The Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister has asked states and union territories to set up state-level steering committees for energy transition and make efforts to achieve zero diesel use in the farm sector by 2024. The steering committees will be chaired by the chief secretaries of the various states and union territories. The members of these committees will include the principal secretaries of the departments of power, new and renewable Energy, transport, industries, housing and urban affairs, agriculture, rural development, and public works. Under the committee’s mandate, the states and UTs will work on an annual energy transition strategy.
In line with the statement, the minister emphasised the importance of states and UTs in achieving state-specific sustainable development goals in the most energy-efficient manner possible. In addition, the energy transition is the only way to reduce carbon emissions and meet international commitments, according to the statement. Some states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, have already established similar committees. The minister stated that the states and UTs must collaborate on several fronts in order to achieve an energy transition.
Reportedly, the first track is to integrate renewables into the electricity generation mix in order to meet the country’s ever-increasing electricity demand. Also, the second track would be the promotion of energy efficiency, while the third one would be more use of biomass and green hydrogen. In this regard, financial assistance through the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme may be available for adopting solar energy for separate agricultural feeders and agricultural feeders under the PM-KUSUM scheme.
