Context: Recently, Union Minister for Power, New & Renewable Energy inaugurated India’s first publicEV (Electric Vehicle) charging plaza at Chelmsford Club in New Delhi and also launched RAISE national programme.
Key Points

• The EV charging plaza is a new avenue for making e-mobility ubiquitous and convenient in India.
• This plaza will host 5 Electric Vehicle Chargers of different specifications.
• Such innovative initiatives are imperative for the creation of a robust e-mobility ecosystem in the country.
• RAISE initiative can potentially alleviate the issue of bad air quality in workspaces across the nation and pioneer ways to make them healthier and greener.
• EESL is also taking initiatives as a part of the larger initiative to “Retrofit of Air-conditioning to improve Indoor air quality for Safety and Efficiency” developed for healthy and energy efficient buildings, in partnership with U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) MAITREE programme.

About RAISE

• It is an initiative launched by EESL for healthy and energy efficient buildings, in partnership with U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) MAITREE programme.
• The initiative aims to alleviate the issue of bad air quality in workspaces across the nation and will pioneer ways to make them healthier and greener.
• Under the initiative, EESL has undertaken a retrofit of its office air-conditioning and ventilation system.
• EESL’s corporate office in Scope Complex has been taken up as a pilot for this initiative.
• The pilot focuses on improving indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal comfort, and energy efficiency (EE) in EESL office’s air conditioning system.

About Market Integration and Transformation Program for Energy Efficiency (MAITREE)

• This initiative is a part of the US-India bilateral Partnership between the Ministry of Power and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
• It is aimed at accelerating the adoption of cost-effective energy efficiency as a standard practice within buildings, and specifically focuses on cooling.

About Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL)

• It works under the Union Ministry of Power, Government of India.
• It is working towards mainstreaming energy efficiency and is implementing the world’s largest energy efficiency portfolio in the country.
• Driven by the mission of Enabling More – More Transparency, More Transformation, And More Innovation, EESL aims to create market access for efficient and future-ready transformative solutions that create a win-win situation for every stakeholder.