Honb’le Energy Minister Shri. Bawankule Inaugurates LED Expo in Mumbai

by Shrutee K/DNS

Mumbai, 12^th May 2016: LED Expo, India’s largest and the only exhibition for LED Lighting, products and technologies opens this week from 12^th  – 14^th  May 2016. Hosting over 160 exhibitors from 6 countries, the exhibition covers all aspects of LED lighting and applications that serves the cause of promoting LED and energy efficient, environment friendly and cost-saving technologies in India. The exhibition was inaugurated by Shri. Chandrashekar Bawankule, Chief Guest, Hon'ble Minister of Energy, New & Renewable Energy, Govt. of Maharashtra. Guest of Honour Shri Nitin Gadre, IAS, Director General, Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA) were present at the inauguration.

Addressing the industry at the inauguration of this illustrious industry event, Hon'ble Minister Shri Chandrashekar Bawankule said:“The Government of Maharashtra aims to reduce energy consumption by 35 to 50%. To achieve this aim the state will charge Rs 85/- for each LED bulb price of which is Rs 450 in the market. Equally appreciative is Messe Frankfurt India’s effort in bringing-the brightest LED innovators and entrepreneurs from across the globe on one common platform. By bringing together all the stakeholders, the platform will allow sector players to be more vocal about the challenges in their industry and bring relevant products, advancements and expertise together to accelerate adoption of this path-breaking technology.”

Elaborating on plans and VAT reduction on LED products in the state, he further added: “At LED Expo I am happy to see products which offer 80% energy savings and 160 companies across the globe who have participated. LED Expo should expand and be held in various cities like Nagpur, Pune, Aurangabad and other tier 2 cities. In Maharashtra we need 40lac energy conservation pumps for farmers. We are open to joining hands and make the change. The idea is to have subsidized energy to save energy. Government has also taken initiative of replacement of existing street lights with LED street lights of 100 numbers of cities in the State. Work has already started to replace inefficient street lighting with LED through EESL. We are focusing on Home lighting, street lighting and tie-ups with Municipal Corporation and investors/companies for lighting specific areas or localities. Solar rooftop policies, solar pumps, solar panelling cooking system, water lighting scheme on solar and more.” Government of Maharashtra has also reduced the VAT on LED bulbs & tube lights from 12.5% to 5.5%.”

Mr Raj Manek, Executive Director and Board Member of Messe Frankfurt Asia Holding Ltd said: “This is the 14th edition and it’s getting bigger, better and more empowering with the continued support of the industry and Indian ministries. I am happy to announce that the exhibition has grown once again – both in terms of size and number of exhibitors - reinforcing its position as the country’s foremost platform leading the LED transition.” The show is being strongly supported by Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Ministry of Communications, Government of India; Department of Industrial Policy And Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India; Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA) ; Brihan Mumbai Electric Supply & Transport Undertaking (BEST); Electric Lamp and Component Manufacturers' Association of India (ELCOMA); Indian Building Congress (IBC) and Solar Energy Society of India (SESI).

Government of Maharashtra aims to reduce energy consumption by 35% to 50%. To achieve this aim, the State is implementing the "UJALA"charging Rs. 100/- for each LED bulb which is having price of Rs. 450/-in the market. Govt. has directed to all Government/Semi-Government/Urban Local Bodies also to replace inefficient Bulbs/Tube Lights/Street Lights with LED lights. Govt. has reduced the VAT on LED bulbs & tube lights from 12.5% to 5.5%. MEDA has taken many initiatives for the promotion of LED in the State.  MEDA has launched the schemes for Grampanchayats, Municipal Councils/Corporations, Govt. buildings for installation of LED bulbs, tube lights & street lights.

The exhibition comes at an important juncture when the Indian government is aggressively pushing LEDs for all street lamps, residential and public space lighting. The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company, Pune zone has recently launched a scheme to distribute one crore LED bulbs to domestic consumers as part of its energy conservation plan. Various products concerning power-saving technologies and advanced lighting systems will be launched or introduced for the first time at the three-day fair. Key highlights include: Launch of soft strip lights by Stanjo India Ltd known for its flexibility, LED Emergency Bulbs that will work during a power cut by FIEM industries, Intelligent Smart Bulb operable through Wi-Fi and controlled by an iOS/Android App by FIEM Industries, Energy saving LED Rechargeable Flood Lights by Pyrotech Electronics Pvt. Ltd. which saves up to 60% power, A new generation ENWALK 'Always On' (24 x 7) light and 'Solar Lanterns' by Pune based Arham Electronics & Electricals featuring solar charging, feather touch feature, long lasting lithium batteries, mobile charging mechanism, Various light and colour changing energy-efficient lighting technologies for commercial spaces, Sustainable industrial LED lighting solutions from Jainsons LED Lights who’s 24w suspended industrial tube light fitting is a great alternative to the 40w conventional tube light, specially designed for the factory floor condition for voltage regularisation., Award winning and patented LED driver technology by Mingyeung LED which can hold more than 2000Watts of Electricity, improve the durability of the product to more than 10 years and drastically bring down the cost by more than 50%, Luminique series of LED lights by Olight Enterprises