Jaipur, Feb 14 (PTI) Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagde on Friday said the country should focus on production of alternative clean energy on a priority basis due to the large expenses in importing crude oil.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of a conservation themed event organised by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and oil and gas companies, Bagde said India is the third largest consumer of petroleum products after the United States and China.

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"Domestic production of crude oil and natural gas is unable to meet the growing demand of the country. We currently import more than 80 percent of our crude oil needs. This leads to the expenditure of a large amount of foreign currency," he said.

The governor said the "basic mantra" of energy conservation is to think about future generations and to use as little as possible. He also expressed the need for efforts to reduce emissions and oil imports by using ethanol oil in petrol and diesel.

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Speaking at the Conservation Capacity 'Saksham' 2025, the governor said in the era of climate crisis, planting more and more trees should be our priority.

Bagde said Rajasthan is on top in solar energy production and is third in wind energy production. He urged that people should work together to make the country self-sufficient in oil and gas.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)