Publications

Can Subsidies be a Tool for Strengthening the Improved Cookstoves Market?

Policy brief
| April 20, 2015

The Unnat Chulha Abhiyan (National Biomass Cookstoves Programme) has set an ambitious target of deploying 2.75 million improved biomass cookstoves in the 12th Five-Year Plan Period, with a plan outlay of `294 crores.1 One of the financial provisions of the programme is to subsidize up to 50 per cent of the cost of the stove2, with an additional 10 per cent of the total cost paid to masons for construction of earthen stoves. Subsidies have an undeniable role in supporting the nascent improved biomass cookstoves market, with majority of the buyers having low paying capacities.

Capacity Needs of Government Officials for Integration of Energy and Human Development

Policy brief
| April 9, 2015

Achieving Sustainable Energy for all (SE4ALL) is one of the fundamental needs for attaining development goals while ensuring economic growth and safeguarding the environment. Access to energy is a necessary precondition for achieving many development goals that extend far beyond the energy sector-eradicating poverty, increasing food production, providing clean water, improving public health, enhancing education, creating economic opportunity, and empowering women. Despite this, ground realities are starkly different in India.

Biofuel Promotion in India for Transport: Exploring the Grey Areas

Policy brief
| February 7, 2015

India happens to be the world's fourth largest energy consumer and a consumer of crude and petroleum products after the United States,China, and Japan. The net oil import dependency of India rose from 43 per cent in 1990 to 71 per cent in 2012 that resulted in a huge strain on the current account as well as the government exchequer. Transport sector accounts for the largest share (around 51 per cent) in terms of consumption of petroleum products in India.

Crisis in India's Electricity Distribution Sector: Time to Reboot for a Viable Future

Policy brief
| January 22, 2015

In many developing countries including India, energy pricing is a subject that involves political economy and engages the interests of different stakeholders. The governments in these countries often exert their discretions to regulate energy commodity prices and provide direct subsidies to realize certain social and economic objectives. This can bring distortion in the market and incur revenue losses without realizing much the desired outcome as can be seen in case of the power sector in India.

Discussion Paper : The Mineral Development and Regulation Framework in India

Policy brief
| January 14, 2015

The Paper highlights the governance and regulation issues that need to be addressed as part of the reform of the mineral concession system.Also it brings out the merits of bidding and first-in-time systems in their specific contexts. The difficulties of resource estimation and valuation in bidding systems are analysed.

What would India need for moving to a 100% renewable energy scenario by 2050?

Policy brief
| December 20, 2014

The Fifth Assessment Reports released by the IPCC indicates that increase in global temperatures is proportional to the build-up of long-lasting greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, especially carbon dioxide. Various models have estimated 680-1200 billion tonnes of CO2 as being the maximum volume of CO2 that could be emitted till 2100 into the atmosphere to still stay within the 2 °C limit. However, few countries have made efforts to move towards any major deviations from their past emission trajectories.

Discussion Paper : Perspectives on a Water Resource Policy for India

Policy brief
| October 30, 2014

India sustains nearly 17 per cent of the world's population but is endowed with just four per cent of global water resources. About 50 per cent of annual precipitation is received in just about 15 days in a year, which is not being brought to productive use due to limited storage capacity of 36 per cent of utilizable resources (252 BCM out of 690 BCM). Leakage and inefficiencies in the water supply system waste nearly 50 per cent of usable water. The ground water level is declining at the rate of 10 cm per year. Over 70 per cent of surface water and ground water resources are contaminated.

Smart Solutions for Sustainable Cities: A Policy Perspective

Policy brief
| October 9, 2014

Urban India has grown at an unprecedented rate in the last two decades. The level of urbanisation increased from 25 per cent in 1991 to 31 per cent in 2011 with a total urban population of 377 million in 2011. A conservative estimate of India's population growth shows that it is expected to reach about 1.5 billion by 2031, of which the urban population is estimated to be about 600 million, i.e., about 40 per cent1.

Tax Regime for Improved Cookstoves and Its Implications

Policy brief
| September 14, 2014

Around 160 million households in India rely on traditional biomass - firewood, cattle dung, and crop residues as cooking fuel. When biomass is burnt in traditional inefficient cookstoves it emits smoke that has significant health and climate impacts resulting in 10 lakh premature deaths per year. Efforts to replace inefficient traditional cookstoves with cleaner, more efficient improved biomass cookstoves have been in process across the country for several years now, primarily driven by grassroots institutions and government technical institutes.

Advancement of Fuel Quality and Vehicle Emissions Norms to Improve Urban Air Quality in India

Policy brief
| September 14, 2014

The health impacts of the deteriorating ambient air quality in urban cities worldwide are of serious concern. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one of the top ten causes of death is attributed to air pollution (WHO, 2010); diesel engine exhaust, for instance has been linked with increased lung cancer risk (WHO, 2012). Motor vehicles are one of the major sources contributing to air pollution at local, regional and global scale. India, which has the largest number of megacities in the world, is facing serious air quality problems in its urban areas.