Andhra Pradesh [India] Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy said today that, with the oil crisis deepening, the time had come to explore alternative energy sources.

Mr. Reddy released a book entitled “Oil: Final Countdown to a Global Crisis and its Solutions” by ISKCON member Sahadeva Dasa at an impressive function. He said the problem was of even more concern for oil importing countries such as India.

The Chief Minister appreciated the author for coming out at an appropriate time with a book that not only deals with the current and foreseeable oil crisis, but suggests solutions.

Sahadeva noted that the price of crude oil, source of 4000 different types of petroleum products, had shot up from US$70 to US$148 per barrel in the last 11 months and was predicted to reach the US$200 dollar mark soon. Since the start of 2006, the average world price of rice has risen by 217 percent, wheat by 136 percent, maize by 134 percent and soybeans by 107 per cent.

"This dramatic price increase threatens to choke the very lifeline of civilization", Sahadeva added, "During the last 150 years of industrial civilization, human society has used resources that nature has taken millions of years to build up."

He observed and suggested various vedic paradigms of harmonious living to solve this problem.

For more information please see : www.OilCrisisSolutions.com

(Sahadeva Dasa is temple president of ISKCON Secunderbad, Andhra Pradesh India)