Promise of Renewable and Clean Energy: What Changed in BJP’s Five Years

New Delhi: On Monday, the BJP unveiled its manifesto for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Reiterating the progress made between 2014 and 2019, the manifesto states that as of February 2019, the installed renewable energy capacity stands at 76.87 GW and this is “on track to achieve our goal of 175 GW by 2022.” Alongside such progress, the party promises to continue their efforts in this regard and also to invite more countries to become members of the International Solar Alliance. As part of road connectivity plans also, the party has stated its commitment to launch a programme “for promoting clean energy and battery operated vehicles.” The generation of solar energy also forms part of the BJP’s plans to ‘double farmers’ income by 2022’ in view of enabling food providers to also take on the role of becoming energy providers. BJP’s Promise of Renewable Energy in 2014 Giving a thrust to renewable sources of energy as an “important component of India's energy mix” was one of the BJP’s agendas during the 2014 elections too. “So, even if the government wants to boost coal, it cannot because coal is now expensive.” Path Ahead “On good days, when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing, renewable energy meets some 12.5 per cent of the country’s electricity needs”, the CSE report stated.