While transitioning from coal energy, India needs to ensure better livelihood and opportunities for those who depend on it. Explain (200 Words)
Refer - The Indian Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 5 years
KEY POINTS
· If India really intends to announce an ambition for net zero, then as a country which uses coal for more than 70 per cent of its energy, it will face daunting challenges.
· Most coal phaseout plans include a roadmap for workers and communities dependent on fossil fuels.
· In FY20, India consumed approximately 942 million tonnes (MT) of coal, 730 MT of which was produced domestically.
· This translates to about nine lakh people, based on a four-person household, who are dependent, at least partly, on coal mining.
· This does not include white-collar workers of CIL, discrepancies in mine-wise data, and the fact that not all mines are run for three shifts, underground mines are highly unproductive and older legacy mines have more workers than coal mines.
· The challenge in transitioning coal workers in India is also in factors like education, skill levels, willingness to migrate, and caste.
· Without adequate information on these parameters, it becomes difficult to decide how and where to finance the transition.
· Moreover, revenues from coal and allied activities form a significant portion of receipts in India’s coal-bearing regions.
· A transition away from coal must account for the loss to the state and district exchequer. Further, a number of welfare services in key coal-bearing districts are provided by the coal company operating there.
