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Table of Contents
Green ambitions
Surprising statement this month, Union Power Minister R.K. Singh said India would
overshoot its target of installing 175 gigawatts of capacity from renewable energy sources
by 2022- India was on track, he said, to hit 225 GW.
India has missed several interim milestones since it announced its 175 GW target in 2015.
Technological and financial challenges remain: both wind and solar generation
Electricity grid must be modernised to distribute such power efficiently.
To hit its 2022 target of 175 GW, 106 GW will have to be added in four years, more than
twice the capacity added in the last four.
Manufacturers of photovoltaic (PV) cells have demanded a 70% safeguard duty on Chinese
PV imports, and the Directorate General of Trade Remedies will soon take a call on this.
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But any such duty will deal a body blow to solarpower suppliers, who rely heavily on Chines
e hardware, threatening the growth of the sector.
So, homeowners need to be able to sell electricity back to the grid, which in turn needs a
nationwide “net-metering” policy.
As of today, only a few States have such policies, discouraging users elsewhere.
Such challenges can be overcome with the right incentives, but they will take time to kick in.
The good news is that even if India hits the 175 GW target, it stands to meet its greenhouse
gas emission goal under the Paris climate agreement- will be a worthy achievement.
Overshooting this target will be a plus, but until the government tackles the policy
challenges, it must hold off on implausible(अकल्पनीय) claims.
The missing tiers
25 years ago, Constitution underwent what is arguably its most significant transformation
with the passage of the 73rd (mandating the creation of panchayats) and the 74th (creation of
municipalities) Constitutional Amendments.
While the 73rd Amendment came into force on April 24, 1993, the 74th Amendment came
into effect on June 1, 1993.
As the Central Government’s Smart Cities mission completes 3 years this month,
it’s the right time to examine India’s tryst with municipal governance.
Much has been written about the failure of States to implement the provisions of the
74th Amendment
Important to explore how urban local governments are actively disempowered
as an institution.
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It has happened in multiple ways
First, elected representatives at the city level are powerless making them subservient to the
State government- executive powers of the corporation are vested with the State government
appointed commissioner.
City level politician- their control over a city.
These may take the form of urban development authorities (which build infrastructure)
and public corporations (which provide services such as water, electricity & transportation).
These agencies, which function with a certain autonomy, are accountable only to the State
government, not the local government.
Even urban planning and land-use regulation is with State government-controlled
development authorities.
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Central government vs State Government on local government.
India’s federal system- Even after the 73rd and 74th Amendments, India has effectively
only two levels of government — Union and State
Indian cities have grown exponentially over the last 25 years, with some crossing the 10
million population mark, we must rethink the present model of urban governance .
While urban governance reforms can take multiple shapes,
Political empowerment of local government that furthers local democratic accountability.
Rohingya refugees
Lack of support for Rohingya refugees in India is shameful
Amnesty International (AI) released a briefing that revealed that a Rohingya armed group
the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), had committed serious human rights abuses
against Hindus in northern Rakhine State.
AI aims to uncover all cases of human rights violations without bias, regardless of who the
perpetrators are and where the violations are committed.
May 22 briefing follows AI’s earlier reports documenting military attacks on the
Rohingya that led to more than 693,000 people fleeing from their homes to other countries
Myanmar authorities have been unable, or dare I say, unwilling to protect its civilians.
It’s about people- The issue here is not about which “side”committed more atrocities.
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August last year, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs proposed to forcibly return
to Myanmar all the 40,000 Rohingya refugees in India.
The Ministry claimed that the Rohingya are a threat to national security.
Even those recognised as refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR).
The profound lack of support for Rohingya refugees in India is shameful.
Even though India is not a party to the Refugee Convention, it has always had a longstanding
tradition of providing shelter to those seeking protection.
An improbable friendship.
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