Dear Shri Vinod Gupta,
We are pleased to share with you our new report - Amicus Populi? A public interest review of the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity along with a note on coordinated national mission to move towards smokeless cooking and an opinion piece on sustainable approach to cooling India.
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Electricity Regulatory Commissions (ERCs) are the cornerstone of the power sector reforms. Many of the key sector decisions are made through the regulatory processes and the ERCs play the crucial role of balancing the interests of various stakeholders. One of the ways the accountability of the ERCs is ensured is by way of their orders being subject to judicial review and appeals before a specialised tribunal viz. the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL). Hence, the role of the APTEL becomes crucial in terms of holding the ERCs accountable for their role and mandate, ensuring good governance in the sector and in protecting the interests of consumers and citizens.
Given its broad mandate and wide ranging powers, the report argues that the APTEL should strive to be an “amicus populi”, i.e. a friend of the people, and not just an adjudicatory forum, which caters to the needs of the few who can afford access to it. Read More
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Household air pollution caused by smoke from burning solid fuels for cooking is a major source of mortality and morbidity in India; along with it being a major contributor to outdoor pollution as well. This problem also has a significant gender dimension. A rapid transition to clean-burning fuels and technologies for cooking can potentially address this challenge.
While the Government has announced programs such as the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and the National Clean Air Program, given the scale of the challenge in India, a coordinated national mission to move towards smokeless cooking would be useful. Read More
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India got hotter by a degree Celsius over the last century, with the fastest rise in temperature observed in the last two decades. Studies forecast a many-fold increase in the occurrence of extreme heat waves in the future. India also faces a dual challenge, on the one hand, it has to ensure that people at risk get affordable and adequate access to means that provide relief from heat and on the other it has to limit the harm caused by the resultant energy and refrigerants used in mechanised cooling equipment and processes.
To address this challenge, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) recently released a draft India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP).
An opinion piece by Prayas (Energy Group) discusses certain lacunae of the draft cooling action plan, that appeared in The Hindu BusinessLine of 9th October 2018. Read More
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