Energy is a key component for economic growth as well as for human development. India is the third-ranking electricity generator in the world but ranks 106th in terms of per capita consumption. Specifically, the distribution of power is the most important link in the value chain of the power sector since it is the cash register for the entire sector. In India, electricity is a concurrent subject shared between the Central and State Governments. While the generation of power has been deregulated since 2003, the supply of power to the consumers is generally carried out by Government-owned power Distribution Companies (DISCOMs). In this paper, the authors analyze the financial distress of DISCOMs in India, and explain how the supply-demand mismatch due to over-ambitious demand projections, the fixed and energy charges of thermal power plants, and the excess procurement of “must-run” renewable sources together contribute to the high cost of power procurement that drives the financial stress faced by DISCOMs. The authors support their assertion with a study of nine DISCOMs supplying electricity to 155 million people in three States and propose policy recommendations for a turnaround of such DISCOMs which can be rolled out with suitable modifications across India.
Within the next decade, a set of four low-carbon technologies -LEDs, solar energy, wind energy, and electric vehicles are set to reconfigure the dynamics of several industries. While India is making significant progress in the first three, we hardly see any electric vehicles on our roads, though the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP-2020) was launched by the Government of India on 9 January 2013 with the aspiration of selling 6-7 million new electric vehicles in 2020 to achieve liquid fuel savings of 2.2-2.5 million tonnes, along with substantial lowering of vehicular emissions and a decrease in CO 2 emissions. In addition to these vital benefits, acceleration of electric mobility in India will also lead to higher job creation in manufacturing. In this article, key recommendations are proposed to accelerate the progress of electric vehicles as a much-needed move towards a more sustainable and energy-secure future for India and a healthier life for Indians.
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