January 15, 2002

    The Oil Conservation Fortnight of 2002 was inaugurated here today by Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Minister of State for Petroleum & Natural Gas in the presence of a large number of school children from Delhi. This marks the beginning a Fortnight long special campaign to educate and spread awareness about making optimum use of petroleum products by following tips for conservation. These campaigns which begin at national level in Delhi are spread through out the country with special programmes in various State Capitals.

    Speaking on the occasion Shri Gangwar underlined the important role of children to accomplish the mission of putting the vital and scarce resources of hydrocarbon to the best use. He said that children/students are harbinger of change in attitude which can be utilised in the oil sector to achieve the national cause of saving oil. He clarified that the conservation of petroleum products does not mean that their consumption should be reduced because the use of the petroleum products is vital for enhancing industrial and economic activities which in turn leads to development.

    Shri Ram Naik, Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas, whose speech was read in absentia emphasised the importance of conserving the petroleum products and called for avoiding their wastage. The country has been importing more than 70 per cent of the domestic requirement of crude oil on which Rs. 80,000 crore were spent.

    He called upon the children to spread the message of conserving this precious resource as he believed Children could make it a grand success for their proven social campaigns such as reducing the use of crackers during Diwali, reducing the use of plastic bags and their contribution in the abolition of child labour.

    Shri Naresh Narad, Addl. Secretary, (Petroleum & Natural Gas) flagged off the publicity van. Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, is carrying out important educational and mass awareness programmes for conservation of petroleum products in association with the oil companies. The awareness programmes on conservation of oil have brought better results thereby leading to substantial savings in the petroleum products in the years past.