Country report india pdf

It picks up slightly in the STEPS as demand recovers, since renewables do not cover all of the projected increase in electricity demand.

Energy demand for road transport in the STEPS is projected to more than double over the next two decades, although this growth is cut dramatically in the Sustainable Development Scenario. Transport has been the fastest-growing end-use sector in recent years, and India is set for a huge expansion of transportation infrastructure — from highways, railways and metro lines to airports and ports.

And some parts of the system shift rapidly to less energy-intensive options, with one example being a strong increase in the use of two-or-three-wheeled vehicles for road transport. The model of urbanisation that India follows and the extent to which new construction follows energy-efficient building codes will shape patterns of energy use far into the future.

The shift towards urban living accelerates transitions in residential energy use away from solid biomass and towards electricity and modern fuels. Buoyed by rising appliance ownership and demand for cooling, the share of electricity in residential energy use nearly triples.

Nonetheless, in the STEPS, firewood and other traditional fuels are still widely used for cooking by It would take an additional push — as in the India Vision Case and the Sustainable Development Scenario — to move all households to LPG, improved cook stoves, gas or electricity. As a result, 1 in every 7 dollars spent worldwide on these three types of equipment in is in India, compared with 1 in 20 today. The market for natural gas is growing fast in India, but its role varies by sector, by scenario and over time.

It almost doubles in the STEPS as gas use rises in the industrial sector and in city gas distribution. However, affordability is a sensitive issue for consumers, especially given the complex patchwork of additional charges and tariffs that, on average, doubled the cost of wholesale gas by the time it reached end-users in But the Sustainable Development Scenario also underlines that a long-term vision for gas needs to incorporate a growing role for biogases and low-carbon hydrogen, for which India has large potential.

This continued reliance on imported fuels creates vulnerabilities to price cycles and volatility as well as possible disruptions to supply. An additional systemic threat to the reliability of electricity supply comes from the poor financial health of many electricity distribution companies. Improving the cost-reflectiveness of tariffs, the efficiency of billing and collection and reducing technical and commercial losses are key to reforming this sector.

These two sectors are also responsible for a much larger share of air pollutant emissions than the power sector in the STEPS, and a rising urban population means that more people are exposed to air pollution and suffer its ill effects. Projects under construction could result in up to 11 additional terminals over the next seven years.

Strengthening regulatory supervision of upstream, midstream and downstream activities should be part of the market reforms, as it is likely to bring greater efficiency and drive up demand for gas and investment in gas transport infrastructure. India has made important progress towards meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, notably Goal 7 on delivering energy access.

This represents commendable progress even as total energy-related carbon dioxide CO 2 emissions continue to rise. India is an active player at international fora in the fight against climate change.

The major programmes target industry and business, relying on large-scale public procurement of efficient products such as LEDs and the use of tradable energy efficiency certificates. Without significant improvements in energy efficiency, India will need to add massive amounts of power generation capacity to meet demand from the 1 billion air-conditioning units the country is expected to have by Large-scale auctions have contributed to swift renewable energy development at rapidly decreasing prices.

By December , India had deployed a total of 84 GW of grid-connected renewable electricity capacity. India is making progress towards its target of GW of renewables by Progress towards these targets will require a focus on unlocking the flexibility needed for effective system integration. This can potentially be achieved by improving the design of renewables auctions, with clear trajectories and criteria to reflect quality, location and system value, along with measures to foster grid expansion and demand-side response across India.

India has been addressing energy-related environmental pollution since the s, including air, water, land and waste issues. Reducing the health impacts of air pollution is a key priority. Over the years, the government has been progressively strengthened rules to combat air pollution, and adopted the National Clean Air Programme NCAP , which focuses on monitoring and enforcement.

However, the implementation of the NCAP is expected to help improve this issue. India is particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts and is exposed to growing water stress, storms, floods and other extreme weather events. Adaptation and resilience of the energy system to these extreme climate conditions should be a high political priority. Furthermore, the energy sector is a large water user. Through the initiative, the government is working to attract global companies to produce solar PV, lithium batteries, solar charging infrastructure and other advanced technologies in India.

The government is strengthening its innovation efforts in a broad range of energy technology areas, including cooling, electric mobility, smart grids and advanced biofuels. Growing financial risk, with deterioration of balance sheets for banks and non-bank financial institutions amid the Covid crisis.

The Kashmir region remains volatile and a source of potential conflict. India-China relations have also deteriorated recently due to border disputes. The political system tends to engender coalition governments that lack the ability to push through economic reforms. Political opposition and nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act emerged in late , and have dissipated for now amid the Covid pandemic.

Poverty remains pervasive and income distribution uneven. Structural weaknesses include inadequate infrastructure, current and fiscal account deficits and state involvement that crowds out private sector initiatives in some sectors. Weak structural business environment though improving Vulnerable to natural disasters including tsunamis, droughts, floods and earthquakes.

Deep slump in , slow recovery The Covid pandemic has hit India badly, with the economy already in a vulnerable state at the end of Risks are on the downside Risks to the outlook are on the downside. United Arab Emirates 9. China 5. Hong-Kong, China 3. Singapore 3. Pearls, precious stones, precious metals Machinery and mechanical appliances 6.

Journalists were harassed, even detained, for their reporting or critical comments on social media, and faced increasing pressure to self-censor. In June, police arrested three journalists , accusing them of defaming the Uttar Pradesh state chief minister.

India continued to lead with the largest number of internet shutdowns globally as authorities resorted to blanket shutdowns either to prevent social unrest or to respond to an ongoing law and order problem.

In July, the parliament passed amendments to the biometric identification project, Aadhaar Act , paving the way for its use by private parties. The amendments raised concerns over privacy and data protection and were made in the face of a September Supreme Court ruling restricting the use of Aadhaar for purposes other than to access government benefits and to file taxes.

In December , the government proposed new Information Technology Intermediary Guidelines Rules that would greatly undermine rights to freedom of expression and privacy of users. In October, the social media company WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, confirmed that users in India were targeted by surveillance software owned by NSO, an Israeli firm, out of which at least 22 were human rights activists, journalists, academics, and civil rights lawyers.

The government denied purchasing the software. In June, authorities filed a criminal case against Lawyers Collective —a group that provides legal aid, advocates for the rights of marginalized groups, and campaigns to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, and queer LGBTQ people. Nine prominent human rights activists, imprisoned in under a key counterterrorism law, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act UAPA , remained in jail, accused of being members of a banned Maoist organization and of inciting violent protests.

In the same case, in September, authorities conducted a raid on the home of a Delhi University professor who has been vocal on the rights of persons with disabilities and against caste discrimination.

In August, the federal government passed amendments to the UAPA allowing individuals to be designated as terrorists despite concerns by rights groups over how the law already infringes on due process rights and has been misused to target religious minorities, critics of the government, and social activists. The amendments have been challenged in the Supreme Court as unconstitutional and the case was pending at time of writing. In August, the government in Assam published the National Register of Citizens, aimed at identifying Indian citizens and lawful residents following repeated protests and violence over irregular migration of ethnic Bengalis from Bangladesh.

The list excluded nearly two million people , many of them Muslims, including many who have lived in India for years, in some cases their entire lifetimes. There are serious allegations that the verification process was arbitrary and discriminatory, although those excluded from the list have the right to judicial appeal. The Assam state government said it will build ten detention centers for those denied citizenship after appeal. In , the government deported eight Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar, a family of five members in January and a father and his two children in March , after deporting seven people in October In April, five UN human rights experts condemned the deportations saying they violated international law.

They also raised concerns over indefinite detention of some Rohingya in India. High profile rape cases during the year, including against a BJP leader , highlighted how women seeking justice face significant barriers, including police refusal to register cases, victim blaming, intimidation and violence, and lack of witness protection.