Indian parliament’s lower house passes bill to promote use of green fuels

Lok Sabha passed a bill seeking to promote the use of non-fossil fuels, including ethanol, green hydrogen and biomass.

The bill is also aimed at helping the country achieve its international commitments with respect to climate change goals.

The bill was passed by the House after rejecting amendments moved by some Opposition members.

Among other provisions, it provides for penalties for violations by industrial units or vessels as well as on manufacturers if a vehicle fails to comply with fuel consumption norms.

The amendments also seek to promote renewable energy and the development of a domestic carbon market to battle climate change.

Further, the bill seeks to introduce new concepts such as carbon trading and mandate the use of non-fossil sources to ensure faster decarbonisation of the Indian economy and help achieve sustainable development goals in line with the Paris Agreement.

Recently, the Union Cabinet approved India’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), incorporating two of the promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Glasgow conference — reducing emissions intensity of GDP by 45 per cent by 2030, compared to 2005 levels, and achieving about 50 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by that year.