, improved wood stoves, solar water heaters, solar cookers, solar lanterns, street lights, pumps, wind electric generators, water-pumping wind mills, biomass gasifiers and small hydro-electric generators. Energy technologies for the future such as hydrogen, fuel cells and bio-fuel are being actively developed.
India is implementing one of the world’s largest programs in renewable energy. The country ranks second in the world in biogas utilization and fourth in wind power. Renewable sources already contribute about 16,500 MW, which is about 7.5% of the total installed power capacity in the country.
The Department of Posts is happy to issue a set of four commemorative postage stamps on Renewable Energy depicting the four common applications of renewable energy i.e. Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Small Hydropower and Biomass Energy.