Page 5 - Sustainable Development

Adani Green aims to achieve operational capacity of 11 GW in FY24: CEO

Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL) has a planned capex of Rs 14,000 crore and aims to achieve operational capacity of 11 GW in FY24, its CEO Amit Singh said. The company has an operating renewable energy (RE) portfolio of 8.4 GW across solar, wind and hybrid capacity, the company official said in an investor presentation. "With plans to deliver 2.8-3 GW capacity in FY24, the company's operating portfolio will increase to 11 GW. In FY24, the company has indicated a capex of Rs 14,000 crore," Singh said. A large part of the capacity addition will come in Khavda in Gujarat where the company has deployed a workforce of more than 5,000 people. The company plans is to add 5 GW of RE portfolio every year from FY25 onwards, he added. "We have the largest operating renewable portfolio in India. We are ramping up our execution capabilities as we prepare for our next phase of growth. We are working extensively on our next milestone of developing the largest RE cluster in the world in Khavda

Okaya to partner with IOC to install over 2,500 EV chargers across India

Okaya EV Chargers plans to set up 2,550 electric vehicle chargers across India in collaboration with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) at an investment of Rs 125 crore, the company said on Tuesday. As many as 362 such chargers have already been installed in over 20 states in a step towards bolstering the electric vehicle infrastructure in the country, according to Okaya EV Chargers. The chargers being set up comprise a diverse range of high-and low-voltage options, including 3.3-kw and 7.4-kw chargers, 30-kw wall-mounted CCS (combined charging system) 2 DC fast chargers, as well as 60-kw CCS2 DC fast chargers, the company said. "This partnership aligns with our vision of creating a sustainable ecosystem for electric vehicles in India. Our advanced charging solutions will empower EV users with convenient and efficient charging options, said Anshul Gupta, Managing Director at Okaya EV Chargers. The total investment for this initiative is pegged at Rs 125 crore, reflecting the substantial

For sustainable growth of nations, WB's Gill calls for data-driven policies

Middle-income countries like India need to make policies based on reliable data to get into the league of high-income nations in next 3-4 decades as achieving sustainable growth will become harder, World Bank chief economist Indermit Gill said on Thursday. Addressing an event here, Gill said, to grow into higher-income countries, MCIs (Middle Income Countries) will have to reduce deficits in their mid-sized firms. "(Going forward) economic growth will get harder for middle-income countries like India, not easier... If you (middle-income countries like India) want to get into high-income country in the next 3-4 decades then you will have to make policies based on reliable information," he said. Gill pointed out that relatively few countries (31) have grown into high-income countries between 1990 and 2021. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set an ambitious target of making India a developed nation by 2047. According to the World Bank, the world's middle-income countries (MICs) are a

Uber announces challenge to fast track sustainable mobility adoption

Ride-hailing app Uber on Tuesday announced a startup challenge that searches for innovative solutions to fast track adoption of sustainable mobility in the country. The 'Uber Sustainovate', in partnership with startup India and Nasscom AI, is geared to award ventures that produce the best workable ideas to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility in the country. "The winning startup would be awarded a grant of USD 120,000 (about Rs 1 crore), and the top 3 entries would be awarded mentorship sessions with the tech leadership of Uber in India in order to help them sharpen their skills and competencies," it said, announcing the startup challenge. "As the leading ridesharing company, Uber is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2040 and has been continuously working to reduce tailpipe emissions. With the aim to promote an ecosystem where startups are incentivised to work on emergence of sustainable solutions, Uber Sustainovate will provide a platform for visionary ...

G20 & beyond: Multilateral banks take centre stage

As Multilateral Development Banks lead the charge to achieve sustainable development goals, here are four clear paths they should follow

17 measures undertaken by NGOs, communities in India contributing to SDGs

Strong belief in Indian approach to achieve sustainable development was underlying tone of high-level meets organised by Reliance Foundation, ORF, UN India office, Permanent Mission of India to UN

India poised to be leader in sustainable tech: Honeywell chief scientist

The Indian economy is developing very fast and the country is poised to become a leader in sustainable technologies, a senior official of American technology firm Honeywell has said. India is an emerging economy, which provides an opportunity to directly build sustainable infrastructure, instead of building it using legacy technologies that are now being abandoned in places like the Europe in the United States, Honeywell, Corporate Chief Scientist, Sustainability Technologies, Gavin Towler told PTI. "There are some parts of India, some regions in India now that actually have very high levels of renewable power, and very low levels of fossil fuel intensity. I think India is poised to become much more of a leader in sustainable technologies," Towler said on the sidelines of a company event. India's historical cumulative emissions from 1850 to 2019 amounted to less than 4 per cent of cumulative carbon dioxide emissions of the world from the pre-industrial era, despite being home to 17

Diesel vehicles will not yet be out totally: Siam president Vinod Aggarwal

Lots of discussions happen between industry and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. For example, now discussions are happening on ethanol blending; and on LNG availability, says Aggarwal

NITI Aayog, UNDP partner to further India's sustainable development goals

Cooperation will include SDG localisation, data-driven monitoring, and aspirational districts & blocks, among others

UNDP to assist India in reaching its sustainable development goals

United Nations Development Programme and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region signed an MoU formalising the collaboration

Sustainable development top priority of J-K admin, says L-G Sinha

Sustainable development and environment conservation is the top priority of the Jammu and Kashmir administration, which is making "honest efforts" to address the challenges of climate change, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said on Sunday. Sinha was speaking at the launch of the Green Jammu and Kashmir Drive 2023-24 at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) here. He informed that while four crore saplings were planted in the past three years, another 1.75 crore will be planted this year. "Sustainable development and environment conservation is our priority. Protection of natural resources is in the DNA of our society, culture. With the whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, we are making honest efforts to address the challenges of climate change," he said. The drive has become a major contributor to increasing the Union Territory's green cover, strengthening the ecology and building a healthier society, Sinha said. "In the past three years, we have been able to plant more th

PNB launches 'Project PNB PALAASH' for environmental sustainability

Punjab National Bank (PNB) on Monday announced the launch of its environmental initiative 'PNB Palaash', an eight-month period campaign to embrace sustainability. The campaign would lead to cost savings and operational efficiencies through measures such as energy and resource conservation, paper reduction, waste management and streamlined digital processes, PNB said in a statement. Acknowledging the need for integrating sustainability into every aspect of lives, PNB managing director Atul Kumar Goel said, "As a leading bank in the industry, undertaking environment-friendly initiatives not only aligns with our corporate social responsibility but also presents significant opportunities for business growth." The primary objective of this project is to actively contribute to conservation endeavours, foster the adoption of sustainable practices, and promote active employee engagement, he said. Under this initiative, it said, one lakh plus employees of PNB will plant minimum two saplings

L&T completes transition of $150-mn credit into sustainability-linked loan

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Monday said it has completed the "transition" of a USD 150-million term loan into a sustainability-linked loan with Bank of America. Such loans incentivise corporate houses' sustainability performance with lower interest rates. "The sustainability-linked loan (SLL) reiterates L&T's continued commitment to its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals," the infrastructure major said in a statement. The transaction for the sustainability-linked loan (SLL) was completed on June 30, 2023. R Shankar Raman, group CFO and whole-time director of L&T, said the company continues to focus on achieving water and carbon neutrality by 2035 and carbon neutrality by 2040. The company's long-term strategic plan also outlines the ESG road map towards this goal. "This transition to SLL with Bank of America is yet another step in that journey and underlines our intent on the ESG front," he said. India-based L&T is a USD 23-billion multinational engaged .

G20 to rise above differences, address global challenges: Jitendra Singh

India on Wednesday asked the G20 countries to rise above differences and address the challenges confronting the world such as climate change, cyber security and water scarcity using their collective expertise. In his inaugural address at the G20 Science Ministers meeting here, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh said India recognises the significance of global collaboration and knowledge-sharing in addressing the complex challenges of today's times, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has talked about this at every international forum. The minister called upon the G20 countries to leverage their collective wisdom, expertise and resources to foster a culture of innovation, promote sustainable development and ensure a prosperous future for all. The G20 countries should rise above differences and address the global challenges confronting the world in the spirit of one family, he said. This group has the potential to address major global challenges as it did

Price-sensitive Gen-Z prefers shopping recommendations made by friends

While Gen Z shoppers display a great deal of concern for climate change and sustainability, they are seldom willing to pay the additional cost that goes into making such products

Kigali Global Dialogue to discuss critical sustainable development issues

Emerging technologies offer potential solutions but also create new challenges and risk further entrenchment of global inequities which calls for action and collaboration

Our members undertook 55 green projects as per IGBC norms: Credai

Realtors' apex body CREDAI on Monday said its members have undertaken development of more than 55 green projects across the country as per the norms of Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) and sought loans at concessional interest rates to promote such projects. In April, Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) entered into a partnership with IGBC to facilitate its members to develop certified environmental-friendly housing projects. The association had pledged the development of 1,000 green-certified projects in the next two years and 4,000 projects by 2030. On the occasion of World Environment Day, CREDAI, in a statement, said, "its member developers have undertaken more than 55 green projects, totalling 32 million square feet with the IGBC, under CREDAI's 'Green Crusaders' Programme." These projects are part of CREDAI's commitment towards developing 4,000 green projects by 2030, it added. "CREDAI is aggressively striving towards increasing awarene

World Environment Day 2023: A global call to action for sustainable future

Established by the United Nations in 1972, World Environment Day serves as a global platform to engage people and governments in environmental initiatives that promote sustainable development

Rules to promote sustainability must for mitigating climate change: HP Guv

Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Sunday said stricter regulations to promote sustainable development and adoption of cleaner technologies are needed to mitigate the effects of climate change. Addressing the 'North Zone Environment Workshop' here, Shukla stressed the need for protected and balanced development for environment protection and asserted that India today emits fewer carbon emissions as compared to the Western countries. Today, the environment in Western countries is unbalanced and it is affecting the entire world. We need to preserve our green cover and adopt chemical-free agriculture while going back to coarse grains, a statement quoted Shukla as saying. He said due to rapid urbanisation, industrialisation, population growth and uncontrolled human activities in the northern region, the environmental balance is being affected in a big way and climate change has emerged as a matter of global concern which affects everyone. He said air pollution and water ..

Crucial to adopt sustainable lifestyles to achieve 2030 development: Teri

The global discourse need to "recognise, integrate and mainstream" the imperative of adopting sustainable lifestyles to achieve the 2030 development agenda, the director general of TERI said on Wednesday. Speaking at a sustainability conclave organised by Bharat Soka Gakkai, an organisation that promotes peace, culture, education and sustainability across the Indian society, Dr Vibha Dhawan said living with less and accepting the co-existence of everyone is key to achieving Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, also known as SDG30. "The imperative of adopting sustainable lifestyles to achieve most of the development targets had never been so critical in the past and global discourse needs to recognise, integrate and mainstream them for achieving the 2030 development agenda," the director general of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) said. Chairperson of Bharat Soka Gakkai, Vishesh Gupta said the basic definition of sustainability refers to "meeting the needs of the present