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

(a) India's green energy initiatives as a Paris Agreement signatory

Under the Paris Agreement, India's Nationally Determined Contributions (updated in 2022) are to cut the emissions intensity of GDP by 45 per cent from the 2005 level by 2030, and to have about 50 per cent of installed electricity capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030. At Glasgow in 2021 India set a target of 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030 and net zero by 2070.

(i) Renewable energy. The National Solar Mission, solar parks, PM-KUSUM for solar pumps and PM Surya Ghar for rooftop solar, onshore and offshore wind, and Green Energy Corridors for transmission. The share of non-fossil capacity is reported to have reached about half of installed capacity in 2025, ahead of the target.

(ii) New fuels. The National Green Hydrogen Mission aims at 5 million tonnes a year by 2030, with ethanol blending and biogas (GOBARdhan) in transport and industry.

(iii) Efficiency. The Perform, Achieve and Trade scheme, UJALA LED lighting, star labelling and the Energy Conservation Building Code.

(iv) Electric mobility. FAME, now succeeded by PM E-DRIVE, and the PLI for batteries.

(v) Finance and institutions. Sovereign green bonds (2023), the Green Credit Programme and the International Solar Alliance, led with France, plus Mission LiFE for behavioural change.

Gaps. Coal still supplies most electricity, storage, grid integration and land for projects are constraints, and finance and technology from developed countries are below what was promised. India argues for common but differentiated responsibilities, and balances climate action with development needs.

(b) India's poultry sector: opportunities and challenges

India is among the largest producers of eggs and poultry meat, and the sector has grown at high rates, from backyard units to commercial, integrated farming.

Opportunities. (i) Rising incomes, urbanisation and taste for protein raise demand for eggs and chicken. (ii) Integrated contract farming gives small farmers stable income and rural jobs, and gives women self-employment in backyard poultry. (iii) Backward links to maize and soybean, and forward links to cold chains, processing and exports, such as from Namakkal in Tamil Nadu, and clusters in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra. (iv) Poultry requires little land and water, and gives a quick return.

Challenges. (i) Feed prices, dependent on maize and soybean meal, swing and squeeze margins. (ii) Disease, such as avian influenza, causes culling and losses. (iii) Overuse of antibiotics raises antimicrobial resistance. (iv) Manure and waste disposal pollutes soil and water. (v) Cold chains, slaughter facilities and quality standards are weak, and demand dips in festival and fasting seasons. (vi) Small growers depend on integrators.

Biosecurity, better feed supply, regulated antibiotic use, cold chains and waste management would support sustained growth.

(c) Ecological and economic impact of the Indira Gandhi Canal command area

The Indira Gandhi Nahar Project, earlier the Rajasthan Canal Project, carries water from the Harike barrage on the Sutlej-Beas to the Thar desert, through a main canal of about 650 km to Mohangarh in Jaisalmer. Stage I irrigates Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh, and Stage II, partly by lift, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Barmer and Jodhpur.

Economic gains. (i) Irrigation of about 20 lakh hectares turned pastoral land into crops: wheat, cotton, mustard, groundnut and kinnow, raising output, income and employment. (ii) Drinking water, agro-industries, towns and colonisation of settlers followed. (iii) Droughts are buffered, and fodder and power were improved.

Ecological costs. (i) Flood irrigation and poor drainage have caused waterlogging and salinity, especially in Stage I. (ii) High evaporation and seepage losses in the sandy soil waste water. (iii) Monoculture, pesticides and fertiliser use pollute, and mosquito-borne disease such as malaria rose. (iv) Native desert vegetation, grasslands and wildlife, as well as the pastoral commons (orans, gochars), were disturbed. (v) Tail-end farmers get less water. Canal-side plantations and shelter belts, however, have helped to stabilise sand dunes.

Assessment. The project did raise prosperity, but the gains are being eroded by salinity and inefficiency. Lining of canals, drip and sprinkler irrigation, drainage, crop diversification and participatory water management are the remedy.