(a) Discuss the green energy initiatives of India as a signatory nation to the Paris Agreement. 20 (b) India's poultry sector…

India’s developmental pathway necessitates balancing rapid economic growth with environmental sustainability across its energy, livestock, and water resource systems.

Green Energy Initiatives under the Paris Agreement

In alignment with Article 4 (mitigation commitments through Nationally Determined Contributions) and Article 7 (adaptation) of the Paris Agreement, India updated its NDCs to target a 45% reduction in emissions intensity of GDP by 2030 and achieve 50% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil sources, aiming for 500 GW of non-fossil capacity.

Supply-side initiatives center on the National Solar Mission, fostering ultra-mega solar parks, and dedicated Green Energy Corridors facilitating the transmission of onshore and offshore wind energy. The National Green Hydrogen Mission targets 5 MMT annual production by 2030 to decarbonize industrial sectors. Demand-side efficiency is driven by the Perform, Achieve, and Trade (PAT) scheme of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, mass adoption of energy-efficient LED lighting under the UJALA program, and the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme. Climate finance mechanisms, including Sovereign Green Bonds and the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC), provide domestic capital mobilization to bridge transition risks.

Poultry Sector: Opportunities and Challenges

The poultry sector has emerged as a dynamic agro-industry, recording high annual growth rates.

On the opportunity side, the sector has transitioned from backyard farming to vertically integrated contract farming models, insulating smallholders from market shocks while generating non-farm rural employment. It offers vital backward linkages by creating demand for coarse grains and oilseeds, particularly maize and soybean, and forward linkages with refrigerated cold chains and processing industries. Specialized clusters in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu (notably Namakkal) exhibit strong export potential for table eggs and poultry meat.

However, significant challenges constrain the sector. Volatility in feed prices, primarily driven by domestic supply shocks in maize and soymeal, compresses operational margins. Biosecurity risks from recurring Avian Influenza outbreaks pose recurring health and economic threats. Environmental issues, including improper poultry manure disposal causing soil and groundwater contamination, alongside high antimicrobial resistance (AMR) risks from prophylactic antibiotic use, remain critical concerns. Additionally, seasonal demand variations cause sharp market price fluctuations.

Indira Gandhi Canal Command Area: Economic and Ecological Impacts

The Indira Gandhi Canal (IGNP) transformed the hyper-arid northwestern Thar Desert.

Economically, the project enabled a structural transition from subsistence pastoralism to settled, commercial agriculture. It diversified the cropping pattern, replacing drought-hardy bajra and moth bean with high-yielding, water-intensive crops such as wheat, cotton, mustard, and groundnut. This shift bolstered Rajasthan’s agricultural output, generated farm employment, fostered agro-processing hubs, and stabilized rural incomes against recurrent droughts.

Ecologically, however, the project induced severe land degradation. Excessive flood irrigation combined with shallow, impermeable subsurface gypsum layers caused rapid groundwater rise, resulting in severe waterlogging and secondary soil salinization, particularly in Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, and Bikaner districts. While extensive canal-side afforestation aided sand dune stabilization, it altered the fragile desert ecology, submerging endemic flora and displacing traditional community grazing lands (orans and gochars). Furthermore, severe spatial inequity in water allocation persists, leading to acute water stress at the tail reaches of the distributary network compared to head reaches.

Way Forward

Sustaining these regional transformations requires harmonizing production targets with ecological thresholds. This demands grid modernization for renewable integration, stringent biosecurity and feed stabilization in the poultry supply chain, and volumetric water pricing alongside micro-irrigation to remediate salinity in canal commands.