26 Apr Goal of Energy Resources in South Asia : An analysis in special reference to India
Goal of Energy Resources in South Asia – Today Current Affairs
Context :
The chief goal of the South Asian Countries is to provide electricity to every household. However some countries are far behind this goal. The objective is not only to prove electricity to each house but it should be provide on reliable cost and efficient electricity protecting the interest of the costumer
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Introduction :
- South Asia is the southern region of Asia . It can be defined as both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. It consists almost 4th of the world population , however it has 5-5% of land mass of the world’s land mass. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.in recent year it has been observed that the production of electricity has risen exponentially from 340 terawatt hours (TWh) in 1990 to 1,500 TWh in 2015. Small countries like Bangladesh has also achieved the target of 100% electrification recently while Bhutan, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka accomplished this in 2019.
- India and Afghanistan are closing to achieve the target of 100 electrification . Both have achieved almost 95 % of the target of electrification. Pakistan is far behind this target . Pakistan could achieve 73.91% of targeted electrification. The cost of electricity is the cheapest in Bhutan while In India the electricity cost is the highest in all south Asian countries. The Bangladesh government has significantly revamped power production resulting in power demands from 4,942 kWh in 2009 to 25,514 MW as of 2022. The objective of India is to transmit renewable energy to provide for 40% of total consumption. Among all the south Asian countries the condition of the Pakistan is the worst condition. The Hindu Analysis
- The main issues which should be addressed by these countries include generation, transmission, distribution, rural electrification, research and development, environmental issues, energy conservation and human resource training.
- Because of the geographical diversity, every country depends on different energy sources . For example India relies heavily on coal, accounting for nearly 55% of its electricity production, 99.9% of Nepal’s energy comes from hydropower, 75% of Bangladesh’s power production relies on natural gas, and Sri Lanka leans on oil, spending as much as 6% of its GDP on importing oil.
Significance of electrification : The Hindu Analysis
- Electrification of the countries does not only fulfill the requirement of energy but also it helps in increment of the GDP as well as the objective of Global sustainable development . For middle income countries, generation of electricity plays an important role in the development of the country . More electricity encourages more investment which would further lead to more production and more employment . In such a way electricity provides the overall increment in any economy. Today Current Affairs
- The production of electricity played a greater role in some south Asian countries . For example, 50.3% of Bangladesh’s GDP comes from industrial and agricultural sectors which cannot function efficiently without electricity. Nepal’s GDP growth of an average of 7.3% since the earthquake in 2015 is due to rapid urbanization aided by increased consumption of electricity. Because of the less electrification in Pakistan, it has to face the rapid reduction in Industrial growth
- Bangladesh is moving faster towards the goal of SDGs (Global sustainable development .) She is focusing on the electricity production from solar energy . In This way she can achieve the 7 goals of SDGs (Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all” for 2030) . The solar energy is being distributed to households also so that the maximum household could be benefited in Bangladesh . In this way She is achieving the 5th Gold of SDGs gradually (achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”)
- India’s pledge to move 40% of total energy produced to renewable energy is also a big step. India is also improving the accessibility of the electricity for all and in this way she is also achieved the 9th goal of SDGs gradually (“build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation) Today Current Affairs
- India’s focus is to reduce carbon, therefore India is increasing the clean energy sources. Recently in Palli village , our prime minister inaugurated the solar plan for the electrification of the village . South Asia has vast renewable energy resources — hydropower, solar, wind, geothermal and biomass which must be exploited for fulfilling the electricity requirements . The region is moving towards green growth and energy as India hosts the International Solar Alliance.
Regional cooperation for energy : The Hindu Analysis
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) prepared the regional energy cooperation framework in 2014 but its implementation is still in vain .However there are multiple bilateral , multilateral treaties among South Asian countries but still energy cooperation could not be made feasible so that the energy requirement of them all could be fulfilled. ‘South Asia’s regional geopolitics is determined by the conflation of identity, politics, and international borders. This is the main obstacle in front of the treaties . India exports 1,200MW of electricity to Bangladesh, sufficient for almost 25% of the daily energy demand, with a significant amount from the Kokrajhar power plant in Assam worth U.S.$470 million. Bhutan exports 70% of its own hydro powered electricity to India worth almost U.S.$100 million.
Need to improvement in such a way : The Hindu Analysis
South Asian countries are rapidly improving their energy resources and fulfilling the requirement of energy but in this field, more cooperation among the countries is needed despite the local geopolitical issues . these countries should develop infrastructure for the distribution of the electricity among the countries
Today Current Affairs
Conclusion
As per the above discussion , it can be said that energy is the key factor for the development of any country . so all the south Asian countries should develop energy resources and through mutual cooperation they should distribute the electricity so that it could fulfill the requirements of each country . In this way the entire region would be benefited and we will achieve the goals of the SDGs. Since South Asian countries represent the 4th largest population of the world in 5 % of land therefore for these countries development of energy is a must .
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Source : The Hindu (Editorial )
GS Paper II
Plutus IAS Current Affairs Team Member
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