Pralhad Joshi: From mining coal to building green energy and food security

Coal minister in the second stint of the National Democratic Alliance government, Pralhad Joshi has now transitioned towards green energy -- one of the key focuses of the Narendra Modi government since its first tenure.

Joshi is now a fifth-time member of Parliament. He will head the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. (MoCAFP). In his earlier role, Joshi was also minister for parliamentary affairs.

In his role as coal minister he reached out to state governments and other central departments for efficient awarding, mining of coal mines and transport of coal.

Joshi is considered a trusted ally by MPs across parties and this has helped him push for coal reforms in states and get support from various departments such as railways and shipping.

The Modi government plans to replicate the success of coal reforms in green energy through its flagship scheme -- PM Suryaghar Yojana. The scheme aims to solarise rooftops of 10 million houses across India. The country is targeting 500 Gw of non-fossil fuel capacity development by the end of this decade. This would require coordination between the Centre and states, something Joshi is believed to be adept at.

 

At the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, a similar knack of Joshi to have a communication line with states on schemes related to food distribution would come in handy.

Managing food subsidies and prices due to the free foodgrains scheme for five years and high food inflation, particularly in pulses and oilseeds, could be a big challenge. To control this, the central government has announced measures including curbing rice exports and allowing the free import of pulses and oilseeds until at least March 2025. Additionally, exports of onion and deoiled cakes of some oilseeds have been stopped. The food distribution department under Joshi would need to take a relook at some of these decisions promptly to ensure that farmers receive fair prices for their produce.

At the consumer affairs ministry, Joshi is taking over when there have been online scams. The ministry is looking to launch initiatives such as busting dark patterns in the online space and resolving complaints through mediation.