India to Lights Off during Earth Hour today

Delhi and Mumbai will be leading India in observing the annual 'Earth Hour' initiative -- one of the largest global campaigns to combat climate change -- by switching off lights and other electrical equipment for one hour on March 27. Organised by World Wide Fund for Nature, the 'Earth Hour' is celebrated across major cities of the world on the last Saturday of March annually to pledge support for protecting the environment. Pledging her support to the initiative, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, herself a strong votary of eco-friendly measures, said the city will switch off its non-essential lights for one hour from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm on March 27 to make the event a great success. "I can assure you that all the households can have romantic candle light dinners sitting at their homes," Dikshit said addressing a function organised by the WWF as part of its campaign to make the initiative a grand success in India.

Brand Ambassador of the initiative in India Abhishek Bachchan said, "As responsible citizens of the planet, it is extremely crucial for all of us to address the problem of climate change through ensuring responsible action and adopting a sustainable way of life." WWF India's Chief Executive Officer Ravi Singh said that millions in 4,088 cities, towns and municipalities across 88 countries participated in Earth Hour 2009. The Earth Hour event takes place a week after the vernal equinox when night and day are of the same duration in both hemispheres.
India 'Earth Hour' Light off Time: 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM