Deaths due to extreme weather events in the country have increased, said Jitendra Singh, Union minister of state (independent charge) for science and technology and earth sciences to the Lok Sabha.
In 2023, total 2,483 deaths reported due to disastrous weather events, followed by 2,767 deaths in 2022 and 1,944 deaths in 2021, the minister noted.
Around 14 waste-to-electricity plants with a capacity of 17,600 tonnes per day are functional in India, as per the details reported by the states / Union territories to the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The ministry has supported six municial solid waste-based power projects under the waste-to-energy programme, Shripad Yesso Naik, Union minister of state for new & renewable energy and power, told the Lok Sabha.
As on October 31, 2024, a total of 211.40 gigawatts of non-fossil power capacity has been installed in the country, which includes 92.12 GW solar power, 47.72 GW wind power, 11.33 GW bio-power, 52.05 GW hydro power and 8.18 GW nuclear power, Naik told the Lok Sabha.
Further, the government is implementing a scheme for “development of solar parks and ultra-mega solar power projects” with a target to set up solar parks of aggregate capacity 40,000 megawatts.
As on October 31, 2024, 55 solar parks of aggregate capacity 39,958 MW have been sanctioned under the scheme, Naik mentioned.
The government is implementing various schemes to promote solar energy in the country, including in Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. To promote solar energy for domestic use, the government has announced the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PM-SGMBY).
The scheme targets to achieve rooftop solar installations in 10 million households in residential sector by FY 2026-27. As on December 6, 2024, a total of 14.6 million registrations, 2.75 million applications and 668,000 installations have been reported in the country, under PM-SGMBY.
In the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, a total of 4,390 registrations, 156 applications and 33 installations have been reported, so far, Naik told the Lok Sabha.
The government has also notified the National Bioenergy Programme in November 2022 for a period up to March 31, 2026. This programme supports setting up of biomass-related projects namely Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plants, non-bagasse cogeneration plants and briquette / pellet manufacturing plants by providing central financial assistance in the country, including in Punjab.
These biomass plants use agricultural residue, including paddy straw, as one of their feedstocks. So far, 16 projects have been commissioned under this programme in Punjab, said Naik in the Lok Sabha.
India's wind energy potential is mainly concentrated in eight states, whereas its solar potential is mostly distributed.
The government is promoting wind solar energy, along with other renewable energy sources, in order to achieve the country’s commitment of 500 GW non-fossil energy capacity by 2030 and has taken several steps, Naik told the Lok Sabha.
The Union Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences has been conducting regular studies on monsoons and associated rainfall patterns in the country, including those during the El Nino period, Singh said in the Lok Sabha. In general, during the El Nino event, the Indian summer monsoon is weaker than normal, and the intensity of the event also decides the amount of impact on the monsoon.
Since 1950, there have been 16 El Nino years, out of which seven experienced below-normal monsoon rainfall. However, there is a stronger inverse relationship between El Nino and rainfall during the later half of the monsoon season (particularly with September rainfall), the minister added.
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has launched the G20 Pandemic Fund Project on “Animal Health Security Strengthening in India for Pandemic Preparedness and Response” with a grant of $25 million on October 25, 2024, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Union minister for fisheries, animal husbandry & dairying, told the Rajya Sabha.
The major interventions under the proposal are strengthening and integrating disease surveillance and early warning system, upgrading and expanding the laboratory network, improving the inter-operable data systems and building capacity for data analytics for risk analysis and risk communication, strengthening health security for transboundary animal diseases as well as zoonotic diseases and India’s role in regional cooperation through cross-border collaboration, the minister mentioned.