A monthly newsletter featuring CSTEP commentary, publications, events, and other developments.

A monthly newsletter featuring CSTEP commentary, publications, events, and other developments.

The proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020, for the Electricity Act, 2003, intends to bring major reforms in the Indian power sector. One of the proposed amendments is in Section 65 of the principal Act.

According to Section 65 of the Act, state governments should pay subsidy to electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs) in advance for electricity consumption by domestic consumers who are below poverty line (BPL).

The proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020, for the Electricity Act, 2003, intends to bring major reforms in the Indian power sector. One of the proposed amendments is in Section 65 of the principal Act.

The proposed amendment is intended to replace this provision with a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme. Under this scheme, state governments transfer the subsidy directly to consumers, and DISCOMs then charge the consumers based on the tariff determined by the SERCs.

In 2018, a group of academic institutions initiated a project to build capacities of the 12 Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) states through robust assessments of climate change vulnerability, adaptation planning, and implementation. A standardised assessment of vulnerability allows stakeholders to compare vulnerability across states, probe what has caused their vulnerability, and investigate how they might address these vulnerabilities.

Traditional agroforestry systems across South Asia have historically supported millions of smallholding farmers. Since, 2007 agroforestry has received attention in global climate discussions for its carbon sink potential. Agroforestry plays a defining role in offsetting greenhouse gases, providing sustainable livelihoods, localizing Sustainable Development Goals and achieving biodiversity targets. The review explores evidence of agroforestry systems for human well-being along with its climate adaptation and mitigation potential for South Asia.

Rarely has a singular event in the recent past changed our way of life as drastically as the COVID-19 pandemic. In the new normal, home has become the epicentre of not just personal but professional life too. Physical activities are restricted to the yard, terrace, balcony, or a room inside the house. The lack of social and environmental interactions and recreational activities, however, is leading to increased stress levels, calling for urgent measures to tackle it.

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.