India has been witnessing variable monsoon for the past few years. The last year was marked by surplus rain in June, deficit rain in July, and surplus rain in August and September, as reported by the Ministry of Earth Sciences. This inconsistency in the monsoon rainfall pattern is an indication that extreme weather events might become the norm, rather than the exception, in the coming years. The Global Climate Risk Index 2020, released recently, puts India seventh in the list of countries worst hit by extreme events.

Reiterating the Centre’s commitment to facilitating adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Nitin Gadkari informed the Parliament on February 11, 2021 that EV regulations had already
been issued to state governments. He said the Union government will also provide subsidies to 62,000 passenger EVs and 100,000 e-two-wheelers so that India transitions towards green mobility.

Renewable energy is increasingly becoming cheaper than that derived from thermal power plants. However, a major problem with renewable energy sources such as solar is the mismatch between energy generation and consumption. For example, consider a solar rooftop photovoltaic (SRTPV) system serving an electric vehicle (EV) charging station. While solar energy is generated during the day, EVs may also be charged during the night. This mismatch naturally creates the need for energy storage that can store the excess energy generated for use during times of higher demand.

The ongoing deliberations around the newly introduced farm laws have redrawn the nation’s focus on farmer-centric issues. Following suit, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a slew of pro-agrarian measures in the Union Budget, including an agri-credit enhancement to the tune of INR 16.5 lakh crore — highest till date. This move is expected to spur better inputs and cutting-edge technology, making farming less labour-intensive.

In India, around three lakh children die of water-borne diseases every year, with diarrhoea alone causing more than 50 per cent of the deaths. Despite the primary sources of water in the country—groundwater and surface water—being highly contaminated, only 32 per cent of the Indian households get water from a treated source. The groundwater in most of the districts of 24 Indian states has high concentrations of metals and heavy metals. Water sources across the country are also contaminated with high levels of pathogenic organisms.

Farmers in India receive electricity either free of charge or at extremely low rates for operating irrigation pump (IP) sets. The distribution utilities are compensated for the free (or nearly free) supply through subsidies by state governments. To claim higher subsidy amounts, utilities often show inflated figures of agricultural consumption. The higher consumption (by IP sets) estimates also help utilities portray lower loss in their network.