5 Individual Actions Against Climate Change
Date : August 20, 2019
“It's the individual effort of everybody working together towards a collective goal that causes real, effective change”. -David Hogg Climate change is no longer a thing of the distant future. It is happening as we speak and is reflected in the increasingly frequent droughts and hurricanes, in the heatwaves scorching some areas and in the snowstorms muffling others. It is not a reality we...
Power Services Need to be Affordable and Sustainable
Date : June 27, 2019
As the country seeks to provide power and other basic public services, it needs to do so on a basis that is both affordable, accessible and sustainable. There is no point in pricing a service such as electricity or public transport at rates that are meant to be affordable to the consumer, if there is no supply and availability. To a person with no access to electricity or basic bus services, low p...
The Diesel Disruption in India
Date : June 10, 2019
The recent decision by Maruti Suzuki, which has a 51 per cent market share, to stop producing and selling diesel cars from April 2020 onwards represents a very significant inflexion point in an another wise hidebound industry.This decision is directly linked to the incremental cost implications of the introduction of BSVI fuel standards in April 2020. However, an important precondition has been t...
Saubhagya: From Connections to Quality of Supply
Date : March 12, 2019
Distribution, the crucial link between power generation plants and end users, presents a complex challenge that India’s power sector is meeting with only qualified success. Despite being one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, India's per capita electricity consumption is only about a third of the global average. The rural segment of the population has been most affected by the lack of p...
A Solar Step Ahead for Small Businesses
Date : November 28, 2018
The rooftop solar sector in India is gradually gaining momentum. More and more home owners as well as businesses are expressing an interest in adopting rooftop solar systems. We spoke to Mr. Akash Rao, Proprietor of the popular Guruprasad Udupi restaurant in New Delhi, who for the last two years, has been using a solar rooftop system to meet the restaurant’s power needs. Read what Mr. Akash has ...
What Philanthropy Can Do For Climate Change
Date : November 14, 2018
Philanthropy can play an important role in achieving India’s ambitious climate goals. Less than 2 per cent of global philanthropic dollars are currently being spent on the fight against climate change. But things are changing. In September 2018, the philanthropic community announced a $4 billion commitment over a period of five years to combat climate change—the largest-ever philanthropic in...
The Electric Mobility Opportunity
Date : May 15, 2018
There are many reasons to encourage electric mobility (EM) in India. These include environmental - replacing ICE engines will reduce CO2 emissions and combat global warming. Health - lower emissions will assist in addressing our deplorable air quality situation. Balance of payments and energy security—reduced oil imports will mean a healthier trade balance and reduced dependence on overseas sour...
Hybrid Vehicles: A Pathway to Full Electrification
Date : December 14, 2017
Under the recently announced GST guidelines, the Government made clear what it thought about hybrid cars, which will attract 28% GST plus 15% cess, as against 28% for ICE vehicles and 12% for electric vehicles. At this punitive tax rate, there will be no sales of hybrids. Current buyers will go for a corresponding ICE model, which attracts 15% less tax. The only manufacturer of hybrids at scale (T...
Blue Sky Thinking: What is Needed
Date : November 17, 2017
Before we despair at ever seeing blue skies above Delhi by fixing its awful air quality, we must remember that such situations have prevailed in other major cities like London and Los Angeles and have been tackled successfully. This did not happen overnight but took several years working to a thought out comprehensive plan. What is needed? First a recognition that this is a problem that can be ...
Urban Renewal in India: Or Not
Date : November 1, 2017
During the British Raj, military cantonments were established across the country. For space availability and strategic reasons, these were originally established at some distance from urban centres. There are presently 62 notified Military Cantonments in India occupying an area of 157,000 acres (such as Delhi, Ambala, Agra etc.) There are also another 44 non-notified cantonments (Mumbai, Bangalore...