Sustainability Outlook Headlines

NITI Aayog to hold Conference on implementing SDGs in Aspirational Districts

Linking the Transformation of Aspirational Districts Programme with India’s pursuit of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the NITI Aayog is organizing a conference on implementation of SDGs in Aspirational Districts. The conference will include deliberations on key SDGs and best practices to help achieve the same and will also feature presentations by State representative who have done well on the SDG... Read more..

1.11 MWp solar plant installed in Lucknow medical institute

In a move to curb carbon dioxide emissions and reduce the burden on conventional energy resources, a 1.11 MWp solar plant was installed at the Sanjay Gandhi Post-graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) here on Wednesday.The solar plant will help reducing 1,440 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is equivalent to planting 33,855 full grown trees, besides saving Rs 60 lakh per year, a statement said. ... Read more..

Air pollution claims 7 million lives each year: UN expert

Air pollution, both outside and inside homes, is a silent and prolific killer responsible for the premature death of seven million people each year, including 600,000 children, according to a UN expert on environment and human rights. David Boyd, UN special rapporteur on environment and human rights, said that over six billion people, one-third of them children, are regularly inhaling air so polluted that it puts their life, health and well-being at risk. "Yet, this pandemic receives inadequate attention as... Read more..

Tanneries shut in Kanpur, business shifts to Bangladesh and West Bengal

The UP government's shutdown order on leather tanneries in Kanpur and Unnao since the beginning of Kumbh three months ago to cap pollution in the Ganga, has dealt a double blow to the industry in the state. While hide buyers from Kanpur are turning to Pakistan and Bangladesh for raw material, manufacturers are moving to West Bengal. 

In mid-November 2018, around 300 tanneries operating in Kanpur, Unnao, and... Read more..

ReNew Power, Exim Bank tap dollar funds

Easy global liquidity, benign interest rates and a stable rupee have overshadowed Indo-Pak tension as overseas investors continue to latch on to dollar debt from the country. Two more Indian companies, wind and... Read more..

CleanMax Solar installs 736-KW rooftop solar power plant at Mandoli Jail

Gurugram-based solar power developer CleanMax Solar today announced it has installed a rooftop solar power plant with a capacity of 736 kilowatt (KW) in Mandoli Jail here. 

The project is part of the company's 2.5-... Read more..

India goes into overdrive with 6 GW tender plans announced in five days

With India 72 GW short of meeting its target of installing 100 GW of solar generation capacity by 2022, the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has gone into overdrive. According to the agency’s website, it issued notices for tender relating to more than 6 GW of projects between Wednesday and Sunday. The flurry of procurement exercises – which have also occurred just a couple of months shy of national... Read more..

Modi government's Smart City programme showing results

Ahead of the parliamentary elections, the Modi government’s ambitious flagship programme to “smarten” up 100 cities is finally showing some tangible results. Overseen by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and meticulously monitored through a scientifically devised system by the housing and urban affairs ministry, the Smart City Mission has achieved in one year what it had not over the previous two years put together. ... Read more..

India Witnesses Sharp Fall In Solar Tariffs In 750 Megawatt Auction

The latest solar power auction in one of India’s most favored states to set up large-scale solar power projects has witnessed a sharp cut in tariff bids placed by project developers.The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) launched this tender in August 2018 and saw several extensions with final auction being completed last month. The tender called upon project developers to set up 750 megawatts of solar power... Read more..

Need land, labour reforms to aid manufacturing: Chief economic adviser

India's next government will have to bring in land, labour and financial sector reforms to improve the productivity of the manufacturing sector and boost economic growth, India's chief economic adviser said. "These are the critical areas, we need to work on," Krishnamurthy Subramanian told Reuters in an interview. ... Read more..

APERC move to reduce PPA duration worries green companies

The Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (APERC) move seeking truncation of the average length of power purchase agreements (PPA) to a fifth has seen renewable energy companies raise concerns. Most PPAs are signed for 25 years, but the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) would like the duration reduced to five years. 

... Read more..

New union takes on sustainability of the fashion system

The Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion, formed in 2018 by four academics—two from the United States and one each from the United Kingdom and Sweden—recently released its manifesto, calling on fashion researchers to unite for action and leadership over the use of scientific and artistic knowledge that is more relevant to the multiple crises being faced. The union was started by Kate Fletcher, research... Read more..