Category Center for Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development

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Solar PLI Tranche II (2022): Strengthening India’s Solar Manufacturing

The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for the National Programme on High Efficiency Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Modules was approved by the Union Cabinet on 7 April 2021, with a total outlay of ₹24,000 crore, to build gigawatt-scale domestic manufacturing capacity and reduce India's dependence on solar imports. It is administered by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Tranche-I, a smaller pilot worth ₹4,500 crore, required manufacturers to integrate the full value chain, from polysilicon through to modules, to qualify. This bar proved too high, only three manufacturers ultimately won Letters of Award (LoAs), for a combined 8,737 MW, leaving most of the scheme's intended capacity-building potential untapped.

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Navigating European Union Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (EU CBAM): Evaluating India’s Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme

The global pharmaceutical sector for decades has been operating with a hyper-specialized and cost-driven business model. Under this approach, western pharmaceutical giants have used their capital to invest in high-margin research and development, patent acquisition and initial clinical design. Simultaneously, capital intensive, environmentally demanding, and low margin segments of manufacturing. Especially the synthesis of key starting materials (KSMs) and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), were successively exported to developing Asian economies with lower overhead costs and more flexible regulatory frameworks.

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India’s COP26 “Panchamrit” Climate Pledges (2021) – Progress Scorecard

At COP26 in Glasgow on 1 November 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled five ambitious climate commitments for India, collectively known as Panchamrit, which translates to “five nectars” in Sanskrit. These pledges include: (i) 500GW of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030; (ii) meeting 50% of energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030; (iii) cutting projected cumulative carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes between then 2030; (iv) reducing the emissions intensity of GDP by 45% from 2005 levels by 2030; and (v) achieving net zero emissions by 2070.

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Dragon Fruit Cultivation In Bihar : Assessing the Mukhyamantri Bagwani Mission and Dragon Fruit Vikas Yojana , 2025 -26

Bihar’s agricultural future may increasingly depend not only on how much it produces, but also on what it produces and how much value farmers can obtain from it. In this context, the emergence of dragon fruit, or Kamalam, offers an interesting case of agricultural diversification. Once considered an exotic fruit in Indian markets, dragon fruit has gradually entered India’s commercial horticulture landscape.While dragon fruit is promoted nationally under MIDH,Bihar has introduced a separate state-funded Dragon Fruit Vikas Yojana under the Mukhyamantri Bagwani Mission ,the two are complementary, with MIDH providing the broader technical and institutional horticulture ecosystem and the Bihar scheme providing state-level financial and implementation support for crop expansion.

India’s Climate Solutions and Way Forward

India stands at a critical juncture in addressing the climate crisis, where the imperatives of development, energy security, climate resilience and social justice increasingly intersect. While the country has undertaken several commitments towards mitigating greenhouse-gas emissions and transitioning towards a low-carbon economy, the impacts of climate change are already being experienced through extreme weather events, agricultural losses, disruptions to livelihoods and growing vulnerabilities among marginalised communities.

Climate Disasters in India: Extreme Events, Risks and Resilience

Climate disasters are risks closely linked to climatic conditions and climate change. These include extreme events such as heatwaves, floods, cyclones, and droughts, as well as other climate hazards. Although such events may have natural causes, the extent of their impact is strongly influenced by human exposure, vulnerability, environmental degradation, development patterns, and the capacity of institutions and communities to respond. The need to understand such climatic disasters has increased as extreme events increasingly affect livelihoods, infrastructure, public health, agriculture, ecosystems, and even economic activity.

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Namami Gange Programme: Assessing Progress as Phase II Nears Its 2026 Deadline

According to Hindu mythology, the Ganga is revered as a goddess who descends on earth from the great heavens. She was brought down to earth for the penance of King Bhaghirata. Ganga’s civilisational importance sits uneasily alongside an assessment of the river's current material condition. The Ganga’s length is over 2,525 kilometres. More importantly, the river supports 43 per cent of India’s population (CAG, 2017). Unfortunately, decades of industrial, religious and agricultural waste have severely degraded its ecological health. This has prompted the Government of India to launch the Namami Gange Programme (NGP) in June 2014. Under the Ministry of Jal Shakti's Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

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