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The Government has no proposal under consideration for a one-billion-rupee (Rs 100 crore) capital subsidy scheme for the solar sector, Minister of State for New & Renewable Energy and Power, Shripad Yesso Naik, told the Rajya Sabha on August 19, 2025.
While no standalone capital subsidy is planned, the ministry is implementing various schemes/ programmes with provision of Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to promote solar energy in the country, Naik added.
Five pilot projects have been sanctioned under the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM), Naik told the Rajya Sabha.
The projects have been sanctioned for using green hydrogen in 37 vehicles (buses and trucks), and nine hydrogen refueling stations. Of these 37 vehicles, nine buses and six trucks work on fuel cell-based technology, he added.
India has already achieved 50 per cent of its cumulative installed power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by June 2025, against the 2030 global commitment, according to Naik.
India is likely to reach 292.56 GW solar and 99.89 GW wind capacity by 2030, according to the Central Electricity Authority’s Optimal Generation Mix Report (2029-30, Ver. 2.0). The current installed capacity stands at 116.25 GW solar and 51.67 GW wind (as of June 30, 2025).
On rooftop solar, Naik stated that the Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Programme Phase-II launched in 2019 has now been subsumed under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana. The scheme, launched in February 2024, aims to equip 10 million households with rooftop solar by 2026–27.
There is no substantive data available with the government to indicate that adoption of Bt cotton has led to increased dependence on imported cotton, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Ramnath Thakur, informed the Lok Sabha.
He added that imports and exports act as a balancing mechanism to meet mismatches between domestic supply and the textile industry’s requirements, which are shaped by the global market.
Over the past decade, India has imported an average of two million bales annually, accounting for about six per cent of total production. Most of these imports are of specialised extra-long staple (ELS) cotton varieties such as Giza, Supima and Australian cotton, used for value-added textiles, or are linked to back-to-back commitments with global brands, said Thakur.
Both the central and state governments undertake land acquisition for urbanisation, industrial projects, national highways, and other infrastructure developments. However, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare does not centrally maintain data on agricultural land acquired for various purposes, Thakur told the Lok Sabha.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has no data on the extent, volume, or usage patterns of vegetable fats—including hydrogenated oils and palm oil—in processed foods, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, informed the Rajya Sabha.
Ultra-processed foods are typically high in fat, sugar, and salt, with palm oil (rich in saturated fats) and partially hydrogenated oils (rich in trans fats) commonly used to extend shelf life, the minister said.
Citing observational studies, he noted that diets high in saturated fats raise overall mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, while trans fats are even more harmful, as they increase LDL (bad cholesterol) and lower HDL (good cholesterol).
On regulations, the minister clarified that India has no specific permissible limits for vegetable fats in processed foods under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. The only exception is chocolates, where up to five per cent vegetable fat is allowed, in line with Codex international standards.
Air pollution is one of the triggering factors for respiratory ailments and associated diseases. But there is no conclusive data available in the country to establish a direct correlation of death/ disease exclusively due to air pollution, Jadhav told the Rajya Sabha.
Responding to questions on rising respiratory illnesses in metro cities, the minister said health effects of air pollution are synergistic manifestation of factors, which include food habits, occupational habits, socio-economic status, medical history, immunity, heredity, etc., of individuals.