Development Watch – Week #4 April ’24

Development News

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Apple to invest in rooftop solar in India

Apple has formed a joint venture with renewable energy developer CleanMax to invest in 6 rooftop solar projects to power its India operations. The solar project will have a total size of 14.4 megawatts, which will provide a local solution to power the company’s offices and two retail stores in Mumbai and New Delhi. There is a global ramp-up in investments in clean energy and water. The goal is to be carbon neutral across the entire value chain by 2030. More than 18 GW of clean electricity now power Apple’s global operations and manufacturing supply chain.

Additional Trains to meet summer demand

Indian railways is operating a record-breaking 9,111 trips during summer season to manage surge in travel demand during summers. This marks a substantial rise compared to summer of 2023, where a total of 6,369 trips were offered. Additional trains have been planned to connect key destinations across the country, ensuring seamless travel on major railways routes. There is summer travel rush from states like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi. Inputs for planning additional trains is taken from all communication channels like media reports, social media reports, Railway Integrated helpline number 139 and details of waitlist passengers in PRS. This helps to assess demand of trains on a particular route.

India a travel hub between SE Asia & Middle East

India is emerging as a key hub for travel between SE Asia and Middle East. Airlines are increasingly using Indian cities for connecting flights. A lot of airlines are transferring people from places like Bangkok via India to reach Jeddah or Dubai in Middle East by connecting through Indian cities. India is moving forward with a lot more speed on infrastructure development now. There are 140 operating airports that would go up to 220 by 2030. There is a huge increase in regional travel. Indigo Airline’s order of 500 aircraft is the single largest aircraft order ever made in aviation history. It is now the 3rdmost valuable airlines in the world after Ryan Air and Delta Air Lines.

Karnataka, Gujarat, lead India’s Clean Energy transition

A report by IEEFA and Ember highlights varying state programs in clean energy transition in India. Recommendations include strengthening regulatory ecosystems at state level and tailored policy interventions to address unique challenges in decarbonizing power systems. Karnataka and Gujarat continue their strong performance across dimensions, effectively integrating renewable energy sources into their power sectors. This contributes to decarbonization. However, states like Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh need to improve. In early stages of transition, these states need to focus on increasing renewable energy deployment, enhancing short term market participation and strengthening their distribution companies. Ministry of Power is preparing for a projected peak power demand of 260 Gigawatts. Cyclical weather conditions and faster economic activity is pushing India’s peak electricity demand higher every year.

Renewable energy to revolutionize agriculture in Hindu Kush

Harnessing renewable energy has potential to revolutionize food security in the mountainous Hindu Kush Himalayas region. This is according to experts from India, as highlighted at a conference hosted by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICOMOD). The conference had over 100 participants, including development partners, civil society members, environmental experts, private sector representatives and government officials from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan. With rising temperatures posing risks to food security, experts have emphasized the importance of embracing clean energy sources like hydro, solar, biomass and wind to transform agricultural productivity.

Overhaul of rural roads for Viksit Bharat 2047

The Indian government plans to overhaul its PM GSY after the general elections to improve connectivity, simulate economic growth, and alleviate poverty. The PMGSY aims to expand and upgrade rural roads, linking them with nearby hubs and markets. The government’s goal is to turn India into a developed country by 2047. Upgrading rural roads helps to bolster productive capacity of the economy and ensure ease of living. The PM Aawas Yojana (Gramin) introduced in 2000 was a decisive step which altered the rural economic and social landscape. Since it’s launch, 759,689 km of roads have been built under the scheme.

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