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The briefing identifies Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand as the most vulnerable Indian states to the energy transition due to their heavy reliance on coal production and power generation. The assessment uses a multi-dimensional framework—covering fiscal losses, climate risks, socioeconomic impacts, diversification potential, and political economy—to rank states. Odisha is ranked as the most vulnerable, primarily due to high physical climate risks and high CSR dependency, while West Bengal is the least vulnerable due to a more diversified economy, despite having the highest fiscal deficit among the group.

Global Energy Monitor (GEM) finds that India's coal mining sector suffers from chronic underutilization, with 36% of approved capacity idled, making the 99 proposed coal mine projects (427 mtpa) unnecessary. The report highlights that existing capacity is sufficient to meet long-term demand and that new projects threaten to displace 165 villages, affect 87,630 families, and consume 168,041 kiloliters of water daily. Furthermore, these expansions risk creating stranded assets and carbon lock-in as India pursues a 2070 net-zero target and expands its solar power capacity.

Uttar Pradesh is lagging behind other high-demand Indian states in renewable energy adoption, with only 30% of its 2022 capacity target achieved by October 2021. The state remains heavily dependent on coal, which accounts for approximately 90% of in-state generation, leaving it vulnerable to supply chain disruptions and high costs. IEEFA modelling suggests that if the state meets its 2030 target of 23.5GW of solar, solar power could meet the majority of future electricity demand growth. However, progress is hindered by the financial instability of state-owned distribution companies (Discoms), characterized by high AT&C losses and expensive long-term thermal power purchase agreements. The report recommends retiring old coal plants, expanding distributed solar, and utilizing open market platforms to improve the financial viability of the electricity sector.

The document outlines a framework for the sustainable deployment of solar irrigation in India, focusing on the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus. It provides detailed guidance across five key areas: inter-departmental coordination, financing and affordability, beneficiary targeting, infrastructure support, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E). The guide emphasizes the need to protect groundwater resources, support small and marginal farmers, and transition away from high-subsidy models through innovative financing and ownership structures.

The report identifies 27 GW of planned coal power plants in India as "zombie" assets that are superfluous to the country's electricity requirements for FY 2030. It asserts that India can meet its peak demand of 301 GW by FY 2030 through existing construction, solar capacity, and battery storage rather than new coal. Cancelling these projects would free up approximately Rs. 247,421 cr in capital expenditure and provide annual savings of Rs. 43,219 cr by substituting coal with renewables and storage.

The report finds that fossil fuel subsidies in India significantly outweigh those for clean energy, with the disparity increasing from 7 to 7.3 times the size of renewable subsidies between FY 2019 and FY 2020. While electric vehicle subsidies more than doubled by FY 2020, renewable energy subsidies fell nearly 45% from their FY 2017 peak. Additionally, seven major energy public sector undertakings invested 11 times more in fossil fuel projects than in renewable energy projects in FY 2020.

The report finds that 2,277 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of new coal mining capacity is under development globally, with 614 mtpa already under construction. This expansion is heavily concentrated in China, Australia, India, and Russia, which together represent 77% of global development. The authors argue that this trajectory is incompatible with the Paris Agreement, as coal production would need to decline 11% annually through 2030 to limit warming to 1.5°C. If all proposed capacity is realized, 2030 production would be over four times the 1.5°C-compliant pathway. The report also highlights a potential $91 billion USD in stranded assets and significant greenhouse gas emissions, estimated between 5,000 and 5,800 Mt of CO2-equivalent annually from these projects.

The document highlights the critical need for long-term, coordinated planning to manage the socio-economic shift away from coal in India, where the sector provides 70% of electricity and employs nearly 4 million people. It identifies seven priority elements for a just transition: long-term planning, union engagement, community engagement, addressing coal as a generational identity, local economic diversification, securing worker pensions, and environmental remediation. The brief argues that because coal is deeply embedded in the economy—contributing significantly to federal and state revenues in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha—unplanned contractions could cause severe instability. It recommends leveraging international experience, such as Germany's mine closures and Denmark's Ørsted's diversification, while developing domestic mechanisms like the expanded use of District Mineral Foundations (DMFs) for local job creation.

Based on a survey of over 900 households in Jharkhand, the report finds that LPG subsidies are poorly targeted, with the poorest 40% of households receiving less than 30% of government support in 2018/19. The analysis indicates that poor households may receive two times less in subsidies than better-off consumers due to low consumption of subsidized cylinders among the poor and high consumption among the wealthy. While LPG subsidies per cylinder were effectively removed in May 2020, the report warns that the COVID-19 crisis has increased the need for affordable clean cooking support. The authors conclude there is no 'magic bullet' for improving distribution and suggest that policy-makers consider volumetric targeting to limit expenditure until the causes of low consumption among poor households are addressed.

The report finds that LPG subsidies in Jharkhand are highly regressive, with wealthier households receiving a disproportionate share of benefits due to their higher consumption levels. Testing of volumetric targeting and differential subsidies for Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) beneficiaries failed to significantly improve subsidy incidence, although volumetric limits reduced overall government expenditure. The authors recommend mapping subsidy equity across India and exploring smarter indicators, such as motorbike ownership, to better identify and exclude better-off consumers.

The document details updates to six specific energy subsidies in India, covering electric buses, energy conservation, regional fuel support, natural gas infrastructure, and hydrocarbon research. It provides financial data from FY 2014 to FY 2020, highlighting a significant increase in the cost of concessional GST for electric buses and substantial spending on the Phulpur Dhamra Haldia Pipeline Project and the National Seismic Programme.

The Land Accelerator South Asia program, launched by the World Resources Institute (WRI) in 2020, supports entrepreneurs developing business models to restore degraded lands. The 2021 cohort grew to 58 entrepreneurs, with women's participation increasing from 13% in 2020 to 31% in 2021. The program provides mentorship, grants, and connections to impact investors to scale solutions in sustainable agriculture, agroforestry, and agritech. This booklet highlights eleven specific startups, detailing their technological solutions—such as AI-based weeding robots, drone-based precision agriculture, and bio-economic waste conversion—and their reported socio-economic and environmental impacts, including increased farmer incomes and carbon sequestration.

The report finds that electricity subsidies in India are the largest form of energy support, with direct tariff subsidies totaling INR 110,391 crore in FY 2019. Despite the UDAY bailout scheme, DISCOM finances have generally worsened, characterized by increasing average costs of supply (ACoS) and persistent revenue gaps. The analysis reveals significant transparency issues, with discrepancies between Power Finance Corporation (PFC) reports and state regulatory orders. Subsidies are heavily skewed toward agricultural (75%) and domestic (20%) consumers, often without clear consumption limits, leading to regressive distribution where higher-income households capture a disproportionate share of benefits. The report recommends improving data standardization, exploring targeted subsidies via Direct Benefit Transfer for Power (DBT-P), and prioritizing billing and collection efficiency to reduce aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses.

Using a survey of over 900 households in Jharkhand, the report finds that residential electricity subsidies are poorly targeted, with the richest 40% of households receiving approximately 60% of the benefits. It suggests that adjusting tariffs—specifically restricting subsidies for consumption over 300 kWh per month and incrementally decreasing subsidies for blocks between 50 kWh and 200 kWh—could generate at least USD 44 million in fiscal savings to support the poor or address the COVID-19 crisis.

The document examines the tension between the need for electricity tariff reforms to save insolvent distribution companies (DISCOMs) and the decreased ability of low-income Indian households to pay for energy following the COVID-19 lockdown. It proposes shifting subsidies away from better-off households, implementing direct cash transfers (DBT-P), and improving data collection on consumer willingness to pay. The briefing highlights that while technical solutions like simplifying tariff slabs exist, political hurdles at the state level remain a primary barrier to reform.

The report finds that electricity subsidies in Jharkhand are regressive, with a significant portion of benefits accruing to wealthier households. Using survey data from over 900 households, the authors analyze the current subsidy incidence and simulate three targeting options: using poverty ration cards, revising volumetric consumption slabs, and implementing a proxy means test (PMT). The analysis suggests that revising volumetric slabs offers the most significant potential for fiscal savings and improved targeting without excluding the most vulnerable, while the PMT approach based on existing SECC variables shows high inclusion and exclusion errors.

The document examines the financial crisis facing India's electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs), which were already struggling with high costs and poor billing before the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic caused a catastrophic drop in power demand, further reducing revenues while fixed costs for coal and older renewable energy remained. While the central government provided a stimulus package of INR 90,000 crore and expanded borrowing limits, the document argues these measures do not address root causes. It recommends improving metering and billing, better targeting of subsidies, adjusting fixed-cost billing components, and renegotiating power purchase agreements to better allocate risk across the supply chain.

Nav Jivan Hospital in India's Palamu district installed a 10-kilowatt peak (kWp) solar photovoltaic (PV) system in January 2020 to combat erratic electric supply and voltage fluctuations. This system provides reliable power for critical intensive care unit (ICU) equipment, including ventilators for COVID-19 patients, reducing the hospital's dependence on expensive and polluting diesel generators. The case highlights a broader systemic issue in India, where as of 2019, at least 30% of sub-centers in 14 states lacked electricity connections, and nearly 800 primary health centers operated without power.

The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) warns that the COVID-19 pandemic threatens the survival of the decentralized renewable energy (DRE) sector, which serves over 420 million people globally. To prevent the collapse of rural electricity supply and the failure of Sustainable Development Goal 7, the ARE proposes the creation of a 'Global DRE Support Fund' providing low-interest loans and grants, a 'Rural Electrification Stimulus Plan' to mobilize long-term investment, and the official recognition of DRE as an 'essential service' to allow personnel movement during lockdowns. The report also calls for urgent technical assistance in risk mitigation and health training for field staff.

The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) warns that the COVID-19 pandemic threatens the survival of the decentralised renewable energy (DRE) sector, with many companies facing liquidity crises and only 3-6 months of survival capacity. To mitigate this, the report proposes the creation of a 'Global DRE Relief Fund' providing grants and low-interest loans (up to 3%), the implementation of a 'Rural Electrification Stimulus Plan' to close the investment gap for SDG7, and the official recognition of DRE as an 'essential service' to allow staff movement during lockdowns. It also calls for the reform of fossil fuel subsidies to fund these transitions and the provision of technical assistance for crisis management and risk analysis.